Book Review – OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL – Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Series) by K.M. Weiland

 

Synopsis
Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:
Help you choose the right type of outline for you
Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
Aid you in discovering your characters
Show you how to structure your scenes
Explain how to format your finished outline
Instruct you in how to use your outline
Reveal the benefits
Dispel the misconceptions

Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.

Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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My Review
I have rampant ADHD. I didn’t realize that until the pandemic unfortunately, but I’ve definitely struggled my entire life. I just never knew why. So, I desperately need to plot in advance of writing. But even my plotting habits are all over the map. I was looking for a roadmap, a series of checkpoints to get me from blank page to a fully fleshed out outline to begin the writing process. I spent ten years as a project manager for a tech company and realized I flourished in that job because of the structure my brain needs, even if I didn’t know that was the reason for it at the time. An avid reader of K.M.’s blog, I happily purchased her book, not only to support her, but to get all the wisdom she willingly provides us in a single book, rather than clicking through dozens of posts on her website.

Weiland walks through the planning and plotting process with lots of examples and commentary by other author who swear by the plotting method, which I found really helpful. I think what I took most from her recommendations is that an outline doesn’t need to be strict. If inspiration hits while writing, you don’t have to rigidly maintain your original outline. It’s okay to take a path you didn’t even know was there and head in a new direction as long as the fundamentals of story structure are maintained. While I was hoping for a guidebook that gave me a checklist for completing my outline, project management style, it’s more of a recipe that you can adapt to your own tastes. Take what works for you and discard what doesn’t.

I think for me, my process will likely pull from a lot of different books, pulling out the pieces that fit into the way I work, and creating a flow that works for me. And Weiland’s book is the perfect place for me to start building my own system.

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About the Book
Title: OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL – Map Your Way to Success
Series: Helping Writers Become Authors Series #1
Authors: K.M. Weiland
Publisher: PenForASword Publishing
Release Date: November 28, 2013
Genre: Self Help / Writing Fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Links: Goodreads | Amazon | Amazon UK | Amazon CA | Amazon AU | Amazon DE | Amazon IT | Amazon FR | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

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