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Source: https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/43978
License name: CC BY-SA 3.0
License URL: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

Outlines are a tool. Nothing more. Should you use it? I don't know, that depends on you.

Does the added structure help you focus and develop your story? or is it needless distraction that you frequently go off-script from anyway?

Does building an outline help you brainstorm and develop your creative ideas? or does it feel like a chore that seeps motivation?

Writing an outline takes time up front. So on the one hand it will slow down the whole "just do it" approach. But on the other hand it can save you countless hours of frustration down the road when you already have a plan and strategy in place for how to get around a certain obstacle.

I personally like outlines when I have a complicated plot. I need it to keep track and make sure I'm not botching the continuity.

And all of this doesn't take into account an underlying factor in the approach. If one is writing a plot based story then they may outline it. Chances are you know what you want to happen anyway, so outlining allows you to document your ideas and save them.

However, if you are writing a character driven story you may spend your time deciding who your characters are. Then you throw them out in the world and discover what choices they will make. The characters themselves help write the story. You don't want to outline too much because you don't want to paint them into a corner. Let them be themselves.

Remember it is a tool. Use it only when it makes sense to use it.

Original score: 4