# On Notes, Outlines, and Somehow Cobbling a Script Together... ![rw-book-cover](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1200,h_600,c_fill,f_jpg,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep,g_auto/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdc403c5c-a525-483e-990e-8b3147308539_1792x1024.webp) URL:: https://developmenthell.substack.com/p/on-notes-outlines-and-somehow-cobbling Author:: Julian Simpson ## AI-Generated Summary The document reflects on the author's process of using notes and outlines to create scripts, ultimately realizing that the traditional approach of meticulous planning often leads to wasted time and lackluster results. Despite attempts to follow prescribed methods, the author finds that the most effective strategy is to simply start writing without detailed outlines. The narrative delves into the struggle between structured planning and embracing chaos in the creative process, culminating in the realization that the key to productivity may lie in abandoning excessive planning and embracing spontaneity in writing. ## Highlights > But somewhere right around here, the urge to start writing comes along. And conventional wisdom says you should ignore that urge, because your ideas aren't fully-formed yet and you will end up going down blind alleys and getting dispirited. And I heed that conventional wisdom, despite knowing it's nonsense, because it is giving me an excuse not to begin writing. I can instead tidy up my notes, put some more links in, do some more research, "brainstorm", add pictures, outline... ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hpy573ywgqdpghqf4030f0jm)) > It's not that this stuff is completely useless, there may well be some gold there, but the non-useless bits probably would have occurred to me as I was writing the script anyway. > But I didn't start writing, I wasted my time. Again. Because I thought I should follow the prescribed process, rather than the one that I know I'm going to end up following anyway. My actual process is utter chaos and I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be, so each time I start something, I try to create order. And I lose a lot of time to that and end up back in chaos anyway, but now I am also chaotically behind schedule. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hpy57mtjfpxr1ypfmkw96hdd)) > I have to figure out where I'm going by starting the journey. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hpy57zxme3av8sgx2ma58czq)) > I wasn't wild about starting it any more, because I felt like I had sucked the fun out of it - there was no life any more, all the interesting stuff had been pre-determined and slotted together into a neat package. It lacked soul. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hpy58ehmtdkk2qye298xr7ca)) > The fact is, I waste a lot of time on busy work because I think I should and then, at some point, usually far too late, I give up and just start making up a story. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hpy58sxrfy5hngj54qreat97)) > I can accept the chaos. I can embrace the chaos. Yes, starting without a roadmap means we're going to take some wrong turns. But I am not a cartographer. The maps I draw do not bear any relation to what I am going to write, so I should stop drawing them. I am going to go down blind alleys anyway, I am going to be forced to figure the story out on the fly. Who am I kidding? If I'm going to do that anyway, just accept that and start writing. Think how many scripts I could write if I tossed out this whole process and JUST STARTED WRITING. ([View Highlight](https://read.readwise.io/read/01hpy59j712v4x7yjcfs0fynz8))