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Some people like having an outline, and some people don’t. That’s fine. We’ve already shown our hand a million times here on this blog: we like outlines. We like having them, and stranger still we apparently enjoy making them. Doesn’t mean everybody has to.

Although working from a solid plan offers many advantages, there can be some hazards as well. Many writers who eschew outlining say it takes away the feeling of discovery. They’re usually talking about their own motivation and productivity, but there’s another potential pitfall. Sometimes the author’s foreknowledge of events leaks into the characters.

That can cause a doomed character to come across as fatalistic, or make the whole cast seem skittish around the one who will eventually betray them. The outcome becomes predictable because the characters are collectively telegraphing upcoming events. And if the people in the story just seem to be reciting their lines, it’s hard for readers to feel invested.

The key is to have a clear image of what the world is like for each character. To take on their attitude. Here in the Writing Cave we talk about it as “wearing the right head.” This might mean reviewing your notes about someone’s backstory, or it might mean physically acting out mannerisms. Focus on inhabiting the present, as informed by this person’s past. Sure, the outline prescribes a certain future, but don’t fixate on that. In fact, let yourself forget about it; it’s safely written down. What you want is characters who don’t know that they’re in a novel. The guy who bites the dust in the second act? He’s got plans. He bought tickets to a concert, plus he’ll be giving a big presentation at work. You know those things won’t happen until act three, which means they’ll never happen at all, but he makes his choices with those goals in mind. He’s not trying to fall off a roof.

And the outline needs to be flexible, so your cast can have a bit of autonomy. See where they go. It might be really interesting.

A writing partner is someone who shares in your joy at building characters up so they can fall that much farther.