In a post on Lit Hub, Dani Shapiro says that writers can discover their story structure through means other than outlining. “It stands to reason, of course, that we ought to know where we’re going before we set out—doesn’t it?” she asks. “Except that when it comes to creative writing outlines are not necessarily helpful.”
Shapiro suggests our work will feel flat if we know too much about where we’re headed. “Outlines offer us an illusion that we are in control, that we know where we’re going. And while this may be comforting, it is also antithetical to the process of making work that lives and breathes,” she writes. “If we are painting by numbers, how can we give birth to something new?”
While you might be prone to mistakes – such as deviating off course, introducing extraneous characters, or introducing too many subplots – those mistakes make the work feel alive. “We may realize that our beginning is not the beginning at all, and that where we are, on page 165, is actually the starting point,” Shapiro says. “We may realize that a minor character has taken over. It isn’t always pleasant, when the true structure reveals itself, because it often means a lot more work.”
Instead, Shapiro recommends focusing on character. “If you have people, you will have pathos,” she adds. “We are incited by our feelings—by the love, rage, envy, sorrow, joy, longing, fear, passion—that lead us to action. Plot is really just a fancy word for whatever happens, and structure is a fancy word for how it happens. Plot can be as intricate as a whodunit, or as simple as a character experiencing a small but significant shift in perspective. But invariably it comes from the people we create on the page.”
