Following My Own Advice... Outlines!

I am the type of student who works well under pressure, who waits until the pressure of the ticking clock becomes nearly unendurable before I truly set to work to finish a paper.

As a writer, I let the blinking cursor on the screen lead me to whatever weave of the tale comes next.

Aaaaand these things lead to problems. Sometimes I stress myself out over a paper that I waited too long on. And with my writing? I've barely made progress in a story I've had in my head for several years now.

When a student comes in with the need to brainstorm for ideas, I always tell that person that an outline is a good idea. An outline is the skeleton of your paper--all it does is support the frame and tell you where all the pieces go. What you fill in from there is the flesh that will finally create the whole body of your paper.

But then I think, "Wow, why don't I follow my own advice?" How hippocritical of me to lecture about outlines when I don't make them either?

So I've decided to start creating outlines. At least for my creative writing. I'm starting with a general one, then I'll add detail until I have a mini-outline created for each separate chapter. And you know what? A lot of pieces fell into place with the plot that I've been struggling with for the past three years.

I'm really excited for summer break. Though I'll still be working at one place or another--I hope!--I won't be taking any classes until fall. That will leave me with three months to play with these outlines and start doing some creative writing again. I even brought along a binder to work today, one which had been buried in a box and contains all the old notes for my story. It was such a treat--sometimes a cringe-worthy one--to read some of my old scribbles. Re-reading old notes also cast long-forgotten ideas back into the forefront of my mind.

After an overlong respite, my muse is starting to stir again. (I think that might account for my having, what, three posts now in as many days?) And all because I decided to work with an outline.

Sometimes stubbornness does not pay off.

(But sometimes it does!)