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Writing into the Dark: How to Write a Novel without an Outline (WMG Writer's Guides) by [Dean Wesley Smith]

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Dean Wesley Smith

Writing into the Dark: How to Write a Novel without an Outline (WMG Writer's Guides) Kindle Edition

by Dean Wesley Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

367 ratings

Part of: WMG Writer's Guides (25 books)

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With more than a hundred published novels and more than seventeen million copies of his books in print, USA Today bestselling author Dean Wesley Smith knows how to outline. And he knows how to write a novel without an outline.

In this WMG Writer’s Guide, Dean takes you step-by-step through the process of writing without an outline and explains why not having an outline boosts your creative voice and keeps you more interested in your writing.

Want to enjoy your writing more and entertain yourself? Then toss away your outline and Write into the Dark.

“Dean Wesley Smith’s blog gives both a slightly different view of the publishing world than I’d seen before and detailed hands-on “here’s how to get from A to B” instruction.”
— Erin M. Hartshorn, Vision: A Resource for Writers

Print length

70 pages
Language

English
Publication date

May 10, 2015
File size

428 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith published far more than a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres. At the moment he produces novels in four major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the Old West, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, and a superhero series starring Poker Boy. His monthly magazine, Smith’s Monthly, which consists of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and offers readers more than 70,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month. During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, he wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies. He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown. Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing, where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as series editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series. For more information about Dean’s books and ongoing projects, please visit his website at www.deanwesleysmith.com. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00XIPANX8
Publisher ‏ : ‎ WMG Publishing, Inc. (May 10, 2015)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ May 10, 2015
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 428 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 70 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #198,507 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #130 in Two-Hour Education & Reference Short Reads
- #166 in Authorship
- #209 in Writing Skill Reference (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
367 ratings

About the author

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Dean Wesley Smith

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Considered one of the most prolific writers working in modern fiction, USA Today bestselling writer Dean Wesley Smith published far more than a hundred novels in forty years, and hundreds of short stories across many genres.

At the moment he produces novels in several major series, including the time travel Thunder Mountain novels set in the Old West, the galaxy-spanning Seeders Universe series, the urban fantasy Ghost of a Chance series, a superhero series starring Poker Boy, and a mystery series featuring the retired detectives of the Cold Poker Gang.

His monthly magazine, Smith’s Monthly, which consists of only his own fiction, premiered in October 2013 and offers readers more than 70,000 words per issue, including a new and original novel every month.

During his career, Dean also wrote a couple dozen Star Trek novels, the only two original Men in Black novels, Spider-Man and X-Men novels, plus novels set in gaming and television worlds. Writing with his wife Kristine Kathryn Rusch under the name Kathryn Wesley, he wrote the novel for the NBC miniseries The Tenth Kingdom and other books for Hallmark Hall of Fame movies.

He wrote novels under dozens of pen names in the worlds of comic books and movies, including novelizations of almost a dozen films, from The Final Fantasy to Steel to Rundown.

Dean also worked as a fiction editor off and on, starting at Pulphouse Publishing, then at VB Tech Journal, then Pocket Books, and now at WMG Publishing, where he and Kristine Kathryn Rusch serve as series editors for the acclaimed Fiction River anthology series.

For more information about Dean’s books and ongoing projects, please visit his website at www.deanwesleysmith.com and sign up for his newsletter.

Customer reviews

5 star		69%
4 star		19%
3 star		8%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Agile Writing

Reviewed in the United States on October 29, 2017

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An interesting take on writing. Some people seem to be rather upset that this book takes a different tack and advocates writing in an iterative aproach rather then doing it in terms of writing an outline and then writing to that outline and then editing after you are done. In programming terms the traditional outline driven method is a waterfall approach, and here Smith is advocating an Agile process, where you write just enough and move on to the next scene and if you find you need more you go back and add it.

Presenting the alternative is valuable and a refreshing change from all the outline books out there. That said I felt that the presentation could have done with a bit more depth. And it did feel a little on the short side for the price, especially when you coanisder that 1/5 of it is taken up with a sample chapter from a completly different book. This is why I'm bumping the book down to three rather than four stars.

63 people found this helpful

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D Boy

Great book but HUGE caveat

Reviewed in the United States on May 2, 2018

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I like this book but I think it needs to come with a HUGE caveat. I think the information provided is freeing and will produce better stories than most outlined novels GIVEN that the author has INTERNALIZED the CRAFT of storytelling (all caps for emphasis, not "text yelling").

This book seems to come from the angle that you can just start writing into the dark from the getgo, from the first words of fiction that you've ever placed on the page. Sure, you could do that but the result would probably be terrible. In no other field would you tell someone to "just have at it, you'll figure it out" without any training whatsoever. And that's where this book rings a little false for me. If this book was marketed to advanced authors with several books under their belt who were getting reviews that their books are too rigid, then that would make more sense.

Personally, I don't think I'm there yet. I think if I wrote into the dark today my novel would need a huge overhaul. I know that because the last novel I wrote was written into the dark (before I read this book) and needed a huge overhaul. Eventually, ten books into my career, sure I'll probably be able to write in the dark no sweat.

Also, I feel like I should add that I mean no disrespect to Mr. Smith as he is a prolific author and obviously knows a thing or two, I just politely disagree with assumptions this book makes.

40 people found this helpful

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HSS

Excellent book for new and struggling writers.

Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2018

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Excellent book for new and struggling writers.

Plotters v. Pantsers

The writing world is divided between them.

Plotters - Plot before they write. Pantsers just write.

There are hundreds, (thousands?) of books on plotting (outlining); the different ways to outline, beat sheets, three-act, seven-act method, character sketches ad infinitum. Many writers will agree, even argue that this is the only way or the true way to write. They consider themselves Plotters.

