On Outlining
Added 2022-04-01 17:22:38 +0000 UTCA reader asked me about my outlining process, so I thought I would share this information with you all.
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For outlining a story overall, I try to decide what the overall arc of the story is. Where does Luke start, and where is he going to end up? Then I start mapping out from there, how do you get from point A to point B to point C, etc. With every individual chapter, I think about how they contribute to the overall narrative. The first 4 chapters are fairly slow, but you can see that each one pushes Luke a little bit further, not only in the progression of his JPS but also his feelings about having it and his relationship with Sammy.
For each chapter, I think "what is the main idea of this, what do I want to say?". Chapter 1 was about the discovery. Chapter 2 was about Luke reaching out to Sammy. Chapter 3 establishes Luke and Sammy getting together regularly. Chapter 4 is a big turning point, probably one of the climax's of the story.
General rules I follow: I try to make chapters between 5000-7000 words. I think longer chapters are very difficult to read. If I write more than that I usually split them up into 2 chapters (Which is exactly what happened with Chapter 1 and 2, originally they were 1 super chapter). In my opinion, more is not better, it's more about formatting and readability than just sending out something long. 2 chapters of 7000 words each is an easier read than 1 chapter of 14000 words.
You should minimize scene changes and time skips in a chapter. I've done some, but they are very minor. I make sure that a chapter contributes to the story and isn't 2 separate ideas. That's why I split chapter 1 and 2 up as well.
Each chapter I start with a sentence or two for the main events. Something like "Luke discovers his problem" "Luke goes to Sammy for help" stuff like that. Then I start by outlining main events - not writing dialogue or getting too descriptive, just a play by play of what happens. This allows me to see if there are gaps or extraneous parts of the story - so I revise and trim/edit until I'm happy with it.
If you're having trouble getting your ideas into stories, you just need to free write. Don't think - just type. Keep going until you run out of steam. The point is to empty out your brain so you can just get it on a page - rewriting is when the real writing happens.
Here's an example:
Chapter 1 Beta Outline
- Luke experiences sudden glute growth, and the itch
- He discovers that fingering his hole relieves the itch
- Introducing Sammy, Luke’s best friend. Luke is oblivious both to his own feelings towards Sammy and Sammy’s crush in turn. (“Just a bro admiring his bro’s physique, right?”)
- Everyone can see them together, maybe joke how they are called a couple by other students, everyone in school can tell they belong together.
Chapter 1 Finalized Outline
- Luke wakes up one morning - his ass has grown larger
- Luke’s personality - quiet/introverted, too trusting/gullible, somewhat concerned with what others think
- He goes to school where he meets his buddies/teammates, including his best friend Sammy (Sameer Ahmadi - hunky, hairy Pakistani guy)
- Sammy’s personality - smart, a little mischievous/manipulative, possessive/protective over Luke (but genuinely cares about him), he’s the leader to Luke’s follower
- His teammates normally rough house with him, they tend to comment on his ass, slap it, etc. Luke brushes it off as just normal “locker room stuff”, totally oblivious to the gay implications
- Luke’s huge ass is getting too much attention: people staring, groping him, none of his clothes fit, it looks obscene.
- Sammy convinces Luke to let him measure his ass, Sammy can’t help but cop a feel which freaks Luke out
- End of school day, Luke is leaving but somebody in the crowded hallway spanks his ass really hard, causing him to trip over and his ass literally bursts out of his shorts, exposing his bubble butt to the entire school. Luke runs away in embarrassment.
- Luke wakes up that night with a strange itch deep inside his ass. He goes crazy trying to figure out what is wrong with him. He experiments and tries touching his asshole, which feels so good. Eventually Luke fingers himself to orgasm.
- His JPS is still in Stage 1, so it doesn’t produce any lube yet.
- Next day, Luke goes to Coach to talk about what is happening to him. He finds himself drawn to Coach’s bulge, he can’t look away. The itch in his ass comes back. Luke runs to the bathroom in a panic, where he fingers himself even harder. Sammy walks in on him right as Luke orgasms. Luke is embarrassed and also shocked when he notices that Sammy is hard (and hung). Sammy runs away.
So what I did was get the main beats of the story down first, then expanded upon them to create a more detailed outline.
I hope this info is useful for all you budding writers out there! Feel free to DM me for questions, when I was first started out I was supported by my favorite writers so I'd like to pass it on :)