Inneresting 22
issue 22
September 18, 2020
The writing before The Writing: On Outlining
With this issue, we take a look at outlining, and some suggestions on how (and why) to finish one before you start writing.
Examples of outlining? We’ve got some.
• Check out the show notes from Scriptnotes episode 245, where John and Craig share outlines, treatments, and pitch documents from multiple projects.
• Here’s Joseph Heller’s handwritten outline for Catch-22.
• Portions of Sylvia Plath’s outline for *The Bell Jar*.
• The cluster of bubbles that makes up Norman Mailer’s outline of Harlot’s Ghost.
• Jennifer Egan shares an outline for her story “Black Box.”
• Gay Talese outlining the non-interview “Frank Sinatra has a cold.”
• William Faulkner might have appreciated a white board or three, since he wrote the outline for his novel A Fable across the walls of his study.
By Popular Demand, A Release from the Scriptnotes Vault!
Episode 403, “How to Write a Movie,” is now available on YouTube. In this solo episode, Craig talks through the basics of story.
If you’re a teacher looking for a great breakdown to share with your class, or looking to share this episode with other people in your circle of writing friends, here’s your chance!
Highland How-To: Outlining Tools
While Highland 2 isn’t a classic outliner, it’s easy to outline both scenes and entire scripts using its built-in tools.
On the macro level, you’ll want to use headings, which range from # (the highest level) to ##### (the most detailed). Some writers will use # for acts, ## for sequences, and ### for scenes.
# ACT ONE
## Opening
### Burger stand catches fire
### Kaylee discovers she’s pregnant
## Aliens arrive
### Attack on St. Louis
### Kaylee trapped at mall
Within scenes, you’ll want to use the = synopsis tag to map out what happens.
= Kaylee tries phone, no signal
= Security guard flees
The best thing about # and = is that while they show up in the editor and navigator, they disappear when you print or preview, so you can just leave them in as a roadmap for yourself.
How many problems do you have?
Over on his blog, Seth Godin looks at the difference between “because” and “and,” looking at how you look at a difficult situation changes how you determine whether you have one problem or two.
It’s also a good reminder for writers building a story to ask if they’re just creating more problems for their characters, or if the new problems are the result of trying to solve the old problems.
Other Cool Things
Hat tip to artist and author Austin Kleon on reaching 15 years of regular, always interesting blogging.
Looking for some soothing nature sounds? Take a listen to a collection of ambient recordings from around the world, compiled as part of a future music project for Timber Festival 2021. Or for something with some more rhythm, try A Guide to the Birdsong of Mexico, Central America & the Caribbean, where DJs sample birds to layer into their dance tracks.
Author Chuck Wendig reminds writers to keep their characters’ behavior honest, no matter what the plot requires (even if we happen to be living in the prologue to a real-life apocalypse and there may be other things you’re focused on).
And that’s what’s inneresting this week!
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