Story Building - Outlining

Outlining is a tool I have found useful in academic writing, but I have resisted using it to plot out creative writing. I especially resist the idea when it comes to that (semi) annual writing craze, NaNoWriMo, where my philosophy tends toward "the crazier the better." The Ultimate Fantasy Parody Epic was written in such a spirit, and while I generally approve of the direction it's taken, it could definitely do with a written-out structure. It cries out for structure.

I know where the story of Volume I ends, but I'm not sure how to write the middle part in a way that even approaches compelling. There's no drama in the middle; she's just toodling along with her bard caravan, happy to be not fending off the advances of the guy she thought was her uncle. And there's no real villain in Volume I, or at least the villainry is so far behind the scenes that it's hard to weave into the narrative, which is a limited third person perspective, close on the MC.

The plots goes approximately as follows:
MC runs away from evil fake family
MC has run-in with Royal Prince (subject of a previous post)
MC is rescued by nymph, gets a new name and a clue to her Significant Heritage
MC stumbles into a quaint village, makes friends with innkeeper, gets dress
MC is discovered by traveling bard company
- I didn't write this in the original, but I thought about it, and I may add it in, to create some drama: MC is nearly chased out of the village when villagers know of her nymph-consorting ways
MC has Unresolved Sexual Tension with one of the performers
... (middle part as of yet unplotted)
MC is kidnapped by two of the performers and brought to Bad Guy Nation, where Bad Guy L (subject of a previous post or two) welcomes her home in a dramatic cliffhanger.

The nymph is a significant character later on, and her rescue of MC is an important plot point. The prince will have a role to play later on, though I'd like to get him back into the story sooner. As I have it written, the nymph helpfully blurs his recollection of the run-in with MC, but it might help the plot along if the nymph doesn't do so - or if it wears off at some point.

It could even be tied into the larger villainry to have the prince become fixated on finding MC; in fact, that would be a great way to spur the villainry. I've wondered so far how the Secret Society finds MC and discovers her Significant Heritage, and this would be a fantastic vehicle for that.

The nymph's charm might wear off sooner if the prince came upon the village shortly after they chased out MC and if they described MC to him in loving detail. Then he would become enraged, but because he's a Responsible Guy and has Duties to Attend, he can't go haring after a bard caravan to avenge his fallen companion. Instead, he shall hire his best artists to create essentially Wanted posters of her and send them to all four corners of the kingdom. I could even get MC's evil fake family involved, which is how Secret Society knows her Significant Heritage.

So I like this - as MC and her caravan travel and perform, they get word that Prince is after MC. At first caravan guy swears to protect her, but as her posters reach far and wide, it gets to be a strain on them, and she recognizes it. She feels guilty and doesn't know what to do. So - revelation! - maybe the triplets don't have to abduct her after all. I'd have to go back and change a good deal of the first chapters of Volume II, but that would be more satisfying than for her to be abducted JUST as things start to get hard. And I think I'd like her a little more this way.

So! Time to write this out in a somewhat organized form for myself. Another productive post, creative blog! If I ever have the opportunity to write one of these uninterrupted by instant messaging, email, cats, and whatever else, who knows what I could get done.