a guide you don't have to follow: How To Outline
Hi there and welcome back.
After tackling the whole issue about whether or not to outline, I thought it would be fun to show you my way of outlining.
Which is really not that special or might not be helpful to you, but sometimes I find it very interesting to see how other people work with their book ideas.
This is not a guide for you to follow and have the perfect outline that will work for you. Not at all. Because we all have a different process and we all have different ways of approaching outlining, as I mentioned in my previous post. However, as I just started outlining a new novel I thought it would be fun to show you the steps I do and why I do them.
1. Brainstorm.
The first thing I always do, is to check if my idea is "enough". By that I mean I sit down and take that dream, that brief scene or the character and think about their depth. What other information do I have, is it enough to pursue it as a novel idea or is it better to incorporate it into another already written draft. Ususally for that I take out a piece of paper (A5) and write a "summary in one page", sometimes it is a list of ideas, plot points, the beginning and the end and sometimes it is an actual summary of the plot and the characters.
In the picture on the right I wrote down the beginning of such a "one page". I didn't want to include too much detail for the sake of a blogpost since I am actually writing that novel soon, but I think you get a good idea of what this one page includes. Genre, the main characters, some big questions, maybe their answers already, anything you can think of. I also like to write down where I got my inspiration from, when there is one, but it is more a "when you are stuck maybe check out that book/series" since I don't actually take any ideas from a TV show. More so the atmosphere or a few very well written scenes that I'd like to use for research.
2. Research and Character developement.
This is usually something I do while writing and not in advance, but with this fantasy story coming up I needed to make sure to get some facts and worldbuilding up before I could start writing.
For that process I like to use the app Novelist https://www.novelist.app/ (it is only available for android, but there are plenty of similiar apps out there). I really love the novelist character sheet because not only can I write down what I already know about my character, but it also causes me to really think about them as well. Sometimes you don't think about a characters weaknesses because they are your super strong hero and it might keep you from fully understanding your character.
The same with beliefs, spirituality and other things that might not be important for a lof of your scenes but are really important for your understanding of a character as the author. You also easily make a check list like that on your own, just think about what really defines a person. Not a book character but a person. You want your reader to think the character is real and the best way to do that is to make them like a real person. What are they desires, what is their past, what do they believe in and what are they afraid of?
Before I start writing I usually only cover the basics and only go in depth with my main characters and then I let them grow with the story and be influenced by other characters or the plot. This list is not set in stone, A conflict can be disolved and a new one can come around the corner, as well as a goal or a desire. It is more a guide to see who your character is before you drop them into the plot.
For research on more fact based topics I use either a word document or a notebook and make lists, website collections and pages in books that cover a specific topic. With my example story I have to go into the bible quite a lot, check with certain Verses and I usually just write them down in my notebook so I don't have to go back every time and look for one specific line. If you don't need a lot of background before writing the story then I don't really recommend this, because you can get very lost in doing too much research. Your story developes with writing it, not with reading the 600th wikipedia article on the density of wood (unless your MC really really needs to know that for a life or death situation)
3. Another one pager
We have come to the end of my outline process. The last step I have before I get into writing is summarise the plot in another one page document. I want to have a rough outline with the major plot points ready to reference when I'm writing. It is not a chronological list that I have to follow step by step, but more a guide. I write down the beginning and the main conflict down and then think about the steps in between. What has to happen so that the conclict can be solved? What obsticals will they encounter? What relationship will help them and what will hinder them? Will someone die and if yes, who? What effect would that have on the plot? What is the end goal, what happens if the end goal is reached? Will the characters ever manage to reach the end goal?
These are a lot of questions, I know, but maybe they could help you with your story. Maybe they will get your thinking going and spark that interest in your plot.
For me the whole reason of an outline is to get my fingers itching to write that book that you did your research on for the last weeks or months. It is supposed to be giving you a push into the right direction and be a helpful hand in the writing process.
I personally don't believe in extremely detailed outlines with every chapter already outlined in bullet points. I believe in a clear structure that allows me to experiment with my characters and the plot. Of course in more complicated stories with different universes and maybe sixteen different demon kinds you will need a little more guidance and that is okay. Just don't overplan everything. You are a fiction writer, not an archevist. That binder with all your printed out articles won't write your novel. You will.
And I really hope this did help at least one person with their writing process, if so, hit me up on twitter or Instagram, I'd love to chat some more.
With that, I am signing off, I got some editing to do for Camp Nanowrimo...
