How I Outlined a Novel on Accident

Okay, so it wasn't totally on accident (but it made a good title, right?). Usually, I don't even outline novels. I'm lucky to keep one step ahead of my characters, but this time was different, and I'm all for that. Every novel is its own animal, so I can't expect the leash that wrangled the last one onto a word doc to tame the new beast raging around in my head.

But we're getting off topic. How did I end up accidentally outlining this novel?

It went a little something like this:

"You know, I think I need to take some time to just focus on editing this most recent manuscript. I'm going to give myself the freedom to do that by putting writing new content on the back burner for a while."

*shifts pot to back burner*

"But, boy, wouldn't basil be good in that back pot?"

*makes a note about basil even though I have no idea what else will be in the pot with it*

*repeat over the following weeks*

Pretty soon I had a big stack of note cards with little snippets and ideas written on them. Some of the ideas were very hazy. Things like "Car chase? Crash?" and "Friendly rivalry?".

Others were actual snippets of scenes, a few lines of dialogue. Things like:

The woman hesitates. "It's bad, Alice."
My stomach drops.
"You should really get over there now."

and

"What makes you think I'd believe anything you say?"
"Have you misled you so far?"
"Benedict Arnold could have asked the same question."
"You'll have to answer that question for yourself then. You said it yourself--why would you believe anything I say?"

Then one night, I fished all my note cards out of the depths of my purse and my computer bag from work and the sides of my desk drawers and started pinning them to my corkboard. Fifteen minutes, a few new cards, and a lot of rearranging later, I sat back and looked at my next novel outlined in front of me.

Sure, there are missing spots and I'm not quite sure how to actually get to some of the scenes on that board, but I know where I want it to go, beginning to end.

The brain is an amazing, amazing thing. I wasn't intentionally outlining or even thinking deeply about this novel, but all those snippets came together in a beautiful way.

Now, just to write it...