Writing a 10,000 word outline & becoming the writer I never thought I'd be (AKA a plotter, lol)
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- Опубліковано 11 лип 2024
- While my alpha readers have ACFoC, I am free for a month to create...whatever I want! And in some strange twist of events, some veil which I've fallen beyond, into a new dimension, I've decided to create a 10,000 word outline! Join me over a few days, several hundred miles, a book festival, and the San Antonio Botanical Gardens, as I search for inspiration amongst my brainstorming and outlining! :)
0:00 Who have I become?
2:55 Your standard inspiration finding mission, ft. the San Antonio Book Festival & the San Antonio Botanical Gardens
16:08 Bumping the outline up from 7K to 10K!
32:12 Wrap-up thoughts, breaking down THIS outline, and would I ever attempt this outlining method again??
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D I S C U S S I O N Q U E S T I O N S :
How long are your outlines ~usually~? Have you ever created a monster?
What project are you working on right now? What's surprised you about it??
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I’m writing a horror story but I always got nightmares when I wrote it. So I stoped but then I realised that I could use my nightmares in the story and now I dont have them anymore. Great video ❤
omg that's such a good idea!!
@@hereliescharlotte ye dreams can really be a good inspiration for a story
I stopped writing a few years back cause I didn't think it was for me. (Went back to making art and I don't regret it.) But I've recently wanted to write a story and I thought the best way is to make it into a manga. Long story short, I'm working on a queer, Jamaican mythos centric story where religious groups are trying to eradicate the indigenous spirituality of the country. Barely started outlining, but I'm allowing the ideas to come to me slowly.
I am Jamaican BTW, born and raised and never travelled. 😊
holy heeeeeelllllll, i wanna read this when it's done!!!
@@iiiiitsmagreta1240 hahahahaha...let's see when I can finish it.
That cat looked like it owned the bookshop. 😄 My outlines are usually a couple of bullet points with important and fun scenes to write. I also constantly edit while I write because afterwards I couldn't be bothered to go back. So there is only one draft and that's it. If Val McDermid can do it, so can I. 😄
Today is the release date of my novel (which makes me so happy) I meticulously crafted a 20,000 word outline for it, and the ultimate length of the novel turned out to be 165,000 words. This is my second novel, and I have discovered that a more extensive and robust outline makes the process of writing the novel significantly smoother and more enjoyable.
Congrats
I love outlines. I make a psychoticly long, color-coded outline and then plants my way through it 😂. There are timeless for each individual character, maps for tracking travel, calendars, etc. My last outline was over 100 pages 😅. But so worth it for my writing process.
could we see the way you outline? like seeing you outline like an already written novel just to see an example of how you outline could be cool!
I am so frustrated that I get to hear these bits and pieces but it's not enough! Which means you're doing a great job of not giving too much away while keeping me watching.
I havent been watching you for a while. Being too ill to do anything, let alone write, makes watching people who do the things I want to do too painful. But I loved this video and Im so glad you are finishing your projects and you look so healthy and happy!
Honestly I am glad to see you succeed in two different ways with writing out your plot for this up n coming poly romance which sounds amazing btw and also how you finished the alpha version of a closet full of caldrons
Thank you so much!!!
What a fun trip, your videos always leave me feeling inspired :)
I'm currently 16,000 words into a detailed outline for a story that had crashed pretty hard last year. So far Save the Cat! is saving the day.
What a delight! I love the quick look at friend's garden and long, luxurious video of snuggling with friend's dogs!!! All the book stores, and San Antonio is so beautiful. If only I could breathe there. LOL
eldest daughter religious throuple book….. oh this feels like it was Made for me, i can’t wait to hear more about it!
I love seeing the poppies 💖 it reminds me of visiting my grandma in Eastern Europe.
Currently working on the third story in my series (I *think* it'll be unnecessarily long but these three parts create an arc and have their own contained arcs 😅). It's taken me too long to accept that I have to draft all three in order to finish my edits on the first one. It was too complicated when I thought it worked as a trilogy. It's way more manageable now.
This vlog was exactly what I needed to watch to help me get back into my project. It’s nice to know I’m not the only one who pauses for more math and books and and and..
17:05 OMG THATS THE COFFEE BAR IN SAN MARCOS! THAT'S WHERE I GO TO WRITE!!!
20:05 I've been there too! It's so cool seeing my fave UA-camrs/creators visiting my city and the places I go too.
Perfect a new video to get my mind off of things.
Side note: I don't know what it is, but you seem to have a happy glow about you. 😊
OMG NO WAY!!! So my friend lives not too far from there and I have tried REPEATEDLY to go to this coffee shop but it's always been so packed, there have never been seats!! Bahaha. This was at like 7am and I was the only one there for about half an hour and it was bliissssssss. The coffee was great too! :)
And thank you!
