Does an outline have to be well written?

[JoshRaed]

Is it okay if an outline is just verbal diarrhea that technically fits together into a story so I could make a first draft with it, or do I need to try and make it fit together/represent what I want the story to be?

I'm doing preptober right now.

[vapidink]

That's totally fine. Honestly, sometimes the first draft will be verbal diarrhea too and that's okay because it's meant to suck. Outlines are just for you to figure out whatever you need to start the story. Sometimes that's a whole synopsis including all the main plot points, side plots, etc. Other times it's just a rough summary, some character names, and little bits you want to include and are afraid of forgetting. As long as you understand it and it works for you, then it's perfectly fine.

[SereinChoo]

Don't worry too much, just outline however you see fit. It's just an outline at the end of the day. It's a space for you to pour out your ideas - plots, sub plots, and etc.

[morganicfoods]

It absolutely does not need to be. Just do whatever works best for you.

Any stage of my outlines are just shitposts in disguise. I need to be goofy or else I get bored of outlining, and if I don't outline, then my inspiration for writing dies quick. So I write whatever gibberish gives me an idea of what I need to write.

For example, this is from my scene by scene outline of pages 20 to 23:

It's stupid and short, but its enough info for me. I was able to write a whole lot from this.

Read Light Rising :: p20&21: Pretty Girls | Tapas Comics

Read Light Rising :: p22&23: Pretty Girls | Tapas Comics

Just make sure you can understand yourself. So don't do this:

I still don't know what the fuck this is supposed to mean

[Lensing]

Whatever works for you.

[SameMoon]

The whole point of an outline is to be helpful to you. As long as you understand it, it's useful