Fantasy Writing Death match: Outlining vs Discovery

"So are you an outline or a discovery writer?" That's the question that many fantasy authors get at some point in their conversations about writing. Most authors find themselves firmly planted on one end of this spectrum and vehemently support their camp. I'm not here to argue for one or the other. I simply wanted to share my experience with each method to help anyone else find a way to choose which works for them. This post may end up being a little autobiographical, but I think it's worth exploring.

Let's start with some definitions, just in case anyone is unfamiliar with the terms. I first heard these two terms from Brandon Sanderson, but I'm pretty sure the concepts have existed long before he started writing. In short, an outliner is someone who spends time before drafting the bulk of their novel or story to create a detailed outline of each piece of the story. Then, once the outline is complete, they begin to write it out in prose as an actual draft. A discovery writer has an idea of their plot in their mind. It could be vague or even have specific scenes, but it's all mental. Then they sit down to write and "discover" the details as they put words on paper, drafting from their idea and from inspiration. In the end, both achieve a completed novel or story. But, which is better?

Until recently I was a discovery writer. I would have an idea, a flash of inspiration, and I would sit down to write. I'd start at the beginning and work my way to the end. In fact, that's how I drafted my first and second drafts of The Triad. I loved it! It was exciting to see the story develop in my mind and on the pages as my hands moved over the keyboard. Admittedly, it also was a rebellion against my academic writing in college where I needed to outline my work for coherence. I figured my stories could be free-handed and be more exciting that way.

Discovery writing has some benefits. You can just start writing right away. You don't need to spend a lot of time thinking about the world or the characters ahead of time. You can start with a single idea. I'm speculating entirely on this, but it has been said that C.S. Lewis' The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe started with the image of a faun with an umbrella in the snow. I think this is evidence of discovery writing. He had an idea and took it to paper. There is a thrill to discovery writing that shouldn't be overlooked. Characters can start becoming real as you write and seem to make decisions in the midst of the drafting which changes your ideas and moves the story in a different direction. It's exciting to see the world grow from an image or a sentence into something that feels concrete and real. As a discovery writer, you can do what you want and are not constrained by any "plan" or structure. There is a lot of freedom in writing this way.

Some of the downsides of discovery writing are plain to see, though. Rabbit trails, "side quests," or poor pacing can derail a reader's--or even the author's--attention. Wordiness and unnecessary chapters can interfere with the progress on a story. Outside of the story itself, a lack of inspiration grinds the writing to a complete halt, allowing writer's block to govern how quickly an author drafts their piece. The very freedom that a character has to make decisions in the story may lead a total lack of motivation for the character to continue on in the plot the author has begun. On the editing front, even when an author has finished writing their story, the amount of editing, rewriting, and cleaning up that needs to be done on the piece is massive. All those pacing issues need to be resolved before it is ready for publication.

All of these challenges are ones I have faced in my writing in the past. I have old stories of mine that I spent hundreds of hours on that simply fizzled out because my characters chose to be done with the plot I had placed them in. The Triad itself took me years to draft because I had times of no inspiration to continue working on it. Even now that I've finished the draft, I realize that I have so many issues with the pacing of the story that I need to essentially go back and rewrite the whole thing before it will be ready to publish. I said earlier that I was sharing my story of writing with these prices and it's true.

On the flip side, outlining has its benefits too. The story, character, and setting are consistent because of the clarity needed to work through them ahead of time. The characters' are motivated throughout and can complete the story well. A draft develops quicker because the whole plot is already detailed out in front of the author as they put pen to paper (or keyboard to word processor). There are no surprises from characters or unexpected plot twists that need to be resolved. Editing is still necessary, but generally speaking, it's more about word choice and minor changes than a full rewrite. My work on Reconciling Resonance has all been outlined. I was able to draft the first 48,000 words in a single month with minimal effort because I knew where I was going. In editing, I had to rewrite a single chapter, as opposed to restructuring the entire novel. I've seen these benefits firsthand.

The problems with outlining are harder for me to see, but they're there. It's a lot harder to get started. The amount of background work needed to start actually drafting a story can be overwhelming and terrifying. When drafting I usually have multiple documents open: the draft itself, the outline, the detailed character description for each character, a document with the details of the world, among other options. All of these supporting documents need to be crafted before the first words can start to flow. After all that, being constrained by the plan or structure that has taken so much time to create can be difficult if a new idea or thought breaks in.

I'm finding myself to be better as an outliner than a discovery writer. I feel I can create better stories faster and more consistently that way. I still love discovery writing. I use it when outlining the background for the world, the characters, and the story itself. One of my biggest issues when discovery writing a long piece is the pacing. I get bogged down by exciting character arcs that may be valuable to develop the character, but bring nothing to the story as a whole. Those arcs may be better as background for the character instead of being present in the story itself. I also love the speed at which I can create a draft when outlining. Sure, it takes some time to create the outline and the story pieces, but once that's done, I can draft thousands of words in a short amount of time. I also never wonder "what's going to happen now?" when I sit down to write. Even shorter writing times are productive because I don't need to remember what was happening when I last wrote. I know the whole story. I also love not having to edit as much afterwards. I know there will be some, but I don't often have to edit the entire structure.

Is there a better way for writing fantasy? I don't know. I think the choice of which way to draft a story depends on each person's preference. I've obviously found the way that works better for me. All I can say in conclusion is to consider the best way for you right now. If you need the structure of outlining because you have life pressures that make finding inspiration difficult, then dive headlong into it. If you just want to slowly work your way through a story, discovering it as you go, then by all means discover it! Also remember that while this is projected as a dichotomy, it's really a spectrum. You can mix and match these as you need to. You can plan out your characters and a rough outline of plot points and then discovery write the draft. You can pick and choose how much you use of each method. Just find the way that helps you enjoy writing the most while being productive. Enjoy!