- Aug 23, 2020
- 2,519
- 12,086
I think he probably has a little more than just the beginning and ending, but not much more. I imagine the typical outline for a character is something like this:
1. Background/Establishment
2. Major Event 1
3. Major Event 2
4. Major Event 3
5. Conflict
6. Resolution of Conflict
7. End
That sort of outline isn't bad, but it's not nearly sufficient enough. I'm sure that he has some ideas jotted down for each step, but nothing in great detail. And as anyone who has ever written any sort of fiction knows, the devil is in the details. Not only is he struggling with keeping to a plan (probably because his outline isn't detailed enough), but I also suspect that he doesn't have any notes regarding the connective tissue that links each scene together. Not every scene with a character is a major event, but every scene needs to advance the story- and he's having trouble with that. That's ok, writing is hard and there's no shame in that. What's killing him is that he doesn't seem to be making any changes to compensate for it.
1. Background/Establishment
2. Major Event 1
3. Major Event 2
4. Major Event 3
5. Conflict
6. Resolution of Conflict
7. End
That sort of outline isn't bad, but it's not nearly sufficient enough. I'm sure that he has some ideas jotted down for each step, but nothing in great detail. And as anyone who has ever written any sort of fiction knows, the devil is in the details. Not only is he struggling with keeping to a plan (probably because his outline isn't detailed enough), but I also suspect that he doesn't have any notes regarding the connective tissue that links each scene together. Not every scene with a character is a major event, but every scene needs to advance the story- and he's having trouble with that. That's ok, writing is hard and there's no shame in that. What's killing him is that he doesn't seem to be making any changes to compensate for it.
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