Outline

[lwaxana]

How to write a fiction outline?

 

[InkFinger]

How to write a fiction outline?

Be more specific about your question. Do you want formatting or content? Where to start or how to make it banging? There’s a lot in a question. How do we help?

 

[ChaseJxyz]

Like everything about writing, the answer is different for everyone, and even for every project. How you outline a short story will be very different for how you outline a 200k novel. If you have never tried ANYTHING before, you can try the snowflake method. I've used it a few times now, only doing the first few steps, to build out things to a point where I can take over. You can also try with writing out a summary (think what you would see on a Wikipedia page, not the back of the book) and have that summary be a few pages long. It's like you're explaining the whole plot to a friend. Then you chop it up into chapters. Turn it into a bulleted list in a Word document, indent as necessary to organize things.

You can also try the 40 index card method screenwriters use. I've done this before, too, and found it good, but I already KNEW what the major things/characters would be for that story, so I more needed to organize them in order and pace things out. I did all of that in Excel, but I also use Excel a lot for my dayjob so I'm really comfortable making huge ridiculous sheets/tables. You can also use actual index cards or sticky notes and move them around a board to organize things.

The level of detail will also be different for everyone. Some people have such detailed outlines, other people can write the book for them if they die. Other people only really have "waypoints" of things to hit along the way. Some people don't use outlines at all. That's entirely dependent on a writer's unique style and there's no correct answer here. How, exactly, you format your info in the document is personal and up to you. If I have multiple POV characters I like to color code things, but I just really like color coding!

 

[lwaxana]

InkFinger everything that you have said because I’ve never done a fiction outline and don’t know where to start.

 

[lwaxana]

Thank you both for your replies.

 

[talktidy]

There is an active writer community on YouTube. I used "how to write a novel outline" as the search criteria and was furnished with loads of content to took at. Some, I should imagine, is likely to be pants, but I believe you will find useful material there and methods that may work for you.

Also, have you looked at Save the Cat, which Blake Snyder developed for screen writing, but which works for novels too. That's on YouTube, as well.

Bear in mind we are all different and that whic works like a dream for one persom may not suit another. Experiment until you find what works best for you.

 

[lwaxana]

Thank you talktidy.

 

[Donnettetxgirl]

I always write my outlines with a brief scene-by-scene summary. I add the chapters as I start writing the story. It usually takes me a few days to complete the outline. But what I love about writing it, is it starts the wheels spinning in my mind. I begin with the basic idea of a story, and as I write the outline, it all comes together, scene by scene.

 

[lwaxana]

I always write my outlines with a brief scene-by-scene summary. I add the chapters as I start writing the story. It usually takes me a few days to complete the outline. But what I love about writing it, is it starts the wheels spinning in my mind. I begin with the basic idea of a story, and as I write the outline, it all comes together, scene by scene.

Thank you Donnettetxgirl for your reply.

 

[CathleenT]

So, like others have correctly stated above, outlines can vary from writer to writer.

If you want to write classically structured three-act fiction, Save the Cat is a terrific read. It's been a year since I've read it so I should probably dive back in. : )

Anyway, I can tell you what I do. A lot of it relates to Why You Read.

For instance, I just gave one of my most trusted beta friends a rather scathing critique. (One of the many things I love about her is that she always sucks it up without tears or complaint. We show each other no mercy because we care--we genuinely want to push each other to write better books.)

The remark went something like this: I read to escape. I don't mind if times get hard, but there has to be a reason to go to your world. However, I find myself avoiding your book. Your world is bleak, and I don't want to go there. Can you come up with an emotional payoff for the reader, something they might like about your world?

So that's an early part of my outline--What's the Point? Really, why should anyone read this book? This is actually super-important, I think. If a book doesn't pass the so what test, its chances are bleak.

Tolkien famously did this through setting, although that's not always possible. If it's a world I'm creating, sure, I can pick something and make it gorgeous. That's actually fun.

But the best thing I ever wrote was set in the trenches of WWI, and that was a place utterly devoid of physical beauty. And there's only so much a person can do with setting, anyway. Even JRRT didn't make the scenery carry all the weight.

So besides setting, one of the early things I consider is character. Who are my characters and how will they grow? How can I make their personal growth attractive and relatable to my readers? And do ALL my characters have a growth arc? Unless they're a villain, I try to get everyone to grow, at least a little. The protag needs to grow/learn a LOT.

