By WHAT do you (in parallels) structure? (woof-woof!)

Posted by Amontillado
Sep 19, 2022 at 07:00 PM

Any tool is what you make of it. I think of Ulysses as a bad outliner the same way I think of Word as a bad spreadsheet.

That’s not what either is for.

The trap I fall into with traditional outlines, and the reason I avoid them like the mixed metaphor, is that it’s too easy to start telling the story. If I give away the good parts in an outline, the story will be stilted.

It’s a personal failing, I’m sure. I’m more creative if I can add fresh detail to an outline as I write the story instead of just retell the tale. I don’t like writing without a goal. I also don’t like being herded.

Use what works, toss out what doesn’t. That applies to scenes and writing tools.