Outlining for Pansters
How to Create a Cohesive Narrative when You Free Write Your First Draft
As a panster, are you doomed to have an incoherent manuscript with plot holes? Not at all!
Does this mean you have to change yourself and the way you draft? Definitely not!
I like to find my way as I write. It may seem weird since I also wrangle other people’s chaotic plots for work. Wouldn’t I want to keep my own writing nice and tidy? Yes and no.
I’m not going to change the way I write my first drafts, because that’s how I like to write. I love the process of discovery, and if you love it too, you shouldn’t change your writing style. However, once I have a messy draft, I do want to clean it up before I send it off to a professional.
That can be a daunting task. So I break the book down into scenes to make it easier. Basically, I create an outline after the fact.
It’s the best of both worlds! I still pants my first draft, but I also get the clarity and streamlined plot of an outline. The only thing different from how a plotter would do it is the order.
Let me take you through the steps.
Step 1: Draft your novel.
Keep doing what you're doing. Pants away. Draft that novel!
Step 2: Write out what happens in each scene.
Once you're finished the first draft, it's time to go back and write a summary for each scene. It shouldn't be long. Just a sentence or two per scene to describe the action. Here is an example from The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang.
Description: After a gruelling session practicing her violin, Anna goes to therapy where she learns she might be autistic. As she leaves therapy, she gets a call from her boyfriend asking her to go to dinner.
I like to write this out in a spreadsheet. See below.
Step 3: Write out the purpose of each scene.
It's important to know why each scene exists in your novel. You may find as you go through them, that some of your scenes don't serve a purpose or that the purpose was to help you, the author, work through something. If that's the case, make a note and move on. You can fix things later.
Let’s continue with the example from The Heart Principle in Step 1.
Purpose: Introduces us to Anna's challenges with music, which inevitably bleed into the rest of her life. Puts the seed in Anna's mind that there might be an explanation for why she feels differently from most people about life. Shows the reader she is not heard by her boyfriend.
These reasons are logical and serve the reader, so it makes sense that these scene stayed in. However, take the example below from one of my own pieces of writing.
Description: Anne screams and rants in forest. She talks to a bird and describes what's on her mind.
Purpose: Delivers exposition. Written as exploratory writing to understand what's bothering Anne and why.
Going into this process, this scene felt awkward and slowed the pace of the story, so I knew it needed to go. But by writing out what the scene does and why I wrote it, I realized it both that didn’t serve the reader and why it didn’t serve them.
This is what these would look like in my spreadsheets.
(Note: They wouldn’t actually be in the same spreadsheet as they are from different stories, but it looks better like this.)
Step 4: Analyze the scenes.
Now, it's time to go through your list to see if you have any inconsistencies in events or motivation. You can analyze both the descriptions and the motivations at the same time or go through one and then the other. Do whichever works best for you.
Make notes for yourself about timelines, character motivations and any new ideas or questions that come up as you go through your documents. This is what I’d writer fo the scene I mentioned in Step 3.
Note: Cut this scene. Make sure Anne's feelings are clear through her actions in the next scene with Diana.
Don’t delete anything yet. Just make notes during this stage. This document will become your guide for your revisions.
Again, here is my spreadsheet for your viewing pleasure.
Step 5: Revise.
Revisions are so much easier when you have a plan! Once your game plan is complete, it's time to dive in.
Make sure to consult your outline as you work. Update your outline and notes as you make changes to your manuscript, so you can refer back to it once you're done. I like to save the file with a new name, because then, I have both versions. Just in case I need to reference the first draft.
It can be overwhelming to think about going back through your manuscript when you pantsed your way through. Believe me; I know.
But it doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t) pants your novel!
I hope these steps have given you have a plan of action. I know I always find it’s easier to break a task down into manageable steps. You’ve got this!
To make the process even easier, I created a Panter’s Outline spreadsheet template for you.