Outlining Series Lesson One: The Importance of Plotting
Exercise:
Outlining helps you, as a writer, understand how a story is structured and helps you create a path from the beginning, through the middle and to the end. That doesn’t mean you have to start from the first though, not at all! Often we are triggered by a scene or a character that has nothing to do with how the book begins.
Below is the sheet I use to structure my novels. Feel free to create your own. I usually begin by plugging in the information I already know and working from there. Don’t worry if some of the headers don’t make sense yet—we’ll be talking about those as we go.
You can play with this yourself or wait for next month’s lesson: Understanding Three Act Structure.
Get Your Book Done Worksheet
Title:
Logline:
Characters:
Conflicts:
Act One:
Inciting Incident:
Act Two:
Inciting Incident:
Act Three:
That’s me for now. Have fun and happy writing!
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Oops, I tend to wing it all the way through – then check 'facts' afterwards. I can't help it if the characters lead the way!
Julie, I totally understand some people just need to pantz! Happy writing :)
Sometimes plot dare not speak its own name, going incognito as "structure" or "planning". Stephen King, in On Writing, calls it "the good writer's last resort and the dullard's first choice". Ouch! For him, plotting is incompatible with the spontaneity of creation.
Yet a good plot is exactly what draws me to a novel in the first place. And keeps me there. Without it, no amount of sizzling dialogue or exquisite description or beautiful language is enough
Claudia, I adore SK, and love On Writing–but when I try to pantz I lose focus. For me, outlining IS spontaneous–I think of it in terms of creative choice. And yes, 100%, a good plot matched with characters you can become emotionally attached two make for excellent reads. The best part? We all have our own methods–I'm just happy to share what works so very well for me. :)
Ooooh, I love how you outline this as if it's a play! I've always had trouble with the concept of outlines in fiction, maybe from doing it so many times with science stuff, but I can relate to the play approach!
Zantippy, I have a background in journalism as well as screenwriting and prose… and all three have just seem to come together to create this amazing process I find works very well for me. Every story has three phases–as I'll get into next month! And if that one tip helped you–awesome :)
it's not for the faint of heart, but Fiction Framework has a handful of great novel outlining templates. Not free, but they're easy to print and easy to use. The storyboard is my favorite — ensures I don't have any saggy parts in my story!
fictionframework.com
Patti Larsen is a renown famous writer for fiction books also having a great hand in writing for paranormal and adult issues.