I Love Synopses -- Today, Anyhow!

You may recall that two entries ago, I complained about having to write a synopsis (that is basically a fancy word for "outline") for my new writing project.

What happened in between, you must be wondering, that made me entitle today's entry, "I Love Synopses -- Today, Anyhow!"

What happened is I wrote the danged thing. I was grumpy; it took me nearly a full day. I ate half a bar of top-quality chocolate. BUT by golly I DID IT!

And you know what? It was HELPFUL. I tell my students that having an outline is like having a road map. It helps you get where you're going. On the other hand, having an outline (or a map) can be constraining, too. You may miss out on some interesting spots during your road trip. 

I think the reason it worked out for me this time is because I had already written nearly 12 chapters of my manuscript before I tackled the outline. And the good news is that now that it's written, I feel less anxious about the project and IT'S GOING MORE QUICKLY (which is a fine thing because in about six weeks from now this writer is going to turn back into a pumpkin -- did I say pumpkin? I meant to say CEGEP teacher!)

So, today's question: To outline or not to outline? What, dear blog reader, is your opinion?