Zarina Docken

Question:

To outline or not to outline, that is the question. (Yes, I [Zarina] am very corny!)

Answer:

I don't make outlines while I'm writing my novels. The truth is I never know what's going to happen until the characters tell me; I have to follow them around and see what they do. The end of each of my books has been a surprise, though once I get there, I can sense that this is where the story wanted to go all along. Sometimes I make an outline when the first draft is done, to see where the crucial scenes are, to study the narrative arc. I've even made "emotional" outlines, to pinpoint where the characters change, where they experience their conflicts. For me the revision process is very much about structure, and outlines can prove enormously useful then.

Of course many authors do outline, and many more say they have to know the end before they begin. Everyone's process is different, and every writer has to find her own way.

Lisa Tucker is the author of the bestselling novel, The Song Reader, and a new novel, Shout Down the Moon.