HOW I OUTLINE (as a reformed pantser) | beat sheets, timelines, pitches, & more!

[@auburnmorrow]

You are just so good at condensing and explaining writing craft. I'm about to start outlining a new book, so this is such an oddly satisfying video for me, haha. It's been so much fun to watch your writing journey. The difference!! Haha

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ahhh, thank you, Auburn! 🩵💜🩵💜🩵💜 Chatting with you and hearing about your process helped solidify this for me! I tried so many new techniques that worked for you that I had never really considered before bahaha. So you have saved me SO MANY headaches. THANK YOU. And EEEEK good luck on your new book!! Very excited for what these next couple years have in store for you (and for me, getting my hands on your books lolol!) :)

[@auburnmorrow]

@@KateCavanaugh You're more than welcome~ I'm so glad they helped!!! And thank you! Look at us. Killin it. Gettin it done. And good luck to you too! I'm excited for The Meridian Maps Journey Part 2 😁😁

[@SteampunkPirates]

I just wanted to say that I've watched a fair amount of WriterTubers of varying popularities, and I have fallen off of watching most of them (for various reasons), but you Kate, I am always happy to watch! I started watching your channel because you were one of the only WriterTubers who did the "writes [insane amount of words] in 24 hours" challenge that I was interested in, and that was three years ago! Now I'm still here because watching your videos feels like I'm catching up with my favorite member of a writing workshop that meets up twice a month. Your videos are the kind where you just want to grab a mug of tea and get comfy! Amazing and lots of love to you Kate!

[@chesterdavis27]

Welcome to the Outlining Club, Kate. I got into fiction writing by learning to outline (screenplays not novels) so I kept going with that. I've tried the snowflake method, save the cat, and a book called 30 Days to a First Draft. Before I outline I MUST review my premise and get feedback because my idea might be woefully incomplete. But I also start with a working title (could be bland like Lost on Another Earth or pretty good like Escaping the Future.)

[@KateCavanaugh]

Thank you, thank you, glad to be a member now lolol. Did you enjoy the 30 Days to a First Draft book? I've never heard of it before but would check it out if you think it's worth it! Who do you usually ask to review your idea?? That sounds like a fun step!

[@chesterdavis27]

@@KateCavanaugh messed up the title, oops. It is actually First Draft in 30 Days (by Karen Wiesner). I found it to be pretty useful but LOTS of work. The upside is you end the month with an outline that hits every scene and helps you structure the overall story. She also has chapters on re-outlining a stalled project and planning your author career. She also has a follow-up title called (I think) From First Draft to Finished Novel.

[@chesterdavis27]

@@KateCavanaugh I just this Sunday pitched a couple of ideas on Stage 32 (a screenwriting site) but for novels and short stories, I have posted to my personal Facebook or a fiction writing group.

[@DaisyByDesign]

This video has helped me so dang much! Not only has it made me feel like outlining can still give my inner pantser freedom, but it's also released me from the hell of six zero drafts I'm currently sitting in! I can now go to the step at 8:31 and write my detailed outline. You're a saviour!

[@mattywren]

As a pantser as well, I've actually been trying to outline books for the last year or so. I always make it to about the 25% mark and then I just get... bored. Because I've outlined them, there's no intrigue for me, no curiosity to figure out what happens and it doesn't feel like I have any room to stretch my creative legs, so to speak, and that's really what propels me forward to actually completing drafts. On the other hand, the two first drafts of novels that I HAVE finished by pantsing are also pushed to the side once I'm done because the revision process just feels so overwhelming, and the stories seem so messy and incoherent that it discourages me from even trying to fix them. Right now what I'm trying to do is like a plantser approach, where I fill out the scenes I have in mind and the few core beats, but I add to it as I go so I can see whether or not certain beats work for the structure and overall storyline and also keep the basic structure at the forefront of my mind so I can remember themes, pacing, etc. We'll see if it works this time bahahahahaha

[@tryingtoputitintowords]

I really needed this today. I am starting a new project and I'm honestly tired of struggling through my first drafts and WANT to become a planner.

[@blairthorne4864]

I am absolutely with you on needing to take snippets here and there to build an outlining process that works. When I first started writing fiction, I was in the "outlining is for non-fiction" camp, since that's how I did writing for school, but I quickly found out that pantsing just lead to frustration for me. I've been tweaking and refining my outline process for...oh geez...about a decade. Now, I use my take on the snowflake method. Logline, short synopsis, long form synopsis, scene blocking (this is where I usually build the timeline, Aeon is a LIFE SAVER), and then the zero draft, which is usually all the action and dialogue without much scene setting or inner monologue. I add those during the next draft. I find this helps me zero in on the main plot beats, and then I can smooth the rough spots in future passes.

