Search Results for: reverse outline

Reverse Outlines, and Quiet the Critical Voice

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * Welcome * A Tip for Reverse Outlines * Writing Like a Maniac * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “Do something you really like, and hopefully it pays the rent. As far as I’m concerned, that’s success.” Tom Petty “That question of identity always confused me. Who are you? Why, that’s simple. I’m Matt. But that’s just a name. There are millions of people with that name and they aren’t me.” Matt Perryman (see Of Interest) Think of your characters. They’re more than just a name, and they … Read more

Reverse Outlines, and a Whole Other Level of Writing

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * The Writing * Speaking of Reverse Outlines * A Whole Other Level of Writing * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Why would I write from AI outline? it wouldn’t even be my story.” Balázs Jambor in a comment on yesterday’s post The Writing Yesterday I went to the Hovel at 6:30 but spent the first almost four hours of the morning finally putting together a reverse outline. Duh. During my absence and spotty return to writing fiction, I’d forgotten how necessary this is. When I stopped for … Read more

The Reverse Outline Shines Again

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Topic: The Reverse Outline Shines Again * Sigh… More Controversy * Of Interest Quote of the Day “October 1st… Climb back on. That’s what I will be doing.” Dean Wesley Smith “I finally get it now. There really is no danger of over-describing. If it’s coming from the [POV] characters instead of my own brain, it makes sense for the story because it’s what they’re feeling, sensing, experiencing.” Chynna Pace, mentoring student Topic: The Reverse Outline Shines Again I can’t forcefully enough express the importance and usefulness of the reverse outline. … Read more

The Journal: One Reverse Outline Template

In today’s Journal * Quotes of the Day * In response to John Gilstrap * Yesterday * Topic: One Reverse Outline Template * Of Interest * The Numbers Quotes of the Day “It’s easier to fool people than to convince them that they have been fooled.” Mark Twain “If I’ve started a story in the wrong spot, I generally won’t realize it until I’m around page fifty or so.” John Gilstrap “I do not romanticize the act of writing. I don’t talk about the anguish I suffer in creating. I do not have a fear of the blank page, writer’s … Read more

The Journal: A New Use for Reverse Outlines

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Happy Birthday * Topic: A New Use for Reverse Outlines * The Value of Cliffhangers * Tomorrow * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “The faster the action, the more the writer should slow down the description.” Debbie Burke Yes. In the heat of battle, the POV character will notice far fewer aspects of the setting, but he will focus on that one aspect (or those few aspects) with a heightened sense of awareness because those aspects are crucial, as if time has slowed almost to a crawl. … Read more

The Journal: Yet Another Use for a Reverse Outline

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * Thanks to my patrons * Topic: Yet Another Use for a Reverse Outline * Yesterday * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Conjure the nouns, alert the secret self, taste the darkness. Your own Thing stands waiting ‘way up there’ in the attic shadows. If you speak softly, and write any old word that wants to jump out of your nerves onto the page, your Thing at the top of your stairs in your own private night may well come down.” Ray Bradbury A special thanks … Read more

The Journal: The Reverse Outline (RO) Revisited and Shared Worlds

In today’s Journal * Quote of the Day * From James Scott Bell * Yesterday * Topic: The Reverse Outline (RO) Revisited * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Quote of the Day “Writing a novel is like driving a car at night. You can see only as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.” E. L. Doctorow From James Scott Bell’s newsletter, ” how about some old-school pulp fiction… free! My favorite genre is crime/detective fiction from the golden era, 1920-1950. Here’s a treasure trove, including issues of the most famous pulp … Read more

The Journal: On Reverse Outlines

In today’s Journal * Topic: On Reverse Outlines * Today * Of Interest * The Numbers Topic: On Reverse Outlines A patron wrote to ask me, in part, to explain reverse outlines in more detail. While I’m writing a novel, occasionally I have to fact-check something that happened earlier in the novel. That might be a place name (name of a town or building, etc.) or an aspect of a character description (eye color, hair color, what they’re wearing, etc.) or a timeline item (what time they left the bar, etc.) if correct timelines are important to the story. Using … Read more

On Cycling Through a Full Novel

In today’s Journal * The Novel * On Cycling Through a Full Novel * Of Interest * The Numbers Just a reminder—I’ll run this from now through April 30 to be sure everyone has the opportunity to read it. Writing Better Fiction is still on sale for only $9 for all eformats, including printable PDF. On May 1, the price will increase to $14. You can also still order a binder-ready paper copy from me for $25 (includes shipping). Simply email memailto:harveystanbrough@gmail.com with your request. The Novel I can’t begin to tell you how much fun I’m having writing the … Read more

Let It Be, and The Bradbury Challenge

In today’s Journal * Welcome * Correction * The Bradbury Challenge Writers Reporting * The Writing * The Kris and Dean Show * Of Interest * The Numbers Welcome Welcome to Alex and any other new subscribers or readers of the Journal. I hope you will find it useful. Get the Archives and other free downloads at the Journal website. Just click the links and a PDF will download in a new page. I also recommend reading the posts “I Believe in You” and “Fear”. Can’t hurt, and it might help. Oh, and check out this half-hour video where bestselling … Read more