← Start putting those wishlists together!
Definitely pro. I’ve worked both ways, but outlining definitely works best for me. Without an outline, it seems like it takes twice as many rewrites to make the final product feel polished.
Outlining a story before putting the script together is something more of a style than structure. As Paul sets it, if it works for you fine, if not, just drop it.
Good discussion! I choose outlining. Outlining is a process of discovery. Once completed, it gives you a roadmap of sorts and does the heavy lifting which prepares you for the next level of creativity – dialog, subtext, embellishment, and yes, much more creative discovery once you get to the “real” writing. Outlines aren’t cast in stone; if you decide to change the roadmap it’s much easier to do with an that you can actually see and easily change.
I’m also in the pro outline camp. I know some writers really enjoy this part of the process. Not me. For me, this is the heavy lifting–the part where all of the major problems are resolved and it gives me the roadmap for the trip I’m about to take. I’d never consider jumping in my car, turning off the GPS and just driving around, hoping I’d find the place I set out for.
But after all of that is done, when I know where the story’s going and how it ends, the real fun (at least for me) begins. I consider this the delicious meal I slaved away at for hours cooking. Note: This is a ridiculous analogy because I’ve never slaved over ANY meal for hours but…it’s how I feel. When I can finally bust open my screenwriting app, the adrenaline starts flowing because I know a great journey awaits. There will be tons of discoveries along the way and lots more puzzles to solve but I can’t do it any other way.
Keep up the great blogs. We’re out here reading. Really.