If you are an outliner, like me, you might have noticed that outlining and heavy trashing usually feels like a big waste of time.
Occasionally, you might feel the urge to do the actual writing instead of endless planning but the moment you open the blank page without any notes and guidelines it slaps your both cheeks.
What the hell were you thinking!? Go back and make that plan!
What I usually do is trash everything and write only what I remember from the previous draft of the outline because it’s the most likely that I only remembered the good parts.
In a time of doubt, when I go back to borrow some of the trashed stuff I realize that most of that material is dumped for a reason; it sucks. Then I simply go back and brainstorm more ideas for my outline.
While going back and forth, from outlining to throwing away, to more outlining, and more trashing, I get the feeling as if I’m rehearsing my story.
This process is long and tedious, but it has two huge benefits:
- It enables you to create complex stories with multiple plot lines;
- Once you start writing the story you have a feeling that you actually remember it;
Both of these points have a huge impact on readers; they are amused by the complexity and authenticity of the story.