Diving into outlining a plot

I say this from the point of view form a poet who arrived late to prose. To put this in perspective, I managed to make through school without realising that prose was meant to be edited. Belated apologies to my teachers. It was more than two decades before some of the processes I reserved for poetry extended across to prose. It is safe to say that prose is not my dominant writing style, although I have spent the time and dedication to have a reasonable understanding. As a result of this there is a stark contrast between outlining my first series and my second (in progress).

With the move to become fluid with my integration of poetry in long form writing, and move towards prosimetrum (a hybrid of poetry and prose), the outlining process differed substantially. To be able to incorporate a more structured writing style the outline needed to be detailed for every scene. For the level of complexity relied on restrictions beyond what discovery could impose, to match the rhythm with the natural flow of the story line. While the flexibility remains in the depth, creating scope for the emotion to convey the scene.

As with the structure, the rhythm and flow has undergone changes to match the emotional tension found in the moment, rather than waiting for the next scene to carry the story along. With the additional weight of layers intertwining to culminate in connections between, while remaining true to the story underneath. In this way the writing relies heavily on the outline, to inform the balance between detail and emotion. Both building up and breaking down each scene into a rhythm that that embraces both.

The addition of structure from the outline also gives grace to introduce a level of complexity that would be near impossible on a first draft. To reach the notes and respective tone needed to portray the interwoven movements that lead to a wide array of consequence. Focusing on the structure allows room for improvement long before the scene is written, and radical changes where the plot has weakened. In this respect, outlining early has created the necessary foundations to embed overlapping structures that would not otherwise exist.