Write with the passion of a four-year-old blowing bubbles and revise with the discipline of a Yoga- master with OCD!

Jenny and Angel both bring up really good points about outlines. Much like Angel, I am still not sold on the usefulness of an outline while writing a first draft.

Here's why:

First Drafts are Overwhelming
Or overwhelming enough to me without the stress of having to hit plot points and character arcs (not to mention plot twists and subplots, whew). For me, this is where my characters get to feel their oats, they get to tell me who they are. I can't tell you the amount of times that I think a character is going to be one type of person and I'm proved wrong by his/her next action. If I had to follow an outline I'm not sure I would have been able to give the characters the room they need to develop. Or, even worse I'm not sure I'd be able to get through all of the plot points needed to get to the end of the book.

That said, I never start a story that I don't know the ending to
Actually, I usually begin every story knowing the end first. I have a rough idea of the plot, what has to happen and what the characters need to do from the start to finish in their journeys. Usually I know the pivotal plot points and maybe a few other relevant details. I tend to do a lot of 'pre-outlining' before I start writing. This is all generally in my head and never makes it onto paper or screen. I am awful at beginnings though, which is maybe why I encourage myself to write without knowing the beginning first (I just start with the action). This usually means my beginnings change quite a bit between drafts.

However, that said, now that I am editing my first novel, I am completely convinced of the need for an outline for revisions. My first draft is a train wreck, mostly because about halfway through my novel I changed my initial ideas about what the focus of the novel was. Which has made the story much richer, and was something I felt able to do, because I hadn't pre-plotted out everything. Because while writing I allowed myself the flexibility to see my characters as changeable and capable of a growth I hadn't outlined or predicted.

Now, that I am actually re-writing this beast (and it is a beast!) having an outline that gives me a clear set of checkpoints to hit, makes sense of my plot and helps me to chart each of my characters growth is vital. When I began revising I read through each of the chapters made corrections and jumped in feet first. This seemed like a good idea. An idea free of procrastination and filled with actions. I am good with actions. When I have any excuse to procrastinate I will. However, I found myself becoming more and more confused by the narrative of my plot. I was overwhelmed by my story. I needed to break things down scene by scene (or chapter by chapter).

And I did.... with much procrastination (I am still awful about this!) I devised an outline that has allowed me to go back through my story and actually make sense of everything I have written. What seemed like an overwhelming wreckage of writing before is now a manageable story-- albeit a story that needs some changes. I have been using my outline now to revise my novel and I couldn't be happier. When I finish my second book-- sometime in the spring, the first thing I'll do is draw up an outline. I am not sure I could revise without an outline. I am confident that for me, having an outline while writing is prohibitive, but while revising it's a necessity.

Does this make me still on the fence about outlines? Well, probably not. I do think outlines are necessary; they are the nuts and bolts of writing. They are the compass and maps of a story (ok, or GPS/Magellan/Tom-Tom/pick your own SatNav system). You need some sort of well thought out plan to make it to the end-game, to a finished novel that you feel confident showing to other people. However, when I'm writing, I still think I just need to listen to my characters-- even if later on I wished I hadn't. All's fair in first drafts and second, no?