Film Courage: Why do so many writers say that outlining prevents them from being creative?
Naomi Beaty, Writer, Screenwriting Teacher and Consultant: oh I think that I think a lot
of writers feel like if they outline to in too detailed of a manner it will sort of force them
into a corner when they're writing right they'll have it too planned out it'll take the creativity
out of it it'll take that sort of spontaneity out of their creative process or something like that
I guess that's my that's my best guess that's why some writers think that that outlining is
stifling but I actually think that outlining the the process of outlining your story like breaking
your story and and forming the outline can be the creative process right like that sort of creative
process that you look for when you're writing of discovery and coming up with new ideas by kind
of juxtaposing things that you didn't expect or whatever you can do that in the outlining
process itself right and kind of have all of those sparks of inspiration and creativity while you're
working in that in that format instead of in on the page if that makes sense do you get a
lot of pushback from writers who don't want to outline not a ton I think it's probably
50/50 in terms of writers who like to outline or at least have learned that it's more helpful
than than painful for them right and so there are plenty of writers who embrace outlining as part
of their process and there but then there are also writers who either feel like it's too stifling or
don't really have a good process and so they stay away from outlining or avoid it just because they
don't really have like a set of steps that they can go through that sort of reliably helps them
plan out their story right some writers consider themselves very intuitive writers and they're
pantsers instead of plotters I don't think that even those writers that consider themselves
sort of intuitive writers I don't think that I get a lot of pushback from them
usually those writers if they've been through a few writing projects and it's been a struggle to
get all the way through because they haven't had a map to kind of guide them through it
an outline they're usually not pushing back on needing an outline they're coming to me
because they're like okay I don't really love the outlining process but I feel like I need one
in order to help me get through the draft right so more than anything they're coming to me and saying
like I want to learn a little bit about outlining that I can maybe incorporate into my more freeform
process but that will give me some structure to kind of help me get through the writing and you
think when we tell a writer that this outlining is so much part of the process and really if you
don't have one it's like building a house without a good set of sort of blueprints that it's like
pulling back this this magical curtain that they thought it was just going to be this free-flowing
thing and it's almost disappointing in some way I hope it's not disappointing but yeah I think that
maybe maybe coming up with a story in the outlining process to some writers feels like it's
it's going to be too technical and too rigid right but but if you actually start
because outlining can mean so many different things to so many different writers right so
if you actually start kind of working through different steps different tools different types
of processes to get get through an outline you'll see that it's really adaptable it's the process of
outlining is kind of whatever you make of it it's whatever helps you prepare to write whatever it is
you're writing so I don't know I don't think it's I don't think it's necessarily like disappointing
to writers but I think that it's maybe eye-opening like they they figure out kind of what outlining
really is and and what it is is specific to them it's like whatever's going to help you
plan enough that you have that kind of structure to get through writing your draft
is outlining a burden or is it really part of the process well I think it's part of the process for
sure I hope that writers don't think of it as a burden because I actually think that the outlining
process is where a lot of the fun and creativity can happen it's where you have the joy of sort of
exploring and discovering your story and figuring out a lot of the fun stuff about it so I hope
it doesn't feel like a burden I do think that whatever sort of prep you do for your story is
part of your own personal process and whether you are a very detailed outliner or more of
just a like sort of broad broad strokes I got to figure out kind of the general shape of my story
I consider all of that sort of the pre-writing or outlining process so whatever it is for you
is is part of the process for you why is it hard for writers who think they have a great idea
to actually start writing their ideas down and begin the writing process that's a good question
I'm sure there are a lot of different answers to this question just depending on the writer I think
part of it is probably fear right and that fear can also be different for different writers too
before you write anything down I think an idea can feel complete and perfect in your head and then
when you sit down to start actually breaking it down or planning it you can it can be a little
surprising at how little you actually know about the idea before you started to try to write it
down it felt very complete and perfect and then when you start to write it sometimes it can or
start to plan it can feel like oh I thought I had more of this figured out or I thought this idea
was a little bit more solid or complete so I think that can be scary and can discourage people from
beginning the process because they feel like they want to figure out more of it in their head still
before they start putting anything on paper I actually think putting it on paper is kind of
what helps you work through that and and helps you figure out your story so I would encourage
people to go ahead and just start but but yeah I think it's probably fear something can feel
very solid and makes sense before you have to articulate it and then when you try to
articulate it ends up sort of showing the holes in it so you think it's because a lot of writers or
quote unquote artists in general live in their heads so much and and it feels so real to them
the story and then when you actually say okay let's actually see it on the and and then it's
it's you're you're about asking them to be in reality yeah I'm sure that that there is truth to
that because so many writers are living in their imaginations a lot of the time I also think that
a lot of times when we get inspired by a story idea we get really excited about it what we're
