A Book Outline Inspired Me
I have come to rely on an outline to vet the plots of my books. This essential tool focuses my ideas, builds solid plots, and saves gobs of my time.
A week ago, I noticed something. I was not in the mood to write or edit that evening, so I worked on an outline for an upcoming book to satisfy my writing need. I enjoyed experimenting with the plot and identifying potential issues.
About 20 minutes into my effort, I switched to writing. Where did the change in attitude come from? As I experimented, it occurred to me that I could easily take my characters anywhere without consequence. Seeing the result visually was fun and challenging. This positive change altered my attitude, and I wanted to write. The uplifting feeling continued, and I enjoyed seeing my characters come to life and thinking about their dialogue.
It had never occurred to me that an outline could be inspirational, and I have since used this trick twice. Would I recommend my uplifting technique to another writer? Hmm. I have a kind of strange mind and understand that I was logically inspired to be creative. For this trick to work with another writer, they must have this same stubborn logical core. Or am I crazy? Yeah, probably crazy.
You’re the best -Bill
January 26, 2022 Updated June 07, 2026
A week ago, I noticed something. I was not in the mood to write or edit that evening, so I worked on an outline for an upcoming book to satisfy my writing need. I enjoyed experimenting with the plot and identifying potential issues.
About 20 minutes into my effort, I switched to writing. Where did the change in attitude come from? As I experimented, it occurred to me that I could easily take my characters anywhere without consequence. Seeing the result visually was fun and challenging. This positive change altered my attitude, and I wanted to write. The uplifting feeling continued, and I enjoyed seeing my characters come to life and thinking about their dialogue.
It had never occurred to me that an outline could be inspirational, and I have since used this trick twice. Would I recommend my uplifting technique to another writer? Hmm. I have a kind of strange mind and understand that I was logically inspired to be creative. For this trick to work with another writer, they must have this same stubborn logical core. Or am I crazy? Yeah, probably crazy.
You’re the best -Bill
January 26, 2022 Updated June 07, 2026
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