Outlining your novel is one thing. But then, whether you prefer to outline with minimalism, maximalism, or hindsight (aka, in revisions), a surprisingly easy stumbling block can be that of figuring out how to use your outline in the first draft. Recently, I received an email from Matt Powers, which made me realize that, out […]
Search Results for: outline
June 23, 2017 by 39 Comments Story Settings4 Reasons You Should Outline Your Settings
When you think of all the important story elements you need to outline, setting may not be at the top of your list. It might not even be on your list. But it should be. Setting provides the foundation for every other important element in your story—starting with plot, character, and theme, and progressing right on down […]
June 2, 2017 by 58 Comments Outlining Your NovelBefore You Outline: How to Discover Your Story’s Big Moments
Too often, writers maintain a limiting viewpoint of outlines as “a list of scenes.” But outlining can (and should) be so much more. For starters, there’s all that good stuff in the outline before you outline. Before you ever get to the scene list, there are a gabillion important questions for you to ask about your […]
How to Outline Your Novel
Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. Won’t outlines limit your creativity and rob the joy of discovery from your first draft? Why spend all that time preparing for a story when you could be writing it? The question of “how to outline your novel” sometimes seems like poking a sleeping bear with […]
January 16, 2017 by 116 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Outline a Series of Bestselling Books
Every good series has to start somewhere. If you’re of the mindset (as I am) that a problem as complicated as the novel is best approached from the big-picture view of an outline, then it only makes sense that the even greater complexities of serial fiction will benefit even more when their authors understand how […]
November 28, 2016 by 54 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Write a Scene Outline You Can Use (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 9)
When most people ask “how to outline a novel,” what they’re really asking is “how to write a scene outline.” But here’s the thing: writing a good scene outline should be the last thing you do in your outlining process—which brings us to the ninth and final part in our two-month exploration of how to outline […]
November 21, 2016 by 34 Comments Outlining Your NovelMaking the Most of Character Interviews (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 8)
Plot and character aren’t so different after all. In fact, in many ways, they’re the same thing. Over the course of the last seven posts, as you’ve focused on outlining your plot, you’ve also been outlining your characters, perhaps without even knowing it. But now it’s finally time to focus exclusively on character interviews. By […]
November 14, 2016 by 39 Comments Outlining Your NovelHow to Structure Your Story’s Outline (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 7)
Story outline and story structure—are they different terms describing the same thing? This is a question I frequently receive, and the answer is, “No, they’re completely different concepts and tools.” But learning how to structure your story’s outline is a crucial part of the preparation process. So what’s the difference between outlining and structuring? Outlining is a process, in […]
November 7, 2016 by 25 Comments Outlining Your Novel3 Tips for Weaving Together Your Story’s Pieces (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 6)
Figuring out how to outline a novel is not a linear process. Particularly in the early brainstorming stages, outlining is not a simple progression from Step A to Step B. Your brain is going to be bouncing all over the place: Step A makes you realize something about Step Z, which makes you realize something about […]
October 31, 2016 by 43 Comments Outlining Your Novel4 Ways to Write Backstory That Matters (How to Outline for NaNoWriMo, Pt. 5)
There are two equally vital parts to any story: the part you see and the part you don’t. The context and subtext. The story and the backstory. Whether you’re trying to figure out how to outline for NaNoWriMo (only one day away!) or just needing a game plan for your next work-in-progress, one of the most […]
