The Map To Success

“All you need is the plan, the road map, and the courage to press on to your destination.” Earl Nightingale quotes (US motivational writer and author, 1921-1989)

I'm a software engineer by trade. I've been a "Technologist" for a couple dozen years now, working for many different companies in the development of internal software, systems software and even shrink-wrap software. It's a rewarding career financially, and a very satisfying career. It's also a career that constantly challenges you to keep learning new things. Technologies come and go at a lightning pace, and failing to keep up makes you obsolete in just a short number of years. To keep my skills fresh, I'm constantly learning and trying new computer languages, design methodologies, development practices... anything to keep my mind active and my resume all sparkly.

That being said, there are also things that remain true in the world of computer programming. From my first programming job way back in '89 to my current job in good 'ol 2012, it has always been stressed how important it is to have a good idea of what you want to accomplish with your new application before you write one bit of code. By having this architecture, this road map if you will, you're forcing yourself to think about what you're trying to accomplish. You're focusing your mind on the task at hand, thinking about how the whole program fits with each part. The end result of your road map lets you clearly see where to start and where you'll end up.

The same logic could be, nay, should be applied when you are writing. In fact, one of the first things you should be doing (just before writing a line of text, and just after coming up with a grand idea to write about) is to develop the road map for your book (or short story or novella... really any size writing that will take a good amount of your time to write fits here). One of the first instincts new writers have is to take this grand idea for a story you have swimming inside your cranium and start throwing words down on a page. You're almost afraid that, should you pause, your story will waft away on the neural tides of random thoughts your brain constantly has. I know it's this way for me! But hold on... What about the WHOLE story? What about the parts of the story you might not think about from the outset? The novel is a long journey. While the old adage is true that every long journey begins by taking the first step, it's a very wise person who remembers to check his GPS before he starts!

Outlining your book helps you create your map and plan your literary journey. At its very basic, a book outline is a chapter by chapter description (usually in one or two sentences, but rarely more than that per chapter) of your book. Each line describes the important things that happen in the chapter. This doesn't mean describing every detail. Indeed, all you really want to hit on is any significant happenings going on in the chapter. In particular, you want to focus on items that change the book's direction. For instance, should a character die, or perhaps if a new character is introduced, you should definitely highlight such things in your chapter outline descriptor. What you end up with is a framework, a guidebook to how you intend your book to progress. I'm told that Margaret Mitchell, when writing Gone With The Wind, wrote the entire book backwards. Which is to say, she wrote the last chapter of the book first, and went back from there. What an amazing feat! I'm convinced that the only way she could possibly do this without losing her way is by having a book outline well in hand before she began such an undertaking.

If you're a new writer, or if you've never tried an outline before, give it a shot. I'm convinced you'll find the exercise to be very useful and enlightening. One more note I must pass along, however: While the outline is a great road map for your book, it is by no means a concrete highway!. Should you find yourself wandering down the path and discover a fork in the road you hadn't anticipated, feel completely free to re-write the parts of the outline that need to be redone. Remember, the road map is a guide, not a leash. You still control the story!