thinking about most of the time is that sort of act one setup portion of it it's like the
interesting situation that sort of funny what if or what it how would this happen or why would this
happen and then when you sit down to kind of figure out the whole story you realize oh the
part that got me so excited and there's nothing wrong with it at all but the part that gets us
excited is that set up it's that situation right that interesting what if and then the rest of the
story is the part that you still have to figure out so I think that that it's not that you it's
not that you came up with an idea that you thought was better than it actually is it's that you came
up with an idea that you have only partially figured out as is natural right because you
came up with that part first and then the work of it is sort of figuring out the rest of the story
the the journey that your character is going to go on so right I think that's what I was feeling
I just didn't know how to put it into words and I think that that was that's it it's that's like
the the setup is so vivid in our minds but then actually having it pay off and there'll be an arc
yes and and a resolution to it I think that's yeah yeah yeah because that's usually that's that spark
of inspiration is we get inspired by that like oh wouldn't it be funny if this happened or wouldn't
it be like dramatic or scary if this happened and that's all that act one setup stuff so
what is your argument for writers to learn an outlining process that works for them
my argument for it let's see well I mean I think that having a process will help you right having
something to fall back on when you feel stuck or you feel frustrated or you feel like I thought
I had the story all figured out and now I'm realizing it's only the beginning having a process
that you have sort of worked through before that it works for you or at least that you have some
tools to draw on that can help you get unstuck I think that's helpful helpful for any writer right
and no matter your experience level I think with every project there's going to be a point where
you do sort of get stuck or you feel frustrated or it's not going as well as you wanted it to or you
thought it would so just having that sort of tool kit which is what I think of as a as an outlining
process I think of it as just a tool kit a bunch of tools that you how to use and you can draw
on them when you need them to kind of help you keep progressing through the through the process
let's say I hire you and I have this great screenplay and I just know this is going to
be this is going to transform people's lives once it's on the screen and I keep showing you draft
after draft and your note to me is I think we need an outline and I'm the stubborn writer and I say
no it's going to ruin it and I what what's a tough love way to sort of be my accountability partner
and say I really think we need to go back and and flesh this out more yeah that's I mean that's a
good question and I and I have worked with writers who who were a little bit resistant to making big
changes or something like that after a few drafts most writers feel like okay I'm tired of of
working through the whole draft right so I think the best argument for outlining if you're in that
situation is like you can work on the story in an outline form which is much smaller and shorter and
easier to manage than working on your entire draft right trying to go into your screenplay pages and
make changes sometimes is very difficult right it's you're you're adjusting things kind of in
the in the living document of it versus if you make an outline even of an existing draft make
your changes in that document that's like looking at the skeleton of the screenplay so you can move
things around more easily you're not looking at completed scenes that you've already fallen in
love with or lines of dialogue that you love and you don't want to change you're looking at it from
a little bit more I think maybe of an objective point of view you're looking less at the sort of
on the page stuff and looking at the skeleton of your story which I think helps people kind of
have some perspective on it and be able to see what's not working
and make changes without getting sort of bogged down in in all the stuff that all the work they've
already put into it that they don't want to redo I love that so fatigue I like you use that
word and so if you're seeing a fatigued writer and let's suppose I'm this again I'm resistant
no we've got to do it this way it's fantastic and then you're seeing the fatigue on this side that
that does sound interesting then let's look at it and let's try to actually just shorten
it down and then work out the problems yeah and a lot of times when I'm working with writers I will
actually outline I will make an outline from their draft so that I can talk about it in a way that is
has that perspective and I can say okay so if we look at act one and see here are all the scenes
this is this is the issue that we're kind of trying to address let's look at which scenes that
might be happening in or which scenes might be missing that so we're not getting the information
we need or whatever the the specific issue is oh I love that it's almost the analogy of let's
suppose I have this messy closet and I can't find anything in it and then you come and you're this
organizer and you're like okay let's put all of the blouses here and yeah and I like that yeah
that's a good analogy yeah yeah not that I have a bad closet yeah but this somebody that that has
that skill of being able to see the big picture yeah yeah and I do think too we get so attached
to the things that we're writing our scripts and our projects and everything that I think that
sometimes it's easier to have me outline it from their draft versus for a couple of reasons
like sometimes writers because they've written a whole draft they're like well I don't want to go
back and outline it now I don't want to make an outline from the thing i've already written
right like what good is that going to do me so sometimes they're resistant to do it at all
but I also think that sometimes it's easier for me to do it again because I'm i'm objectively
looking at the script so I can look at the scene and say well here's what I'm getting from the
scene that's what I'm going to write down in the outline versus if you're very close to
your story what you were trying to get across in that scene and so you might outline it differently
than I would as well right so sometimes it's helpful I think if I do the outline or if
we compare outlines and then we can see kind of where's the discrepancy here oh this is what that
scene was meant to do from your point of view and here's what I think it's actually doing you know.