Introducing outlining in First Draft Pro
Ah, plotting. Some love it, some hate it. Some do it upfront, and some like to figure it out as they go. Regardless of which camp you fall into, First Draft Pro can easily adapt to your writing style. Intuitive and easy to use, outlining effectively replaces the corkboard features you might need to turn to in other apps. Let’s take a closer look!
Ways to work with outlining in First Draft Pro
🗺️ Zoom out – plan your plot in advance
Do you like to plan everything out before you start? If you're a meticulous planner, one of your first goals when you begin a new project is probably to outline your plot.
The outline view at the top of your First Draft Pro dashboard allows you to create a high-level scaffold for your writing. Sketch out pivotal scenes, make notes on character development, or develop bits of dialog – whatever helps you to find the shape of your story.
When you’re ready to get stuck into the writing, simply switch over to manuscript view. All the notes you made in your outline will display alongside your manuscript as you write, so that you’re always able to see what comes next. It’s like creating your very own map to keep yourself on track!
👣 Zoom in – write it as you go
On the other hand, perhaps you prefer to write by the seat of your pants? If you like to work organically, go ahead and jump straight into manuscript view.
Immerse yourself in the process and let your writing flow, jotting down high-level notes on your scenes as you go. Once you’re ready to evaluate structure, you can switch to your project outline to see the shape your story is taking and manage the pacing of your scenes.
Make the most of First Draft Pro’s outline feature
Whichever way to choose to work, both plotting and writing are the foundations of a great narrative. First Draft Pro’s outline feature brings the two together!
To restructure your work, you can drag and drop cards to move chapters and scenes around, and any text you've associated with those scenes will be reordered in your manuscript.
The power of a great outline
Many existing writing tools were built for word processing in an office environment. But storytelling is a creative process – and scrolling through one long batch of words isn’t exactly conducive to creativity.
The outline feature in First Draft Pro allows you to create an intuitive framework for your story. Zoom out for a high-level view of the beats in your story, or zoom right in to work on the finer details. Where you start is up to you!
