Writing Practice Prescription

When I listen to successful writers, I often hear them refer to outlining as the “O” word. Once they introduce the concept of outlining, different writing styles emerge. Some writers outline in great detail, others start to outline and faint along the way, and others just plunge in with no outline. Each approach provides advantages and disadvantages.One simple five-step approach has saved my writing soul and serves me best when it comes to story writing.

Every step consists of three-word sentences, each consisting of a noun, verb, and predicate. The first three-word sentence introduces a complication to set the stage for conflict. The last three-word sentence proclaims the resolution of the conflict. The three sentences in between detail the route the protagonist’s journeys between the first step and the last step.

Write the five steps in this exact order:

• Step one–complication
• Step five–resolution
• Step two
• Step three
• Step four

The inherent wisdom to this approach is that you set up your story by introducing the conflict. Next you decide how your story will end. From there, you fill in the middle.
Here is an example of this five step, three-sentence progression:

1. Boy loves girl
2. Boy charms girl
3. Girl charms boy
4. Boy loses confidence
5. Boy loses girl

Steps two, three, and four would have been quite different had the author of the outline decided that the story would end with “boy gets girl.” The charm of this approach is that it is easily remembered and that it gives the writer a compass and map at the beginning of the journey.