@@KateCavanaugh yeah, I like to go on weekdays when I can, super early in the morning. Maybe next time you're in town we can meet up at the Coffee Bar to write... Ooh have you been to Tantra yet? That one is also pretty good too. Sorry I'm rambling there's just a lot of really good coffee shops in SM that I'd recommend.
I haven’t outlined my novels, but I have outlined some of my scripts and it helps. At most for novels, I’ve done bullet points. For the novel I’m getting ready to query, I did some bullet point outlining and for the YA horror novel I’m drafting, I will probably not outline.
I’m really impressed with your 10K outline! That’s amazing! I loved seeing the botanical gardens and all the bookstores and coffee shops! Love the bookstore cat! 😻
I’m sorry about Half Priced Books closing. I wish there was something like that where I live.
I love the cozy vibes of this vlog! And all the bookstores and coffee shops! You made so much amazing progress! 😍
And your friend’s dogs are so precious! Your doggos were so happy to see you when you got home, too!
Loved this video Kate - I think it made me realize that I might need to outline my next novel too. I used to be a complete pantser, but now this new story idea is so complex that I might actually have to get out my Save The Cat book again… thanks for the inspiration! 💜 Good luck!!
I’m gonna sound like a goofball, but when you were showing us you had almost 10k I’m the outline, when I saw the profile of your ring I was like ‘oh cool, a cowboy hat ring!’ It’s not a cowboy hat, lol.
I’ve been attempting to outline my second most developed novel idea, and I’ve gotten 1652 words into that using romancing the beat (which you introduced to me!) and I still need to fill in some beat in phase 4. Most of the other beats are pretty short and some are incomplete. I might have to do some free writing to figure out some things. I think I’ll also look into other outlining methods since there was one I really liked that worked well for my audio drama idea, but that was scene based and I don’t think it would work for a full book, at least at first. Thanks for the video!
I am always excited to see you're videos pop up in my feed :D I am taking the project I have fully completed as a 100k YA High Fantasy novel and turning it into an Adult novel while adding between 20-70k words to get it up to the standard word count of adult novels. I am lucky to have Becca (C Smith) as my CP because she is so helpful. Adding new words is coming easy but trying to determine what to age up is a little more difficult. TBH I thought it would be the other way round lol
Watching you get so exited by discovering new ideas and being inspired makes me wanna outline too!! Haha. Also your videos create a high chance I abandon my home and family to go on a coffee themed writing retreat
I a whole bunch of your videos and got up to your current videos yesterday. I was so upset when there wasn’t another video. The notification that you had posted was a blessing.
Awww, what perfect timing! :)
OH throuple with religious imagery. I NEED that oh I need to read it OOP
YESSSSSSSSS. 👑
I also use BioTrue! The gardens looked gorgeous, the book festival and book stores looked awesome (sorry that Half Priced Books closed for you), and that outline is an accomplishment you should be proud of! I've never written an outline THAT long.
And thank you for the shoutout about the "To Be Written" list 💝
I found that using Obsidian to organize my novel ideas was the best thing for myself (especially since I'm writing a fantasy multiverse that ties into multiple series). Its also more visually appealing to me, but I do draft in Scrivener a lot.
OMGOSH You're alive!
10K on a plan! As a 100% panster I've got to about 18.5K in my latest project with very little idea what will happen next. I write like I read, finding it out as I go. Still long as you are having fun. You be you.
Absolutely love love love the "inspiration" part of this vlog so much! What a fun day that must have been. I loved getting a tour! 🌞🌞
Great job on the video and outline! I’ve stepped back from my story to outline a bit and it’s helped me focus so much more. I’m at 8k for the outline and 25k written words that I *think* I’ll get to keep.
What a fun trip! So many bookstores to shop and that book festival looks amazing. I always have long outlines, which more often than not turn into half outline half rough draft by the end but it seems to be the thing that works best for me., otherwise I almost never finish the outline nor start the rough draft lol.
What a great, heart-warming, sunny, purring, flowery and bookish video, thank you so much, Kate! I sooo enjoyed watching it! 🌺🌿🌞🐶😽📚📖🕯✨
omg thank youuuuuu! ✨🐾☀️
😽😻🌹✨
I feel like I travelled with you! I'm Australian and while our wildlife is magical enough, seeing the flowers and the birds was like being in a fantasy world. Also my first time seeing Bucee's stores
Hi, Kate! Good luck with your new project, I also just started working on a new project but I'm writing it by hand! Thanks for the inspiration! It's really helping!
