BellaOnline Forums Career Nonfiction Writing Outlining

My new article is on how to outline a nonfiction book. How do you do your outlining--or do you not outline at all?

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I don't really outline. I come up with my main characters and fictional towns or whatever and write them down and by then I already have an idea what I am writing about and then the rest just sort of comes to me as I write.

I come with the main idea or plot of the story, then how to start it and how I want to end it and fill in the rest as I go. I will be writing and then "Oh yeah, this character can take this path and that will work out nicely."

My first books were nonfiction. I am playing with fiction now and I don't have a detailed outline, but I do have a skeleton framework, and some bits and pieces to add as they come along. Does anyone outline fiction in detail?

Since I type it as is it comes (in pictures and sounds like a movie) into my mind I neither outline nor know what is coming up ahead when writing. But when re-writing I find an outline imperative and is essentially what the first pass is all about.

editted to add: I'd love to know about any good outlining tools or software.

heyyou (love the name)

I have a friend who went back to school (Phd in English), and she started using a program called Inspirational Tools. I think if you google Inspirational Tools you can try it for free one month.

It is a program meant for younger school age children, not for higher learning, but my friend says it works for her and she is happy with it. At least you can try it for free if you want.

My outlining system is called file cards I love them. I put each idea on a card, spread them out, and start shuffling. But I'm old and like simple things.

Thanks for the suggestions. I do want a computer system. I'm too cluttered as it is without cards to be strewn about, getting lost or floating about in the breeze. Though I admit to loving them in my pre-computer days.
Will look for that Inspirational Tools one as I want simple and it is kids I'm writing for so it ought to be compatible, I hope. I have Power Writer but am not totally pleased with it.

stamping carol, can you get an URL from your friend? Googling gives tons of religious stuff and not the outlining tool. thanks heaps.

Hey You - Can you tell us a little more about Power Writer? Have you ever looked at Story Teller - I think that is what the other software is called. I've seen them, but never used them.
Chel

Power Writer is the only one I know. And I'm rusty due to months of non-writing. (Been busy regaining health but am now healthier than ever.)

Power Writer has a learning curve but once through it the program is easy enough to use, though a bit more cumbersome than I'd like. It's not sim;le enough that I can just jump back in after a long break like this - I'll have some re-learning to do.

My main gripe though is that it doesn't seamlessly transfer back and forth with Word.
While doing the outline in Power Write I transfer a chapter, do my thing with it including corrections, resuffling, etc in the process of making the outline. Then it doesn't go back into Word the way I want - though I forget the specifics.

One thing, as I recall, it retains some of their own headings that can be 'hidden' within the program but remain in gray when I transfer the chapter back into Word. Not exactly what I want for a submission copy. I can do a massive 'find all and delete' but who wants the extra steps chapter after chapter.
There are other things too but I forget what they are.

Also it only allows a certain number of levels. I grew up with the old fashioned outline something this.
1
.A
..A1
...a
....a1
.....(a)
......(a1)
..A2
.B
..B1
2
etc
But I think you can only go
Project/Book name
Chapter
Scene
Scene
Scene

Sometimes I want more flexibility/depth than that.

Also I'm not sure what the problem is right now - I can't even open it. I've had a computer crash and replacement since I've had it plus a couple of reloads on this one after more minor crashes and I put it onto my laptop. It seems more prone to glitches and more vulnerable to power outages (we have many) than the computer itself is. (I have one of those fancy back-up batteries that closes everything before turning off the computer when the power goes out so it should be fine but ...)
Now it says I've run out of how many times I can load it. I can't go beyond that box. There's a contact process listed but I'm awaiting a new computer now so plan to wait until that is up and running to hassle it out with them.
Unless I can locate something I like better in the meantime.
For a program one pays good $$ for one ought to be able to use it without hassle - I think.

Okay, I've never used an outlining program. Are they really that helpful? I can type chapter scene scene in seconds on my computer and save it as a template. What else do they do? Do they give you enough to make it worth shelling out the money?

The advantage of Power Writer (PW) and other similar programs is that there are two interactive panels - the outline panel and the text panel. Clicking in one brings you to the corresponding area in the other.
If you don't want that there seems to be an adequate outliner free at:BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!

heyyou- here is the site for the free download. It looks pretty juevenile, but depending on what you use it for...
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Terrie-- I'm with you. I tend to be so organized, I can't imagine a system that would make it any easier. But if it's free... I guess I would give it a try.

For me it is an editting tool not something I devise in advance of writing. Helps me catch things like grandparents are dead in book one and kid telephones one of them in book three (it's a trilogy)

stamping - thanks for the link

I just use Word's Outlining screen for my notes, but then I know Word backwards and inside out (I teach it). It looks pretty much the same as you've described Power Writer.

I'll work it into an article on creating your own outlining/plotting system.

You CAN DO THAT in Word?!?!?!? How?????

A little more longwinded probably, but you set up two documents and align them side by side by clicking Window | Compare side by side. Then you create your notes in Outline view and your manuscript in either Print Layout view or Normal view.