[@CatalleyaStorm]

I definitely do a mock outline before my actual outline. I always thought I was weird for that, but good to know others do too! Love seeing your outline!

[@t0dd000]

This is how everyone outlines. It's a mess until it's not a mess.

[@CatalleyaStorm]

@@t0dd000 I wouldn’t say how everyone outlines, especially since some don’t even outline at all.

[@KateCavanaugh]

I love calling it a mock outline! I'm gonna start using that bahaha. And YES, it's so nice to hear that other people do this too!

[@LeahRummel]

You're still pantsing, it's just that you're pantsing your writing style and surprising yourself as unexpected methods come along 🤣 As an always plotter though I love this take on outlining from a pantser perspective lol. I used to be really strict with sticking to my outlines but now I'm like "I'm gonna change it all in revisions anyway so I might as well go with the flow in the zero draft if something doesn't feel right"

[@mysticheathentarot]

haha, I used to be a pantser until I realized that when I write my books it ends up being just vibes with no plot just random things happening. Same when I write sceenplays. One thing I'm doing now that way I can still somewhat pants my way through without feeling tied to a guideline is just writing down the scenes that get me going from point A to D. I write down key things that needs to happen in each act and write my way to those points that way I'm still free to pants my way through my writing but there's more direction and purpose, haha.

[@dreamingofscully3147]

I really love how you talk about the zero draft as kind of an introduction to the characters and figuring out the real heart of your story. The current project I'm working on I've struggled a lot with starting and stopping, and it feels really bad when I want to change a lot -- like what I've worked on has been a waste. But this kind of switches my perspective on it, so thank you!!

[@Li-sx3he]

I have been a pantser for so long and outlining has always sounded so boring like you explained! I've encountered so many problems with my work though with plot holes and things that don't make sense and I feel like after hearing your process that I want to try and incorporate bits and pieces, especially the first portion before the zero draft and see if they help me with the struggle. I love watching your journey and thank you so much for sharing this process with us!

[@CassTeaElle]

Kate, this all sounds almost EXACTLY like my process! Even down to the evolution of recently realizing how helpful a loose outline can be. Sometimes I call myself a puzzler, because I feel like my brain dumping stage is me making the puzzle pieces, and then later I put what I have in order and see where I'm missing spots in the story and where I need to fill things in and bridge the gaps. And I also definitely need to write with my characters a bit to get to know them before I can decide their entire stories and all of their decisions and motivations.

[@annahcreates]

Oooo I'm excited for the upcoming video about writing a series! I've always gotten confused on how to write character arcs in series even though I almost exclusively read series.

[@sjlees]

Also I’ve been following “Story by Numbers” by Adam Skelter and the Duffer Brother’s Master Class, for my outlining (I’m converting a screenplay I wrote into a novel).

[@klatchabobby]

As Stephen King said (explaining why he never wrote ideas down) "The good ones stick" (talking about an idea for a scene in Under the Dome that he'd had maybe twenty years prior to writing the book)

[@nostolgiac]

I'm currently writing 117 novels and tomorrow is actually the 1 year anniversary since I started this, I believe. I started out a panster, but as you can imagine, I've since become a plotter and outliner. This video was very helpful, thank you. I love your content so much. We really appreciate everything you do

[@estefizamora]

the outline I use is a rough 27-chapter/chapter-by-chapter outline, it just gives me an idea of what is coming next so I don't struggle too much while writing the next thing 😅

[@laurenvanvliet8584]

I also stumbled into my current process. It was in part because I watched a video years ago when you talked about zero drafting. I loved the concept, and it so perfectly describes the first pass of writing a novel for me. The one major difference I have in my current process is I take a first stab at an outline before I do the zero draft. I find the outline makes it easier to fast draft and/or pick up and set down my draft, which is important as I'm still working fulltime. The outline usually only consists of what I think are the major beats (catalyst, break into A2, midpoint, etc.) and perhaps some ideas for the others (debate, fun & games, etc.). One resource that I found immensely helpful in thinking through the importance of outlining is Blueprint for a Novel (book by Jennie Nash, and the #amwriting podcast did a series on it last summer). At first glance, I thought the blueprint was too restrictive, but when I coupled the scene/because-of-that structure with the Save the Cat beats it made my drafting so much cleaner, and now that I'm in editing (a YA fantasy novel), the process is much smoother (especially since, like you I write short, need to expand some of the multi-beat sections for pacing).

