Where’s the Monkey?

Rob over at Snow Books has started a fascinating debate about the writing process and whether it’s better for authors to outline their books in detail or charge on ahead regardless. There’s been a lot of pointed and interesting response to the question, with some people finding the outline process a restrictive exercise that gives rise to dry characters, and others finding it provides them with an essential skeleton that they later breathe life into when they add the relevant muscles and flesh.

I for one find the outlining process an essential tool that never becomes an iron rod to beat my characters with, but a map, if you like, with which I aim to steer them in the right direction. The characters, too, are always the starting point of the story, from the very beginning of the outline right down to the way I aim to tackle the actual prose. That said, I honestly believe there is no hard and fast rule about whether or not an author should outline their work in advance; there are as many ways of writing a story as their are authors, and people should find a method they are comfortable with, and stick with it.

The difficult thing, however, about *not* having an outline, is that trying to sell a publisher on the *idea* of a book, without giving them any real sense of story or character upfront, is a very difficult thing indeed…

 UPDATED: Now The Guardian Book Blog has picked up on the debate.