Nowadays I don't often work on both documents together. I'll do my writing session and then afterwards open my notes file and copy and paste any new info that has cropped up from the ms to the notes file.

Ummmm I followed you through your whole first sentence. Then I think our roads diverged in the woods.

I already have my manuscript written.
In PW in the text box I can place the cursor where I want a note for the outline, type it and it appears in both frames. If I click on a line in the outline it takes me to that portion of the text. If I move something around it follows in the other frame. I can't figure out how to do that in Word.

I AM virtually computer illiterate. Just know how to do a certain few specific things I've struggled to learn. 'old dog, new tricks' - yah know!

Yeah, it does sound like they've just made it much easier for you. It can be tricky to get exactly what you want in Word.

I forgot to mention that I use a Table of Contents to have a quick jump-to guide, as well, for my ms.

Oh, don't know how to do that either - I'm probably only one step up from an orangutang with a keyboard.
So yes, it is much easier for me to use a program thay is all set up. Just haven't found the entirely perfect (for me) one yet. Thanks for your attempt to help though. And I will be watching for your article.

I use the table of contents in word too. I figured that one out with my first book.

I tried really really hard to use an outline with the second novel I am writing but i went in totally different directions several time and pitched the idea. Now I am working one about serial killer and it is told from several different characters. I think that is going to need an outline just to keep all the details straight. I usually sit and write whatever and let my brain follow the path it wants to go.

Happy Birthday Terrie!!

Thank you, Elle. When did our forum start tossing birthday cakes onto our names?

Even the previous forum version had birthday cakes If you have your birthday in your profile, it lights up the candles on the day. But it's based on US time, so my birthday always comes up a day late

Ouch! My head is spinning. I came here, I WILL BE HONEST, to cheat a little. I thought, well my good friend and fellow editor ,Terrie, will have all the ins and outs of outlining and I will just get all the goop from her.

Well . . . I can see that everyone has their own method and I think, I'm going to do a little research, but I'm also going to share my method - for fiction at the Writing for Children's site.

I love Terrie's method for outlining and I'm going to take a close look at the various programs mentioned here.

Outlining is very important in SEO Article Marketing and Writing Online.

It does help to have 3 mental 'boxes' in your head as you have to squeeze as much valuable keyword-rich info an article that is often very short. Too much waffling is out! My favorite tip for doing mine is to totally skip any intro and jump straight in after the titling sentence.

Often if you only have 350 - 400 words, you need to be punchy and to the point, making sure your keywords are in there. A couple of minutes with a pencil and a scrap of paper beforehand can save lots of wasted time. I recently found a great little video about outlining which I put on my Newbie Writer website for my readers. (I followed it too LOL.)

When researching my online writing article I found a handy little outlining video - so I popped it on my 'Helping Newbie Web Writers To Earn Online' site:

Polishing Outlining Skills In Readiness For Selling Freelance Articles

Sometimes it's useful to drag up those college skills again!

I have not written a book yet, even though that is my ultimate goal. I thought I would start with article writing and build up to a book.
My biggest problem is staying focused and staying on subject. I'll start on a subject, but then I'll get sidetracked by something else going on in my immediate vacinity and then lose the thought I was on. Or I'll be typing and I come up with a "totally fabulous" idea and then try to merge the two together...all resulting in writing that is all over the place at times. It sounds like outlining would definitely help, does it work on articles as well as a book, or is it more suited for longer topics?

I'm with you right there Dianne.

I can write a novel as it's a matter of following a story. But I have no clue as to how to start book length nonfiction work. My nonfiction ideas are eclectic article ideas. However after writing for bella for several years, I'm starting to see some themes emerge from what looked a little like chaos. LOL...well organized chaos as I know that I know I want to write about love and self-actualization, but those topics are too broad to focus on if we're talking about nonfiction. As you said I also need to focus.

Outlining would be helpful.

Yes, one strict way of writing a book from our Bella articles would be to use our categories as chapters.

We usually link articles under these headings together, so that would keep the book nice and tidy!

Ebook publishing is one way forward that I recommend - they are short, editable in minutes and instant! (I have a short stories one out.) It's good practice!

Bella Shorts:

Thanks for the tip.

I was using the previous editors' categories for the last three years, then recently I added some of my own, which are much more specific. So my work is starting to take shape.

I can think of these categories as chapters. And maybe even start to write FOR the category. Usually what I do is to write the article, then fit it into a category. To be more in control of the project I could do it the other way around.

Thank you very much actually I was looking for something like this!

For example: I would need to group my short stories review under something like - Contemporary,Classic - or Thrillers etc.

They would be the outlining for the book, then Contents, and maybe an introduction for each chapter would be needed.

I just added my ebook publishing experiences to my Webwriting For newbies site below:

Just to update. I had started to table the idea of doing the self help book for awhile and just focus on sending out magazine queries and getting other free-lance work. The day after I made this decision, I came up with a title for my book and then quickly came up with an outline--which is really a list of chapter topics. This is working out well.