[@LeightonReacts]

I feel like every plotter is just a "reformed" pantser 😂 I definitely am. I tried outlining as a kid, HATED it because I didnt know what I was doing, pantsed my way through a book or two, and then slowly learned how to outline the right way, lol!

[@deannascorner8112]

I’m glad to come across this while working on a current writing project. I have a vague idea and want it to go a certain way but sometimes I get lost in the weeds. I have started a few books and am unable to finish any of them because I just don’t know how to get to that ending. I really want to write the ending for my current story. Also I was 100% a pantser and had no idea how to outline. Over the past couple years I’ve been using your 27 Beats outline, Save the Cat, and other type of outlines to give myself more structure and help me when I’m floundering.

[@anival9576]

So... I used to struggle with endings. My struggle may not be your struggle, but here's how I solved mine: I make up another story that is happening "off stage" and at the end of the book, I reveal it. Of course, you have to foreshadow as you go, but I think readers find that kind of ending pretty satisfying (it gives you the twist at the end of the book).

[@peyton3364]

I may have to try outlining like this! I’ve always been a pantser but I’m working on a series right now and trying to outline for it has been rough. I’ve noticed I outline much better when I write a zero draft first but I tend to overwrite and underwrite at the same time so going through it afterwards is a bit of a pain

[@MaigaVidal]

OUTLINE GANG! OUTLINE GANG!!!! 🎉🎉🎉🎉

[@pandimensions]

It's reassuring to hear that you've built your process higgledy-piggledy based on what works for you. I know I really need to figure out an outlining process, because everything I've drafted so far has a) gone extrememly slowly bc I'm trying to think everything through as I go and/or b) run into massive tangles where I've thrown too many ideas at the page and not sorted any of them into a sensible order. Unfortunately every standard outlining process makes me want to scream, so I'm having to gradually and organically find things that work for me!

[@sjlees]

I find all my ideas come while working on another project. So I literally have a file of backlogged ideas ready to develop next. I used to just pants it and always had too many projects on the go but my writing teacher/editor said it’s best to only work on one project at a time, I’m not sure I completely agree but I’m testing out only doing one project at a time just to see. I have seen changes and improvements to my productivity so far.

[@herothebard]

I like the quote "different stories need different things" neil gaiman said something similar that he still often dosn't feel like a great story writer because everytime he is like "this is it, this is how you outline (or revise, or edit) a story." And how someone once told him (might have been Stephen King) "no you only learned how to outline (or revise, or edit) that story" I think that is a powerful message is that even if you think you have it figured out how to write a book, its going to change based on what that book needs.

[@Centaur1991]

Well, i am a reformed outline, lol. Outlining is amazing. It gives 'writer's block' a middle finger. But theres weakness, our characters cant grow the way they want. They had no choice but to follow our outline. Anyway thanks for ur share kate😊

[@AuthorZaraHoffman]

I don’t agree about the weakness. If my characters evolve, I update my outline to make space for it and then follow the updated outline. An outline isn’t set in stone and can change

[@Centaur1991]

​@@AuthorZaraHoffmansee thats the problem. Im too lazy lol. Drafting is already a pain for me. But to change the ending that i already in love with is quite a challenge for me, mentally and creative wise.

[@elmiathewriter]

​@@Centaur1991same!! Writing the book is hard enough, I don't have the energy left to change the plan infinitely.

[@martiemary7569]

I recently learned the novel I’m currently working on that plotting makes everything easier. I too used save the cat and romancing the beat. They both helped a lot

[@nutshellreadsandwrites]

I really liked listening to your process here. I’m working on outlining at the moment and I’m finding that I think I am more of a discovery writer and I realised that I don’t have to outline too heavily if I don’t want to.

[@Mazzypop]

I've only recently started writing, but outlining just suits the type of person I am. Currently, I outline the entire story in a few bullet points for each chapter, then I add a timeline to those chapters to make sure I can add other context to the scenes, and finally I do an outline for each chapter (obviously not in as much depth). Then I start a first draft using the chapter outlines as a guide and adding the scene context around it. It's interesting hearing about your process - especially from someone not as experienced!

