Writing With No Outline

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I write Diaries differently to how I write my novels: into the abyss, with no clue about what’s going to happen next. I also do only two or three sweeps (compared to the 9000 I do for full-length works).

Now, I know that a piddly story of 4.5k can’t be compared to an 80k+ beast, BUT I realised last week that I never used to write with an outline, and while I think I love having an outline and knowing what comes next, it actually uses up all my enthusiasm so when it comes to actually write, I’ve got little left in the tank.

SO, I’m going to try and write a novel with no outline. I’m cheating a little because it’s actually a complete rewrite of my very first book, so I know the world, the characters, and one story that combines the two. But this time I’m going to let my creative guts (nice) guide me as to what should come next.

The main thing that made me switch to pantsing was realising that you can correct as you go. Before, when pantsing, I’d take wrong turn after wrong turn and get all stressed knowing I’d have a complete mess to fix once I reached the end.

But I was forgetting one thing: THERE ARE NO RULES TO WRITING! I knew this; I knew there were no rules; but ‘you must not edit as you go because it kills puppies’ was one that had lodged itself so far back in my brain I’d mistaken it for a universal truth.

No more. My brain has now been fully swept out. Seriously, there’s nothing in there now.

This should be interesting…