Welcome to the wonderful world of outlining Kate! Glad to have you lol 🤗 I love that you are growing and developing other methods in your writing. And you still may be a pantser in other genres, I think it all just depends on the projects. Omg I am in love with the dogs at your friends house! They were so adorable 😍 Of course I've already been in love with Zelda, Buffy, and Vin lol. Great video Kate and I'm glad you had fun and got your next project outlined. I'm very intrigued about your story lol. Take care Kate! ❤
About 4 or 5 years since your "learning to outline" video. You're finding your grove and that's a video I love for when outlining doesn't make any sense to me. I loved this video!
Wow congrats on all of the work you got through in this vlog! I bet the drafting will be fast with such a detailed outline. And thanks for sharing the book festival, looked so fun ❤
I discovered your channel through this video. Happy Writing! 😎📚👍
10k is definitely about the perfect outline length for me! I wrote a 30k one last year and that definitely feels like it doesn't leave enough room for surprise and improvisation. I did not enjoy writing from that (or arguably maybe I was just tired of that one project). But I'm drafting from a 10k outline at the moment and really enjoying myself - just the right amount of guidance and room to improvise!
I love the vibe of the video, summer mornings ❤ (though i cant help but wonder how on earth you can afford several cafe trips in one video 😂 it's soooo expensive where i live... some 5 euros just for a capuccino.)
I've got an outline (for a genre I have never written before) that is over 14k. But it does include character psychographics for 4 characters.
I wonder if we tend to write longer outlines when it's a genre/topic that's new to us! Like we feel we need to prep more bahaha.
I'm writing a fantasy fairytale - it's my first attempt at an original novel (previously I've written fanfic novels or original short stories). It's surprised me that I've been able to create original work in that much depth and I'm really proud!
In terms of outlining, in the past I've only plotted chapters in a timeline rather than a full long outline but this project I've written a long outline around 3k words (with additional notes taking me up to 5.5k). I can definitely see the benefit of outlining an original novel vs fan-work/short stories.
I've been working on a plotter/ heavy outline for my 2024 NaNoWriMo! Super excited to compare the experience with previous years :)
Omg just continued watching and saw you're doing a romantacy throuple, I am ALSO doing a romantacy throuple!!! And it's my first time writing anything like it before as well! How fun!
Watching this made me want to start my new book that I plan on starting in June right now! I'm not much of a plotter because halfway through I just lose interest in the book.
the only book I was able to finish for school was the great gatsby, also you need to do a whole count physical tbr thing just so we know how far you came and went with your tbr with the last time being like 2 to 3 years ago
feeling like rose from titanic all this waiting for new videos 😂
i've never actually completed an outline for a story before writing it! i have finished one (1) zero draft of a novel before, and most of that was headlight writing (i think that's a term i've heard used before?) -- i would write a chapter or two, and then i'd outline the next few that would follow. i'd shift between writing and outlining a few chapters for the whole journey. it worked out really well with this specific novel because i discovered an ending that i think has a really strong emotional core, and i had a bunch of realizations and revelations along the way. but! i am attempting my first serious short story as a Writer(TM), and i'm thinking i should outline the entire piece before i start drafting, if only to keep it short story-length.
I thought I was doing an outline, because even if I knew the beginning and the end goal I wanted to have an idea of what could happen... then I started writing my 'outline' 😅 and some scenes it was a 50 word paragraph of my idea, some were 10 words saying things like "ML & FL get to know each other while on a ride" or something like that, others were 300 words, because I thought of details, feelings and even at times conversations that I knew I will forget if I don't write them... not done with ut because I need around 4 scenws before my ending scene to wrap something up (or I could be lazy and just lazily say this this and that was done without much problem and now is my wedding or something like that😅. But as of now is around 50k of my supposed to be an outline😂.
And then I wanted a break to start transcribing it to my pc (because I had handwritten it) and cheated on Nanowrimo 😅 because I knew I could win easily as I already had the 50k, but as I transcribed it more words appeared and I have yet to transcribe half of my original work and Im already on 50k😅
I may need HELP and Im sure the editing will be Suuuper Fun right?🥲🫠
Also, do you do character profiles?
If you like Steinbeck and haven't read, The Pearl yet, I highly recommend! I really liked that one. Only one I've read of his. I didn't have to read the regular school reading lists. Filling in the gaps! I bet that travel book of his is interesting. :)
Oooh I have not yet, I will definitely check that out! THANK YOU!
my last outline was 15,000 words.... and it was for a novella project.... maybe i overdo it but it helps so much!!
!!! OMG DANG. Hey, whatever helps, helps! Maybe soon that'll be me too bahahah.
I'm a screenwriter. The longest outline I've made is 42 pages (for a feature film -- now on editing stage).
