Now what?[outline]

What I do is sit down and map out the world. Even if it's just a literary novel, write out the world your character lives in. Understand it inside and out. The world, no matter what genre, is always important.

Then write out everything you can about our characters. Understand them. Make flaws. You can find both world and character outlines in google. Easy to locate whatever you feel comfortable with.

Then work on plot. If you have the world and the characters, plot becomes easier. Figure out what your protagonist has to do. Figure out what your antagonist has to do. Hound it out so there aren't any holes in your logic.

You don't have to write the story out scene by scene to plan, (although I know some do.) This is just my way of outlinin.

Hope it helps.

When I outline, I just start plotting ideas in point form. Some people use index cards so that the ideas can be easily arranged (I have a program that gives me that capability). I write fantasy so that usually ties in with all the world building also.

Honestly, my two cents are to just write it. The first draft is not supposed to be perfect anyway. But if you're really worried about having to majorly rework the first draft when you edit it, do your research first. Get to know your characters. Plot out the basic storyline in whatever way works for you. Use a writing program. Devote a bedroom wall to index cards and taped-up notes. Sometimes the backstory work helps to bring out a plot. Figuring out your process really does take some experimenting before you find what works.

You can really outline however you want. The main point is to think about the characters, the actions, etc. Some people use note cards and lay them out, and that works really well. I just type up plot summaries, sometimes in paragraph form (written as if I'm talking to myself generally), or outline form. I also have detailed character notes. The main point is to put together a plot that has a beginning, middle, and end, maintains conflict, and that all the characters are remaining in character and not being forced to do anything out of character. You could even just randomly start writing about your story, explaining the plot, and then clean it up and put it into an easy outline format or something later.

I use an excel spreadsheet. I wish I could do the index cards but I'm all soft copy.

I'd suggest taking the first half you've written and get it into an excel spreadsheet so you can take a one page snapshot. I use one column for the chapter number, one column for the one (or two) sentence summary of the chapter, and one more column for my initial thoughts or fixes (mostly faults though). Maybe this can help you get to the next scene in your WIP and you won't need a complete outline before finishing the WIP?

I outlined the first half of my WIP but winged the 2nd half. I completed the outline afterward and went through 5 outline drafts before coming to the final outline but I feel much more confident about the plot now. I'm now starting on rewrites. About 25% of the 75,000 word WIP will be cut and rewritten.

I'll create a complete outline for each WIP moving forward. I still expect significant rewrites with them but I now know what works best for me.

Maybe you just need that next plot twist to get the rest written? Don't let the concept of an outline slow your momentum (if that is actually happening). I recall reading someone say that the first draft is like a heaping piece of untouched clay and the following drafts are when it is molded to resemble something worthy of an art exhibit (something like that). I agree!

If you are mired in what you have already written, I would advise this:

Step back from all of the details and think about your story on two levels: Theme and plot.

Personally, I prefer looking at theme first, because it tells me where the characters are trying to go in the end. Plot specifics need to lead to that end.

Either way, if you have spent two years immersed in your book, it may be difficult to be objective. Set the work aside and think about what you are trying to say. Then look at the start and end. Where are your characters at the beginning, and where are they at the end?

Then, the plotting details come in to get your characters from the beginning to the end. This can be very difficult if you have spent two years immersed in the details and maybe gotten attached to things that don't work somehow.

But you have to cut anything that doesn't advance the plot or develop the theme.

Mainly, I would advice putting your manuscript aside for a month, working on something else, and coming back to it afresh.

This is a repeat to a similar post asked the other day, but it has links and it was easier to just cut and paste

What you might try is thinking about what your protag is after (her goal) and what can get in the way to keep them from that goal. This helps both in the smaller scene by scene outlining, and the larger overall story arcs. What will help the most is if you can identify what the story goal is. What is the big thing your protag is trying to solve? This is often what the book is about.

Throw the one ring into the fires of Mt Doom.
Defeat the evil god Torak.
Find the lost spell and bring magic back to the world.

Something is driving your protag to act, and that goal will bring them into conflict with other people and things. Write down what your protag is trying to do overall, write down how they start on this journey, then figure out what goes in between.

I've been doing a lot of blog posts the last few weeks on this topic, so here are some additional thoughts if you're interested.

On using lists to help keep track of story points.
The basic three act structure (part one)
The basic three act structure (part two)
Fleshing out my loose outline

There are also links in there on other blogs with great advice on structure, and some books I found very helpful.

One thing that might be helpful is writing a rough synopsis with the beginning, middle, and end just for yourself, to get an idea of direction for the the story. With the understanding, of course, that it's not locked in stone.

The process is different for every writer. Some people need detailed outlines where they work out everything in advance; others just jot down key events, and that's it.

Danthia said:

On using lists to help keep track of story points.
The basic three act structure (part one)
The basic three act structure (part two)
Fleshing out my loose outline

Click to expand...

Excellent posts! I'd highly recommend you read through these, Soothing Snow.