You don’t HAVE TO use outlines any more than you HAVE TO avoid using them.
In my experience, when a client hands me a manuscript for editorial services, I can almost immediately tell those who used an outline and those who didn’t. Outlines can be fantastic time management tools so that you spend less time rewriting (and spend less money on me!).
Outlines tend to help you:
- Finish your manuscript more quickly since you sit down at each writing session knowing exactly what you’ll be working on.
- Avoid writing a lot of major plot holes into your first draft so that it comes out a lot cleaner (often looking like a third or fourth draft).
But if you’ve tried to use outlines a few times, and it has made you work slower or made your first draft look worse, just stop. Obviously, for some reason or another, it’s not working for you.
The same goes for those who want to try writing without an outline. Go for it! If you write without an outline and finish your manuscript faster or your first draft looks more like a third draft, drop the outlining process from your book development method.
Figure out what works best for you and do that.
For help with outlining, check out the outlining lesson.