(Side note--that's because I write hero stories. If you write characters who are "finished"--think James Bond--you can skip this part. But realize that you are skipping it. Don't write a Mary Sue--a perfect but boring character--by accident.)

Then I go through three-act turning points. Intro, inciting incident, point of no return, first pinch point, midpoint, second pinch, dark night of the soul, finale, conclusion. I make sure I know the major things that are going to happen plot-wise before I sit down to write because this is the bit where I'm a hybrid author.

My story may wander around some, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I may be right in the middle and realize that what I really need is a little comic relief. That happened in Bellerophon. I still hit the same points, I just ended up adding something that wasn't in the outline. Having the structure defined ahead of time helps me write a scene that doesn't just get cut afterward.

All my major world building is done before drafting, so any changes there as I write tend to be minor.

I have some articles on my blog on three-act structure, if you want to check out the idea before paying for a book: https://cathleentownsend.com/writing/.

Another resource that actually has a Name attached to it is Brandon Sanderson's series of videos on YouTube:

. That one starts you out on plotting, but almost all his lectures are worth watching at least once.

Also, don't think that if my process doesn't work for you that you have to be a total pantser--aka discovery writer. I've paid for a course where I was told that I had to have all my scenes outlined ahead of time and laid out on color-coded index cards.

Once the story is pinned down that much, I wouldn't even want to write it anymore.

So, take advice, but find a way to still "do you." First, do a bunch of research and figure out what fits. Then do that and adjust as needed. When all is said and done, it's just finding your groove, and every new endeavor entails a certain amount of that. : )

 

[lwaxana]

So, like others have correctly stated above, outlines can vary from writer to writer.

If you want to write classically structured three-act fiction, Save the Cat is a terrific read. It's been a year since I've read it so I should probably dive back in. : )

Anyway, I can tell you what I do. A lot of it relates to Why You Read.

For instance, I just gave one of my most trusted beta friends a rather scathing critique. (One of the many things I love about her is that she always sucks it up without tears or complaint. We show each other no mercy because we care--we genuinely want to push each other to write better books.)

The remark went something like this: I read to escape. I don't mind if times get hard, but there has to be a reason to go to your world. However, I find myself avoiding your book. Your world is bleak, and I don't want to go there. Can you come up with an emotional payoff for the reader, something they might like about your world?

So that's an early part of my outline--What's the Point? Really, why should anyone read this book? This is actually super-important, I think. If a book doesn't pass the so what test, its chances are bleak.

Tolkien famously did this through setting, although that's not always possible. If it's a world I'm creating, sure, I can pick something and make it gorgeous. That's actually fun.

But the best thing I ever wrote was set in the trenches of WWI, and that was a place utterly devoid of physical beauty. And there's only so much a person can do with setting, anyway. Even JRRT didn't make the scenery carry all the weight.

So besides setting, one of the early things I consider is character. Who are my characters and how will they grow? How can I make their personal growth attractive and relatable to my readers? And do ALL my characters have a growth arc? Unless they're a villain, I try to get everyone to grow, at least a little. The protag needs to grow/learn a LOT.

(Side note--that's because I write hero stories. If you write characters who are "finished"--think James Bond--you can skip this part. But realize that you are skipping it. Don't write a Mary Sue--a perfect but boring character--by accident.)

Then I go through three-act turning points. Intro, inciting incident, point of no return, first pinch point, midpoint, second pinch, dark night of the soul, finale, conclusion. I make sure I know the major things that are going to happen plot-wise before I sit down to write because this is the bit where I'm a hybrid author.

My story may wander around some, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. I may be right in the middle and realize that what I really need is a little comic relief. That happened in Bellerophon. I still hit the same points, I just ended up adding something that wasn't in the outline. Having the structure defined ahead of time helps me write a scene that doesn't just get cut afterward.

All my major world building is done before drafting, so any changes there as I write tend to be minor.

I have some articles on my blog on three-act structure, if you want to check out the idea before paying for a book: https://cathleentownsend.com/writing/.

Another resource that actually has a Name attached to it is Brandon Sanderson's series of videos on YouTube:

. That one starts you out on plotting, but almost all his lectures are worth watching at least once.

