Ask Jerry
Outliner vs Pantser
Asked by Shane Eash on May 4, 2020
Hey Jerry,
I like to outline as much as I can before commencing a book, but story plots and characters often change as I write them. If I understand correctly, except for beginners, authors submit proposals before they have written the manuscript. If a book proposal needs to include a chapter by chapter synopsis of the story, how can I accurately describe each scene in a proposal if it may change when I write the book? Since you are a pantser, how do you write a proposal before you have written the book?
Thanks much!
Jerry's Answer
Shane, agents and publishers understand that fiction is organic and that characters often have minds of their own. So they don't hold you religiously to your synopsis. If you stray significantly from it, you might want to update them as you go. But unless you do something egregious that changes even your theme, you'll find them eager to let your creativity flow.