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bioniclib's review against another edition
5.0
This was a fantastic book for me.
I've been writing for years. I've dabbled in outlining after years of pantsing it. This book gave me direction. It had plenty of interviews with authors to vouch for the outlining process as well as plenty of examples from Ms. Weiland practicing what she was preaching.
One surprising takeaway was character interviews. I don't know why it didn't dawn on me to fully flesh out my characters and in doing so help connect the dots between major plot points, but it didn't. I've got a lot of work to do but feel much more confident I'm on the right path after reading this book.
I've been writing for years. I've dabbled in outlining after years of pantsing it. This book gave me direction. It had plenty of interviews with authors to vouch for the outlining process as well as plenty of examples from Ms. Weiland practicing what she was preaching.
One surprising takeaway was character interviews. I don't know why it didn't dawn on me to fully flesh out my characters and in doing so help connect the dots between major plot points, but it didn't. I've got a lot of work to do but feel much more confident I'm on the right path after reading this book.
bookbornehunter's review
5.0
Authors, if you don't have this book as a staple in your shelves, please pick it up. In all my history of writing, I have rarely plotted. With the way the author lays out her process, I am definitely trying it with my next book.
Ms. Weiland is one of the authorities I go to when I'm feeling stuck.
Ms. Weiland is one of the authorities I go to when I'm feeling stuck.
judeandolin's review
3.0
This is a great little book by someone who knows what she's talking about, and it does what it says it'll do. If you've read a lot of writing books or know a lot about the general craft of writing, there isn't much here that you probably haven't heard before (this also goes for if you've read Weiland's blog at all [helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com], which is loaded with helpful hints), but overall it's a helpful sidekick in the outlining process.
Perhaps the most important thing that I took away from it is that your outline doesn't have to be the kind of "outline" you learned in high school, with headings and subheadings. Your outline can be as general as you talking to yourself via a Word document or a piece of paper, jotting down all of your questions, obvious plot holes, ideas you love (whether or not they'll make it into the book) and whatever else pops into your head. For instance, my own outline found me asking myself things like this:
I went on rambling to myself until I hit the moment I'd been looking for and dug out a nugget of gold from my character's past, something that solidified his character and told me exactly what his purpose was.
Your outline is your first step to telling yourself the story, and that's what matters. As soon as I realized that, my outlining process took off and I was flooded with inspiration. So although Outlining Your Novel isn't chock-full of new information, learning this new outlining method made it undoubtedly worth the read.
Perhaps the most important thing that I took away from it is that your outline doesn't have to be the kind of "outline" you learned in high school, with headings and subheadings. Your outline can be as general as you talking to yourself via a Word document or a piece of paper, jotting down all of your questions, obvious plot holes, ideas you love (whether or not they'll make it into the book) and whatever else pops into your head. For instance, my own outline found me asking myself things like this:
I’m struggling with [blank]'s purpose in this book. For one, he undoubtedly NEEDS to have a place in the book, because he will be [blank]'s tether to her old life, and be there to help her along the way. He’s the sidekick. He’s the voice of reason. He’s the helper when she goes astray. He’s the steadiness that grounds her. At the same time, I can’t come up with a strong personality for him.
I went on rambling to myself until I hit the moment I'd been looking for and dug out a nugget of gold from my character's past, something that solidified his character and told me exactly what his purpose was.
Your outline is your first step to telling yourself the story, and that's what matters. As soon as I realized that, my outlining process took off and I was flooded with inspiration. So although Outlining Your Novel isn't chock-full of new information, learning this new outlining method made it undoubtedly worth the read.
jessthompsonwriter's review against another edition
medium-paced
2.75
Too much time spent on the specifics of the author’s own outlining experiences and not enough on breaking that down for duplication
aliensunshines's review against another edition
3.0
All the tips felt obvious. Didn't really bring me anything new to try.
sarahrheawerner's review against another edition
Super useful! I'd never had any formal training in outlining (and am usually a pantser), so this was incredibly helpful and eye-opening. The exercises took me to new places with my brainstorming. Can't wait to use it for my next project!