On the other side are the Pantsers. Writers who write by the seat of their pants, or as Mr. Smith calls it 'Writing into the Dark'.

This is the first book I have found that embraces writing without an outline. Mr. Smith does not say his method is the only way. He does say it is the only way for him because it works for him. Then he explains how he does it. He gives writers a 'methodology' for how it's done.

But more importantly Mr. Smith gives succor to those writers who write into the dark but have to justify their writing method to the majority of writers who plot.

As a writer, I have been to many conferences and read many of the hundreds of books on plotting. I have heard heated debates at conferences and writer's groups about the pros and cons of plotting versus pantsing.

This book is an important addition to the many how-to writing books out there. New writers need to be exposed to the many ways to write. There are as many ways to write as their are writers. Until you write, you will not find the way that meshes with the way your brain works. But, writers need to know that writing without an outline does work. Mr. Smith has done a great service to writers with this book.

19 people found this helpful

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Darren

For Serious Pantsers and Fiction Writers Who Feel Trapped into Conformity

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2020

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Reading some of the negative reviews here makes me wonder if those readers actually understood what is the purpose of this book. Nowhere in it does the author say that not outlining is better than outlining. Nowhere in it does he bash successful writers that do outline. There are VERY successful writers who do not fully outline (or outline at all). Look at Lee Child, Stephen King, Ann Rice, and even Nora Roberts (aka J.D. Robb). No big outliners there. They are story tellers and put their butts in the chair and tell the story they have in their heads.

So, what is this book about? I'm going to put this in perspective of a fiction writer. One, it gives you assurance that it's okay to write without an outline. There are no rules to writing fiction stories, and that's what makes it great. Everyone talks about character and story arc, forming a "W" in the storyline, knowing what the ending is and getting there with twists and turns. As a writer, and what this book explains, is that if I'm writing the story and already know what the ending is, chances are, the reader will have it figured out as well before they even finish. What does this cause? Well, the reader will simply put it down with a feeling of, "Well that was typical."

Second, the author talks about how writing from the critical voice is work. I definitely attest to that, but it took this book for me to realize what my issues were when I felt like I was being bludgeoned by my own story. It was sometimes exhausting instead of FUN. If I'm writing a story, I want it to be FUN, not a "labor" of love. I'm not here to rewrite War and Peace. I don't want to feel trapped into some kind of conformity that English teachers and so-called scholars say you have to write. Screw that.

This book offers tips on how to handle writing without an outline. It's a shorter read that can not only offer ideas, but also help motivate you if your're stumbling because your critical mind is telling you that you "need" to outline or the story won't make sense. Rest assured, your story won't.

7 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

BW

Period equalled End of!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 22, 2019

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I like the idea of writing without an outline. I disagree about not rewriting. Some of us will have to rewrite - a little bit, maybe a lot. I gave the book two stars because of the number of times he said "Period." That statement, not the word per se, and "End of" really get on my nerves. I didn't finish the book. I tried, but I came across yet another "Period" and couldn't go any further. If I manage to pick it up again I'll update this review.

7 people found this helpful

Paul J. Fleming

Enjoyable, casual and refreshing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 28, 2020

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I've been scribbling out small tales for over ten years while mentally gorging on various texts from noted authorities in the art of writing. I have tried to apply various methods to my craft but found myself wanting when that cursor blinks out from the screen and my mind goes a curious shade of blank. In contrast and at other moments, I have sat and scribbled (or typed) out whole scenes from one nugget of an idea with little planning or forethought. I've just gone with the flow and with no real intent of it going anywhere or to fulfil.any criteria.

This is, I believe, what Mr Smith is speaking of here. In those latter moments I let my creative brain have control. It seemed to work and flow better than when I allowed the critical side to try and forge a path.

Enjoyed this book and will probably invest in more of his work ;-)

One person found this helpful

DavidJones

Being more creative is the best way to write.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 18, 2019

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As a writer, I thought my method of writing, what's normally referred to as being a "panster", was not the normal way to write as everyone else is always going on about needing to write from an outline. After reading Dean's book, I'm pleased and relieved to learn that my method of writing, the same as Dean's, is the best way to write stories. Trust in your creative side, is the message that Dean gives, and goes on to explain why in this eyeopening book. Read it and you'll be asking yourself why you've been constrained to outlining for so long. Using your creative side of your brain to write is not only a liberating way to write but also makes you a more enthusiastic writer as you'll want to find out what happens next in your stories as you write them.

One person found this helpful

P Dawson

an interesting viewpoint

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 10, 2022

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I was sceptical about Dean’s method when I heard him in a recent podcast. Not sceptical that it worked for him but that it could work for me. I am currently editing my first novel and finding it hard to follow the rules. I think by default I have started to adopt some of these measures myself. I am certainly willing to experiment with it, even though I usually like the security of rules - or at least that’s what I’ve always told myself. So I would recommend this book if you are prepared to be open-minded about how to approach writing.

Mark Treacher

A great no-nonsense approach to get you writing

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 10, 2015

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I have to say that this is probably one of the most practical how-to writing books I have read to date. It's a seat-of-the-pants approach to simply sitting down and writing. If you're someone who needs to have a very clear plan and structure before you get started then this is not the book for you. However, many successful writers have simply sat and written with only a vague idea of where the story is going. This has produced some very fine work indeed.

I have agonised for years about how best to write and with the practical advice offered here I have come to see that the most creative way forward for me is to start with that basic idea and run with it. See where the characters and take me and it eventually becomes they who determine how the story will go.

6 people found this helpful

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