[@amy-suewisniewski6451]

I think sometimes what happens to us as writers is we try something the first time - plot or pants - and when it doesn't work for us, we think "Oh I'm the other one" when in reality I think it's just our first project and it was going to be a learning process no matter what we did. I bet more people are some level of pantsers than they realize because they tried it the first time without success, and same with some plotters. I think the real "secret" isn't figuring out if you're a plotter or pantser but just getting through those initial learning curves of writing until you understand some story structure a bit better and then can apply it more accordingly to yourself. Don't think there's really an easy way around it.

[@Lara_Ameen]

For me, it depends on the type of project it is since I write TV drama pilots, novellas, novels, and short stories. Since I’m adapting my own work (TV drama pilot to novel), the pilot ends up becoming a sort of outline, but I also have bullet points of ideas, especially for when I get stuck. And then getting ideas from beta readers and critique partners and use them to flesh out the draft with my own ideas. I guess it’s more plantsing, lol. I just adapted my 50 page supernatural TV drama pilot (12 drafts) into a 320 page Adult Urban Fantasy novel (2nd draft going into the third) for my PhD dissertation and it’s been a journey. I’m also adapting my horror pilot into a novel as well! 🥰

[@giacintacarissa7681]

I'm a relatively new writer (started taking it seriously last year) so I haven't found a good writing routine from start to finish for me, still exploring different ways to write a story! (don't we all) But I've outlined a few ideas in the past and I'm not sure following a structure beat by beat like that is for me because I ended up dropping those since the passion and fun explorations aren't there anymore (which is a shame since I was really excited to write it before). But your way of outlining seems very freeing and unrestrictive! Definitely going to be trying this! (And I definitely agree about needing to actually draft to get to know my characters. It makes the editing process so much fun and so hard at the same time!)

[@76kilosofshade81]

How has my outlining process changed over time? I have one now. And yah, it would've been a lot easier to do it in the beginning but it'll be easier for future novels. (Also, this is just for the algo. Come on, 50K subscribers!)

[@SuperHappyNotMerry]

I've been stuck revising the last quarter of my current project for more than a year now and I'm finally ready to give in and try _some_ kind of planning before I start my newest project. for whatever reason, structure goes completely over my head when I try to implement it. I tried reading save the cat and it just doesn't make sense when laid out all sterile like that. I understand structure in my gut, but I'm not the kind of writer who can instinctually figure out what's wrong with something. so that has been a big problem for me. how do I reconcile the part of me that tells a story on gut instinct but can't easily figure out what's wrong in a story. I think I'll have to be eased into outlining, if I'm being honest. the way I see it, whether you outline or not, you should theoretically do the same amount of work, just at different points in the process. since I feel like at this point I'm definitely spending too much time revising, I need to maybe, perhaps take a look at my process and how to make it easier on myself 👉👈 will be using some of your tips!!

[@Neil-writer-author]

I should try outlining. I get stuck often, sadly.

[@jazzavalon]

omg what perfect timing for this video! im outlining right now! im working on a new project, thats for the first time purely a romance, all my other stories have romance in them but its never the main focus, and just last night i was going through romancing the beat! its great! im finding that i am able to outline this story so much more easily than any other, im still tweaking it, but i have a whole outline, and its way more detailed than any previous lets say fantasy story ive worked on. not to say romances are overly simplistic, just that the relationship kinda IS the plot? 😂 anyway, what i mainly wanted to say is that I too am a former pantser, and now I do outlines very similarly as to how you described it! 😁 i might incorporate the elevator pitch & query in it too! i feel like it would be helpful too

[@KateCavanaugh]

YES!!! I never want to say that romances are "easier" because I think it's an entirely different skillset when, like you mentioned, the romance IS the plot. It means the author needs to be incredible at dialogue and pacing and pushing readers forward with just sheer love of the characters bahaha. (Which obviously ALL stories should have, but when the romance is the plot, there's no hiding behind anything else!) But it does make them much easier to structure!! Totally try out the elevator pitch and query, I'd love to hear what you thinK!! :)

[@sarahdearnley8868]

!00% my favourite book for outlining is Take off your pants and outline by Libbie Hawker. She uses such relatable examples and I feel my writing became so much better because my stories now have so much more depth and structure because of her method. Fully recommend you check that book out! Save the cat was my go to before I found this book, and I have since never looked back.

[@rainyhammer9235]

After I get an idea I creat a note in google keep. Usually ideas come to me as I live out my days. At the same time I find music which fits the vibe of my idea. The next step is outlining characters and the plot. I use Save the Cat for both screenwriting and novel writing. Then I draft. I am an avid note taker as I write. I both makes notes in the draft and in a Scratch list (it's a list of things which bother me with the writing). You know I pants now a whole lot more than I used to. I always plot but sometimes I need to just write and see how things flow when I struggle with the outline. So sometimes I skip a step.😊

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ooooh I love the idea of a Scratch List! I've never heard of someone doing that before, but it's genius. I'll have to try it out! I think I do an internal version of that while I'm zero drafting, but actually having written notes would be much more helpful lolol.

