These authors write without planning much, if anything, in advance: The story develops organically. Well-known outliners include historical novelist Ken Follett, mystery writer Robert Crais, and the late thriller master Robert Ludlum (whose outlines would sometimes go longer than 100 pages).ДЄt the other end of the methodological spectrum are вЂњseat-of-the-pantsвЂќ authors (abbreviated SOTP). On the downside, such well-crafted stories might be stronger on plot than on characterization: If he isnвЂ™t careful, the outlinerвЂ™s characters may become little more than stage props for the devious goings-on. When everything is finally figured out, these authors can usually write their first draft rapidly, confident that the result will be in near-final shape and in need of little revision, or that theyвЂ™ll have to delete a lot of material because they discover a serious problem only after writing a draft. (In the film industry, such a summary is referred to as a вЂњtreatment.вЂќ) Sometimes, he will write multiple drafts of his outline, in order to work out all the plot twists and possible logical holes in advance, before starting the actual writing. Often, heвЂ™ll write an extended synopsis or summary of the book, typically 20-50 pages of exposition describing the major characters, their conflicts, and all the significant events.

He wants to know in advance what will happen in each anticipated chapter, sometimes in each scene. These labels describe two extremes on a spectrum of methods that fiction authors employ to craft their books.ДЄt one extreme, the вЂњOutlinerвЂќ is the author who plans his book in meticulous detail before he starts to write. Ever since my debut thriller HUNTER took off, fellow writers have asked me if, when writing, I am an вЂњOutlinerвЂќ or a вЂњSeat Of The PantsвЂќ writer.

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