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The last bookstore is owned by a guy who is UA-cam. He is big on Stoicism. He is also a writer.
Oh, no way! That’s so cool! Do you know what his name or channel is called?
I'm trying to get in this outline level 😅 what structure/method are you using (if any)?
I didn't use any for this one, actually! But I'd def recommend using a Save the Cat or Romancing the Beats or other beat sheet and build out from there for your first few outlines!
I tend to have an idea for the beginning and an idea for the end, and then I'll try to flesh it out using those beat sheets as needed!
I made a 20k outline for a middle grade novel project a while ago. Then promptly lost interest because there was no sense of exploration anymore 🤪
I just need to break down and start outlining. I know pantsing doesn’t work for me as I’ve never finniiished anything but plotting is horrifying
I definitely understand as a lifelong pantser who has slooooowly waded her way through the waters of plotting. It's been a journey! I'd def recommend starting with the basics and using a Save the Cat! or Romancing the Beats or other beat sheet type of book to help guide you. They sort of lay out all the steps as you read along. Maybe you could give yourself a time goal? Like outline in 2 weeks, and then see how you're feeling??
@@KateCavanaugh I own save the cat 😂 maybe I should give it another chance
Yessss, give it a try! I swear I read it and owned it for years before actually *using* it the whole way through bahaha. @@SkeletonQueen3268
You said “when I was working on project Death” - are you no longer working on that?
I have it far off in the back burner. I mentioned it in a previous video ("am I just a quitter?") but I realized I have a lot of heavy emotions attached to the project that have really little to do with the story itself. I find that I start/stop and try to push through only to find myself at a different place, but still not where I want to be in the novel. It's frustrating and I'm not sure how to remedy it. I still loooove the story I'm ATTEMPTING to tell, but I think it might need a couple years of space and an honest look at things that I can't yet do. (If that makes sense?)
Anyhow, no work is lost, but definitely not a "current project," I'd say.
@@KateCavanaugh thanks for the answer! It will be waiting for you whenever you come back to it. As always, love hearing about all your projects
@@KateCavanaughin regards to project death that @caroline_creative mentioned, i can totally relate to kate with having put so much effort into something but then realizing its too hard for ‘’right now’’. Nothing is lost, switching projects around is often times the best solution. Productivity is still productivity, no matter which project. Im a strong advocate to writting when you’re passionate and in the moment, so that writing doesnt become a chore and is a product of passion (as it should be)❤. I currently need to finish draft 2 of a book, but my brain just cant process it, it had become a drag. So im putting it aside temporarily and am right now drafting a new book since i’ve been bursting with ideas. People on the outside dont get it, they call it quitting or meandering. They dont really get the creative process is a tricky thing to do. It comes in waves. At least the effort is there, showing up everyday and thats what matters. (Btw thank you so much for the daily livestreams, kate, it is such a boost of productivity like nothing else!❤
Hi Kate, I always outline, even for novellas or novelettes. I'm a plotter, I couldn't write without an outline. My outlines are detailed, even with pieces of dialogue in them, but it's not a problem for my creativity or my imagination. In this period I am writing fanfiction, and I do brainstorm my ideas and write them down in a Word Document. I have an outline of 6,690 words for a longfiction, but it will be longer, and another of 3,379 for a novelette, or novella, I'm writing (I'm not sure how long it will be). I started to write the story the 30th of April, the day of my birthday. The outline was even longer, but I delete each scene after having written it. The fanfiction has three chapters and I'm at 15,329 words total in the story. The last chapter has 1238 words, so it will be much longer. The first is a bit over 7,000 words and the second a bit over 5,000 words. Your video inspired me a lot, so I'll start writing after having read a little.
"vanilla flavoured" = 0 vanilla =(
why do you keep filming your feet? LOL
Are these glasses too big for you? Or is it just compulsive gesture? You keep touching them every two seconds or so
I'm sad now because work's taken up so much of my life I don't even have the energy to write. This makes me want to squeeze in some time for it again 🥲
what a cozy video!! i think i might be a bit insane though… my SHORTEST outline is around 30k words. my longest is around 60k🫣
I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS FOR YOU: How? And hWHAT? And HOW?! Bahaha.
What's the outline to draft ratio? Like are these drafts also about 60K? Or double? Triple??
@@KateCavanaugh haha! i have adhd so once i finish the first draft, a project is never getting touched again unfortunately :') so i kind of combat that by just making the outline as beefy as possible, so my "first drafts" are more like a second draft tbh.
some of my recent projects had an outline to draft ratio of 24k → 70k, 51k → 82k, and 46k → 92k :')
ironically, the project i'm working on now only has a 26k word outline, but it'll probably be the longest book i've written so far!