Good luck with your novel.
Take care and write on,
After tackling the whole issue about whether or not to outline, I thought it would be fun to show you my way of outlining.
Which is really not that special or might not be helpful to you, but sometimes I find it very interesting to see how other people work with their book ideas.
This is not a guide for you to follow and have the perfect outline that will work for you. Not at all. Because we all have a different process and we all have different ways of approaching outlining, as I mentioned in my previous post. However, as I just started outlining a new novel I thought it would be fun to show you the steps I do and why I do them.
1. Brainstorm.
The first thing I always do, is to check if my idea is "enough". By that I mean I sit down and take that dream, that brief scene or the character and think about their depth. What other information do I have, is it enough to pursue it as a novel idea or is it better to incorporate it into another already written draft. Ususally for that I take out a piece of paper (A5) and write a "summary in one page", sometimes it is a list of ideas, plot points, the beginning and the end and sometimes it is an actual summary of the plot and the characters.
In the picture on the right I wrote down the beginning of such a "one page". I didn't want to include too much detail for the sake of a blogpost since I am actually writing that novel soon, but I think you get a good idea of what this one page includes. Genre, the main characters, some big questions, maybe their answers already, anything you can think of. I also like to write down where I got my inspiration from, when there is one, but it is more a "when you are stuck maybe check out that book/series" since I don't actually take any ideas from a TV show. More so the atmosphere or a few very well written scenes that I'd like to use for research.2. Research and Character developement.
This is usually something I do while writing and not in advance, but with this fantasy story coming up I needed to make sure to get some facts and worldbuilding up before I could start writing.
The same with beliefs, spirituality and other things that might not be important for a lof of your scenes but are really important for your understanding of a character as the author. You also easily make a check list like that on your own, just think about what really defines a person. Not a book character but a person. You want your reader to think the character is real and the best way to do that is to make them like a real person. What are they desires, what is their past, what do they believe in and what are they afraid of?
Before I start writing I usually only cover the basics and only go in depth with my main characters and then I let them grow with the story and be influenced by other characters or the plot. This list is not set in stone, A conflict can be disolved and a new one can come around the corner, as well as a goal or a desire. It is more a guide to see who your character is before you drop them into the plot.
For research on more fact based topics I use either a word document or a notebook and make lists, website collections and pages in books that cover a specific topic. With my example story I have to go into the bible quite a lot, check with certain Verses and I usually just write them down in my notebook so I don't have to go back every time and look for one specific line. If you don't need a lot of background before writing the story then I don't really recommend this, because you can get very lost in doing too much research. Your story developes with writing it, not with reading the 600th wikipedia article on the density of wood (unless your MC really really needs to know that for a life or death situation)
3. Another one pager
We have come to the end of my outline process. The last step I have before I get into writing is summarise the plot in another one page document. I want to have a rough outline with the major plot points ready to reference when I'm writing. It is not a chronological list that I have to follow step by step, but more a guide. I write down the beginning and the main conflict down and then think about the steps in between. What has to happen so that the conclict can be solved? What obsticals will they encounter? What relationship will help them and what will hinder them? Will someone die and if yes, who? What effect would that have on the plot? What is the end goal, what happens if the end goal is reached? Will the characters ever manage to reach the end goal?
These are a lot of questions, I know, but maybe they could help you with your story. Maybe they will get your thinking going and spark that interest in your plot.
For me the whole reason of an outline is to get my fingers itching to write that book that you did your research on for the last weeks or months. It is supposed to be giving you a push into the right direction and be a helpful hand in the writing process.
I personally don't believe in extremely detailed outlines with every chapter already outlined in bullet points. I believe in a clear structure that allows me to experiment with my characters and the plot. Of course in more complicated stories with different universes and maybe sixteen different demon kinds you will need a little more guidance and that is okay. Just don't overplan everything. You are a fiction writer, not an archevist. That binder with all your printed out articles won't write your novel. You will.
And I really hope this did help at least one person with their writing process, if so, hit me up on twitter or Instagram, I'd love to chat some more.
With that, I am signing off, I got some editing to do for Camp Nanowrimo...
Good luck with your novel.
Lena
Follow me and stay in touch:
Twitter: @lena_fiala
Instagram: @lena_fiala_
Business enquiries: lena.fiala99@gmail.com
Take care and write on,
Lena
Follow me and stay in touch:
Twitter: @lena_fiala
Instagram: @lena_fiala_
Business enquiries: lena.fiala99@gmail.com
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