Also, don't think that if my process doesn't work for you that you have to be a total pantser--aka discovery writer. I've paid for a course where I was told that I had to have all my scenes outlined ahead of time and laid out on color-coded index cards.

Once the story is pinned down that much, I wouldn't even want to write it anymore.

So, take advice, but find a way to still "do you." First, do a bunch of research and figure out what fits. Then do that and adjust as needed. When all is said and done, it's just finding your groove, and every new endeavor entails a certain amount of that. : )

Thank you for your reply CathleenT.

 

[MaeZe]

I'm a pantser so when I get ahead of the story I sometimes pants an outline segment to keep the ideas in my head.

If you used my method, you'd put the outline down starting with the basics of the story then fill it in and rearrange it as needed before you start writing. There's no need (IMO of course) to have a perfect outline before starting a project.

Probably not the most helpful post but it works for me.

 

[AW Admin]

An outline is, at its heart, a list with fancy formatting.

How detailed the list, and how fancy the formatting, is up to you. Every writer is a little different, and sometimes, it can be different for the same writer working on different books; there's no "one true way."

Some writers outline each scene. Some writers use index cards, writing down basic ideas for scenes, the characters involved, etc. and then move them to put them in the order that they want to use.

Elizabeth George in her book Write Away has one of the best, most practical discussions I've seen regarding how she outlines. It's available as an ebook, and very often libraries have it.

In the FAQ stickies for BWQ are two stickies where two different ways of using software for outlining are discussed.

FAQ: Using A Spreadsheet for Outlining and Brainstorming​

FAQ: Using Microsoft's OneNote for Outlining and Note Taking​

 

[lwaxana]

I'm a pantser so when I get ahead of the story I sometimes pants an outline segment to keep the ideas in my head.

If you used my method, you'd put the outline down starting with the basics of the story then fill it in and rearrange it as needed before you start writing. There's no need (IMO of course) to have a perfect outline before starting a project.

Probably not the most helpful post but it works for me.

Thank you MaeZe for your reply.

 

[lwaxana]

An outline is, at its heart, a list with fancy formatting.

How detailed the list, and how fancy the formatting, is up to you. Every writer is a little different, and sometimes, it can be different for the same writer working on different books; there's no "one true way."

Some writers outline each scene. Some writers use index cards, writing down basic ideas for scenes, the characters involved, etc. and then move them to put them in the order that they want to use.

Elizabeth George in her book Write Away has one of the best, most practical discussions I've seen regarding how she outlines. It's available as an ebook, and very often libraries have it.

In the FAQ stickies for BWQ are two stickies where two different ways of using software for outlining are discussed.

FAQ: Using A Spreadsheet for Outlining and Brainstorming​

FAQ: Using Microsoft's OneNote for Outlining and Note Taking​

Thank you AW Admin for your reply.

 

[TheKingsWit]

Outlining is, as has been said, a very personal thing. I've used drastically different outlining methods for every book I've written thus far, so definitely play around a little bit and try out different approaches until you find the one that feels right for you. Bullet point lists, Save the Cat Beat sheets, outline a scene write a scene outline the next scene, Index scene cards, Write the query first, Worldbuilding documents, crazy brainstorming notebooks, I've used them all (often several for the same book) and more, and each has its own benefits.

The only constant for me is that I work in iterations, changing and adding detail to the outline over time until I'm happy with it. Outlines are a great place to try out new things and make changes, so don't be afraid to test out significant differences from the original idea, you never know what you'll stumble upon. Indeed, I'll often just start a new outline instead of making changes to an old one to (mentally) make it easier to make changes, even if much of it stays the same.

One thing I would recommend for someone just starting out is looking at story structure. Not all books have the same structure, but classic story structures/beat sheets can be a great tool for helping you get started, and for diagnosing issues if you feel like something is missing or your pacing is off. The more detailed version of the three-act structure is a good starting place, as is Save the Cat, which I see has already been recommended. Simply studying a few books in the same genre can also be very helpful.

 

[lwaxana]

Outlining is, as has been said, a very personal thing. I've used drastically different outlining methods for every book I've written thus far, so definitely play around a little bit and try out different approaches until you find the one that feels right for you. Bullet point lists, Save the Cat Beat sheets, outline a scene write a scene outline the next scene, Index scene cards, Write the query first, Worldbuilding documents, crazy brainstorming notebooks, I've used them all (often several for the same book) and more, and each has its own benefits.

