Outline Review: Phase Outline
September 3rd 2009 12:25
This is the third post in a five-part series about outlining. The first two posts are:
Outlining Part One
Outline Review: The Snowflake Method
Today I'm going to be reviewing the Phase Outline, which is the outlining method employed by Lazette Gifford, a fellow Nanoer and a prolific writer who runs the Forward Motion community for writers. The outlining method can be found here:
It's Just A Phase
To quote the article: "Phases are written out as key phrases that will bring the next set of lines -- the next action -- into focus. This is not a scene-by-scene outline, but something worked out in much shorter sections. A phase can be clues to dialogue, if that's what the section's focus is centered around, or it might be a little bit of description, or a set of actions... anything that will make the story move another few hundred words. Usually a 'phase' will only run from twenty to fifty words in the outline." These outlines can be huge-the article mentions one that was 14, 000 words long.
There are two potential flaws with this method of outlining. One is that for some they will feel as though the creativity has been entirely drained from the process and never bother to write the thing (a shame after so much work on outlining). The second is that many writers aren't able to think of their story in short blocks like that. I can't even do scene-by-scene outlines, organization, or editing. I need to focus on two or three scenes at a time, and how these scenes weave together.
There's a lot of potential to spend weeks working on this outline and not move on to writing the actual novel. My suggestion is that if you do try this method, give yourself a deadline, by which point the outline must be complete.
I haven't seen too many people commenting on their experience with the phase outline. I've heard a few good things about it, and I've heard a lot of writers just look at it and then pretty much run away. I tried to do a phase outline once (just like I tried Holly Lisle's One Pass Revision, which involves dividing everything into scenes) and couldn't outline that way at all. It's just too detailed for me. I like leaving a lot of leeway in my outlines, a lot of room for change and stuff to happen between important points.
What do you think of the Phase outlining method?
Outlining Part One
Outline Review: The Snowflake Method
Today I'm going to be reviewing the Phase Outline, which is the outlining method employed by Lazette Gifford, a fellow Nanoer and a prolific writer who runs the Forward Motion community for writers. The outlining method can be found here:
It's Just A Phase
To quote the article: "Phases are written out as key phrases that will bring the next set of lines -- the next action -- into focus. This is not a scene-by-scene outline, but something worked out in much shorter sections. A phase can be clues to dialogue, if that's what the section's focus is centered around, or it might be a little bit of description, or a set of actions... anything that will make the story move another few hundred words. Usually a 'phase' will only run from twenty to fifty words in the outline." These outlines can be huge-the article mentions one that was 14, 000 words long.
There are two potential flaws with this method of outlining. One is that for some they will feel as though the creativity has been entirely drained from the process and never bother to write the thing (a shame after so much work on outlining). The second is that many writers aren't able to think of their story in short blocks like that. I can't even do scene-by-scene outlines, organization, or editing. I need to focus on two or three scenes at a time, and how these scenes weave together.
There's a lot of potential to spend weeks working on this outline and not move on to writing the actual novel. My suggestion is that if you do try this method, give yourself a deadline, by which point the outline must be complete.
I haven't seen too many people commenting on their experience with the phase outline. I've heard a few good things about it, and I've heard a lot of writers just look at it and then pretty much run away. I tried to do a phase outline once (just like I tried Holly Lisle's One Pass Revision, which involves dividing everything into scenes) and couldn't outline that way at all. It's just too detailed for me. I like leaving a lot of leeway in my outlines, a lot of room for change and stuff to happen between important points.
What do you think of the Phase outlining method?
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