Outlining gives me the scope to do a little content editing as I go, and it means I can nudge the characters in the right directions when I need to. It gives me a level of omnipotence I wouldn’t really get otherwise, which streamlines the whole process and means I can actually finish my projects.

One of the biggest problems with outlining is that it can lead to a rigid plot without much room for character interaction. If you just write down a list of places you want your characters to end up, you’ll find yourself staring at your characters while they refuse to move or react to anything. I suspect this is the problem most people have with outlining: it’s hard to translate natural characterization into bullet points.

But it’s not impossible.

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