[@fralou_sind_kreativ]

I'm SO gonna try some of this!! :) I'm a very passionate Plantser, so I need some points through the story that I already know but the rest I explore while writing. I love how you talked about getting to know the characters and how they have a mind of their own :D Did it ever happen to you, that you couldn't really figure out a character? If yes, what did you do? Thanks for the video. Sending you love and creative vibes and tons of fun in Preptober

[@jessicadoody4458]

Thank you. What I do for an outline (using a 4 act structure) I have goals for each section of where I want the story to go. But my mind is now going ohhh side characters, now doing a novella (book 1.5) it has spoilers for book 1 😂

[@malikamaybe]

I’ve always been an outliner, but the outlines were (like you mentioned!) never something that couldn’t be adjusted while I wrote (in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever had an outline that was followed 100% by the end of it tbh). I used to have an issue with narrative thrust like being complimented on set pieces, but those same set pieces not feeling too connected (the manuscript I first got this comment on was a quest journey which made me more susceptible to this problem too). I found out about the ‘revelations sequence’ in John Truby’s The Anatomy of Story as seperate to the plot outlining and (this is not new at all tho lol) there will always be a period before and while I write where I just listen to certain songs on repeat and see scenes from my future manuscript playing along to it like a fanedit lol (currently a lot of Hozier’s new releases are aiding that lol).

[@johntubbs6617]

This is exactly what Elizabeth George stated in her two craft books "Write Away" 2004 and "Mastering the Process (From idea to Novel)", 2020. Both are basic type of advice but good though.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ooooh I'll go look those up! Thanks John!

[@cherylfish8931]

I have been looking for your outlining video, now I know why I haven't been able to find one. :) I use the Save The Cat method, but for the "Muddy Middle" I add a few of the plot points from Three Act structure as well to give me just a little more framework. I have tried the in depth version, of an outline, but end up off the rails, and frustrated that I have wasted time, so I just get the main points and let the character guide the scene.

[@ringsroses]

I still don't like to start with an outline because I enjoy the process of getting to know my characters and the world they're in. Everytime I start with an outline I end up shelving the story. But, outlining was how I learned to write originally. Pantsing is more the category I fall into because I've always put more work into projects that start like that. The exploratory nature of it is more compelling to me. But, I definitely like outlining for the editing process. It helps to redefine the parameters of the story that's being told.

[@AuthorZaraHoffman]

My current outlining process establishes book description before doing a bullet point list of things that happen (and emotional responses) - I actually have it on the inimitable books Ko-fi page shop

[@KateCavanaugh]

Ooooh, I'll have to go check that out!!

[@AuthorZaraHoffman]

@@KateCavanaugh It's a paid product but for you, I could send it for free

[@alexor081]

I currently outline the George RR Martin way. I'm currently in my first book but also at the same time the 27th? I'll have to recount. 😂 Ps. I'm currently outlining 3 sentences from the sequel.

[@dmmorrow20]

What I find myself doing is writing whatever scene/idea comes to me in a doc dedicated to a specific book. I do a lot of that in addition to writing planned out scenes. Then at some point I'll have enough to outline with and start from there. One of my current drafts has 32k+ words and a in progress timeline. Will all the scenes make it to the book? Doubt it but its always there if I want to rework it and add it later!!

[@MrRosebeing]

Once upon a time there was a talented, albeit unknown writer who wrote a comment on a KZbin page. It was not a very good comment, and some would label it as facetious, but the talented writer didn't care. "Whether you're a pantser or an outliner doesn't matter, so long as you actually complete what you set out to do," he thought to himself as he pressed the... I've never been very good at the last bit.

[@tblackthorne]

thank you for this!

[@danabeazley8605]

Where can I find a list of the books you've written?

[@Caroline_Creative]

Thanks for this video! Great topic!

[@KateCavanaugh]

Glad you enjoyed it! :)

[@glowllama]

This is pretty similar to my outline process. I've always been an outliner. Ive actually gotten less detailed with it as the years have gone by. It always confuses me why some writers get so upset at the idea of outling.

