An outline of a novel is basically called a Chapter-by-Chapter Outline
In fact it isn't an outline in the A, B, C, 1. 2. 3. a, b, c -- type of outline you learned in school.
A Chapter-by-Chapter Outline -- Novel Outline -- or -- Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis is actually the following:
A short 1 - 2 paragraph synopsis of each chapter - with the beginning, any key plots, character introductions and the chapter ending spelled out.
Each chapter goes on a separate page, double spaced.
A good example of one is in the book:
Formatting & Submitting your Manuscript -- 2nd edition
by Cynthia Laufenberg and the Editors of Writer's Digest Books
Page #134 with examples on pages 136-137
The reason agents and/or editors ask for this is: they want to see if you can follow through with your plots and they want to see how the story evolves through the chapters.
In fact it isn't an outline in the A, B, C, 1. 2. 3. a, b, c -- type of outline you learned in school.
A Chapter-by-Chapter Outline -- Novel Outline -- or -- Chapter-by-Chapter Synopsis is actually the following:
A short 1 - 2 paragraph synopsis of each chapter - with the beginning, any key plots, character introductions and the chapter ending spelled out.
Each chapter goes on a separate page, double spaced.
A good example of one is in the book:
Formatting & Submitting your Manuscript -- 2nd edition
by Cynthia Laufenberg and the Editors of Writer's Digest Books
Page #134 with examples on pages 136-137
The reason agents and/or editors ask for this is: they want to see if you can follow through with your plots and they want to see how the story evolves through the chapters.