TECH: Outlining Your Novel (Part 6)

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Original Posting July 24, 2016

So we've got our premise, worked through a scene list, dug a little deeper into the key story factors, and now... In Chapter 6, K. M. Weiland turns to Character Sketches, Pt. 1: Exploring Backstory. So we've worked through the scene list, story arc, and filled plot holes and it's time to consider characters. How? Character sketches? Yep. No, we are not pantsing, just exploring ideas as part of the outlining process.

So what's backstory? Sure, what happened before the story. Knowing it gives your story more body. But how do you fill in the backstory? Well, K recommends:

1. Start with the inciting event and work backwards from there. What led up to it? Why does the character respond like this? What unresolved issues from the past crop up?
2. Make sure your inciting event is strong! It should be an irrevocable change to the world of the character. It should directly influence the rest of the story. It should create conflict. It needs to grab the reader's attention. And, of course, it should end in action.
3. Tackle backstory by starting with a general statement about each of your main characters. Then expand those. Who or what influenced them? What's their education, jobs, travel? What are the catalysts and notable events in their lives?
4. Don't let backstory swamp your story. Sure, give hints, but wait for the right time to reveal key bits. When you do reveal it, don't stretch it out, present it quickly.

Okay? So we're invited to think about the backstory of our characters, even to write short sketches of important parts. This is another exploratory, almost prototyping step in K's approach. It's a strong tool, built right into the outlining process.

It is interesting to me to see that while we are outlining our novel, so far K has had us doing a lot of brainstorming and exploration, not just sitting down and making an outline. I think this might help reconcile those who are concerned that the mechanics of outlining will squash the excitement of writing.

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