: Re: How do I get from the plot outline to an scene-for-scene summary? My first milestone in writing a story is to have a complete, start to finish description of the sequence of events and character

@Welton431

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This seems to have sparked the age-old plotting or not debate. Personally, I have to plot. I am not able to take an idea and a beginning and just go. Especially since I write crime thrillers, I have to be leaving clues throughout, and, to me, there's just too much rewriting if I don't include those clues first. There are some people that are great pantsers. More power to them. One writing/planning style doesn't work for everyone. You have to find your own process and work with it.

My process is: first, I get an idea and write it down. Second, expand as much as I can on the idea and sub-plots in a general notes form (not an outline). Next, I notecard - this is my scene by scene outline. On each index card, I write the main point of the scene, any dialogue I want to remember for when I'm writing, the POV character, the time/date, and the location. Finally, I write the darn story.

Something to remember when you're writing from an outline/scene cards is that you can deviate from this while you're writing. In fact, you most likely will. I haven't had a book yet that I've written exactly as my notecards are laid out. I usually think of some other trouble my characters can run into along the way and roll with it. But I usually go back and fix any notecards that are ahead of where I am to accommodate the change.

To actually answer your question, each scene must contribute something to the story. Don't have any "filler" scenes. Use those to reveal something, even if it's character revelation. There also should be some kind of conflict in each scene.

Personally, I start at the beginning and work my way through to the end (unless I have one scene that is just burning in my head, then I'll write it ahead), because I visualize my books as if they were movies in my head, so I make sure those transitions would feel right and I have to go in order for that. Again, find out what works for you: some people can jump around; I can't. And if you're writing something like a mystery where you have to leave clues, it might be helpful to keep track of what they are, who knows about them, and when they find them on a separate document.

Good luck writing your scenes.

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