I’m a planner. I make an obscene number of checklists, for all occasions. There’s my work to-do’s, personal to-do’s, grocery lists, reading lists, events lists. I could go on. And on. And on.

So it comes as no surprise that I like to outline my novels. It’s the core of my writing process. From all my discussions with other writers, however, it seems that there are only two ways to write. You can be either #teamoutline or #teamflybytheseatofyourpants.

But what if you could have it both ways? Well, you can, and I’ll tell you how: outline flexibly!

Start with the midpoint

All of my novels have started with one idea. A picture. A phrase. A concept. And that ends up being my midpoint. Write that midpoint down.

So Mary discovered she’s really a zebra. Whoa! Cool story! Okay, now what?

Take a breath

Obviously you have this fantastic idea and want to get started write away (haha!). Stop for just a moment, however, and let reality set in. Ask yourself: can I flesh out this single idea into a 300+ page novel? This is where an outline, however bare bones, might help you understand the scale of the task before you. So where do you begin?

Write down the big points first…

Write down just a single sentence for each plot point. That’s 10 sentences: inciting incident, key event, 1st plot point, 1st pinch point, midpoint, 2nd pinch point, false victory, 2nd plot point, climatic moment, and denouement. You can handle 10 sentences!

It doesn’t have to be perfect, and it is certainly not final. This is just enough to give your story some structure. And determine whether it is indeed a full-length novel idea, or perhaps a short story idea. This is particularly good advice for newbie novel writers who may not be sure.

…then outline as you go.

Now let your brain run wild in your new world!

How much should you outline before you begin writing? Personally, I like to have the first quarter very outlined, before I start writing. From there, I outline every morning for my writing that day. Honestly, it’s not so much outlining as it is extracting the scene from my brain in an organized way.

Work backwards from the midpoint

What was Mary like before she learned she’s a zebra? Did she like animals? Hate animals? Did she have a family? Build out her world. Write down a few ideas for scenes that show, don’t tell, about Mary. Keep it open ended, flexible for new ideas down the road.

That becomes the first quarter of your book (through the 1st plot point).

Then fill in the how

Once you know who Mary is and her place in the world, it’s much easier to understand how Mary reaches her midpoint realization. Write down ideas for scenes that show her journey towards learning she is a zebra.

Mary took a trip to the zoo and realized she could hear the zebras in her head. She wanted to learn more, so she set about learning everything she could about herself and zebras. And she faced an obstacle or two.

This will become the next quarter of your book.

Beware what lays beyond the midpoint

It happens every time. I hit my midpoint and suddenly everything shifts. I realize the midpoint needs to be bigger. Then the second plot point needs to be even bigger. Then the climatic moment needs to be the biggest of them all! Thank goodness I outlined flexibly.

After the midpoint, I find myself with a pretty empty outline. Other than the major plot points I wrote down at the beginning, I think of scenes as I go.

Benefits of flexible outlining:

1. It’s great for newbie writers who are still learning about story structure, scene building, and character arcs.
2. It saves you from a ton of rewrites, since you have a better grasp on where the story is headed.
3. It doesn’t stifle creativity like rigid outlining. In fact, I think of outlining time as creative thinking time. Then I just jot down what comes from the process.

So what type of writer are you? Do you like to outline, or do you like to write on the fly? Or do you outline flexibly like me?