[@saritaschaffter2133]

I use Notion to outline my story until I have to draft the actual story. I prefer discover writing when it comes to the story itself. So after I finishing drafting, I bullet point the scenes that seem prevalent to the novel as a whole.

[@herothebard]

I find it so funny that you don’t feel like you are a plotter. Honestly thats fine. But the funny part is I do a lot of the same kinds of outlining and all my writing friends say I'm an intense outline-er

[@oigalena]

Kate, what is the program you use to do timelines?

[@KateCavanaugh]

It's called Aeon Timeline! I really enjoy it.

[@anxiousrainbows]

as a heavy outliner (as in, every single scene is mapped out), i actually think i could do with less outlining. i have so many finished outlines but not a lot of finished books because i finish the outline and then i feel like i've done the fun part and my adhd brain no longer finds it novel (no pun intended).

[@animanya394]

That actually sounds similar to my process, though, of course, I haven’t been able to finish a single thing yet😓😢

[@nildam.bonilla5849]

I tried outlining and just gave up and went straight to basically Zero drafting or maybe is an extensive outline😅 because some scenes are 2 lines and others are over 1k some have dialogs and others are I want FL to be cute with ML and bond so their love grow😂😂

[@anival9576]

I hate the idea of zero drafting because it's just so hard for me to draft that I don't want to get rid of anything I wrote. Zero drafting feels wasteful. That said, I just seem to outline and plot more and more. For my most recent WIP, I think I had almost 50 pages of plotting notes before I was finished.

[@t0dd000]

Outlining isn't rigid. At all. I'm not sure where folks get that idea.

[@madametrafficjam8347]

I think at least part of that attitude is a lot of pantsers like to think of themselves as the True Creatives whose work cannot be constrained like us lesser writers. Seriously, the crap I see in online discussions sometimes is absolutely ludicrous. Outlines just mean trying to have a clear idea of where you want the story to go and writing it down beforehand. That's a good thing, not a bad thing.

[@diycreativeretreat1115]

Because many pantsers heard from at least one outliner that our process made worse books. While outlining isn’t bad by itself, putting a moral judgement on a writing process does not make people want to do it. No process is better than the other, pantsing or not.

[@KateCavanaugh]

Yeah, my personal experience aligns with diycreative! Growing up, I heard I was doing it "wrong" by pantsing and my stories would be worse for it. (Part of this could also be how we're taught in school, as well.) But I completely agree that outlining doesn't have to be rigid and that everyone should use whatever process works for them. Some people's processes WOULD be too rigid for me if I followed them to the letter -- but that's what makes it their process and not mine.

[@ringsroses]

​@@madametrafficjam8347For me, I don't think any method is wrong as long as there's the understanding that no method will be so good you don't have to put in the work. I love going in without an outline because I like the exploratory aspect of "pantsing" and then going back with a more critical eye to kind of find the pulse of what's there. Afterwards, an outline is really important for pacing. But, I think outlines can fuel creativity for some people since they're a bit like having a story prompt for each section, you know what needs to happen but you still have to find your way there by writing.

[@AoifeMysthart]

Uh… school. Where did you think they got it?

[@kelly_seastar]

I'm terrible at titles. Usually I just do "Ghost story" or "Nanowrimo Story"

[@KateCavanaugh]

Same same same. I'm having to put in the work to actively get better bahaha.

[@kelly_seastar]

@@KateCavanaugh You could do the tried and true title format: 1. Take the protagonist's name 2. Take the McGuffin's name 3. Add "and the" between them 😆

[@KateCavanaugh]

LOLOL that's true! ☠️

[@Heothbremel]

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@makeuploverjess5170]

As a pantser, I don't think I could stick to outlines

[@KateCavanaugh]

I totally feel that. That's why I still let myself throw it all away if in my zero draft I come up with something much better bahaha. Maybe one day I'll find myself back to pantsing full-time! This writing journey has been so crazy, who knows bahaha. Hope your projects are going well!! :)

[@makeuploverjess5170]

@@KateCavanaugh thank you!! Ps I'm the one who mentioned during one of your livestreams that I'm writing a story about viking sisters!! 💜

[@KateCavanaugh]

OMG VIKING SISTERS, YESSSSS. I hope it's going well!!!

[@SennaCrow]

No, outlining doesn't have to be rigid. It's easier and faster and less heartbreaking to change your outline than it is to change thousands of words or pages at a time.

[@tearstoneactual9773]

If you're going to actually show off your Scrivener or other editing software, please, for the love of God, use screen capture software. OBS is perfect for that and it's free.

[@DreamingTruth.author]

❤❤❤