The only constant for me is that I work in iterations, changing and adding detail to the outline over time until I'm happy with it. Outlines are a great place to try out new things and make changes, so don't be afraid to test out significant differences from the original idea, you never know what you'll stumble upon. Indeed, I'll often just start a new outline instead of making changes to an old one to (mentally) make it easier to make changes, even if much of it stays the same.

One thing I would recommend for someone just starting out is looking at story structure. Not all books have the same structure, but classic story structures/beat sheets can be a great tool for helping you get started, and for diagnosing issues if you feel like something is missing or your pacing is off. The more detailed version of the three-act structure is a good starting place, as is Save the Cat, which I see has already been recommended. Simply studying a few books in the same genre can also be very helpful.

Thank you TheKingsWit for your reply.

 

[bearilou]

The first few attempts at writing, my story sucked.

Not my story story. The way the story went together. I didn't have a firm grasp of story structure.

And I'm not one of those kinds of readers who can read 'good' books (and don't get me started on that, I have a huge rant on it) and sort of intuit or absorb by osmosis story structure. I have to see it in action at the barebones level first. Then I can get on to practicing the theory.

Anyway. I took about 6 months and gathered every possible variation on outlines and outline templates I could find. I stuck them in an excel spreadsheet. Then, I went through each one, comparing and contrasting with the best known idea of what a story structure looked like, from a meta level. Broke each template down until I could see how the story was supposed to pull together using those skeletal elements.

My next book was much better than my previous attempts. And, of course, the more I write, the better I get.

All of that longwindedness to say what my outline process looks like.

Bullet points.

I live and die by bullet points. Bullet points are short and succinct, a tiny space to place the most important events of a story.

I make a whole list of things I want to happen in my story, bullet point list. Every event that I think needs to happen is put on my bullet point list.

Then, I arrange it such that it fits what we know as the three act structure in that I have a beginning, inciting incident, midpoint, dark night of the soul, climax, end.

So as I read down the list, I see the point of no return, the escalation of events (try/fail cycles) to the midpoint where the character finally goes from reactive to active, the climb to the climax and the try/success event, wrap it up and send everyone home. Every step on that list has to be contributing to getting to the end of the story.

After I've made my list and it carries the action along until the big event at the end, I know I have a credible idea of where my story is going.

From there, I am now able to break it up into smaller events, the connective tissue that gets the characters from one event to the next with one liners so I know what has to happen. Slot any critical information that needs to be revealed during the course of the story....

...and that's my outline. I start writing.

 

[lwaxana]

The first few attempts at writing, my story sucked.

Not my story story. The way the story went together. I didn't have a firm grasp of story structure.

And I'm not one of those kinds of readers who can read 'good' books (and don't get me started on that, I have a huge rant on it) and sort of intuit or absorb by osmosis story structure. I have to see it in action at the barebones level first. Then I can get on to practicing the theory.

Anyway. I took about 6 months and gathered every possible variation on outlines and outline templates I could find. I stuck them in an excel spreadsheet. Then, I went through each one, comparing and contrasting with the best known idea of what a story structure looked like, from a meta level. Broke each template down until I could see how the story was supposed to pull together using those skeletal elements.

My next book was much better than my previous attempts. And, of course, the more I write, the better I get.

All of that longwindedness to say what my outline process looks like.

Bullet points.

I live and die by bullet points. Bullet points are short and succinct, a tiny space to place the most important events of a story.

I make a whole list of things I want to happen in my story, bullet point list. Every event that I think needs to happen is put on my bullet point list.

Then, I arrange it such that it fits what we know as the three act structure in that I have a beginning, inciting incident, midpoint, dark night of the soul, climax, end.

So as I read down the list, I see the point of no return, the escalation of events (try/fail cycles) to the midpoint where the character finally goes from reactive to active, the climb to the climax and the try/success event, wrap it up and send everyone home. Every step on that list has to be contributing to getting to the end of the story.

After I've made my list and it carries the action along until the big event at the end, I know I have a credible idea of where my story is going.

From there, I am now able to break it up into smaller events, the connective tissue that gets the characters from one event to the next with one liners so I know what has to happen. Slot any critical information that needs to be revealed during the course of the story....

...and that's my outline. I start writing.

Thank you bearilou for your reply.