How to Outline a Novel!
Here’s the inside, pro scoop: there’s no one (or right) way to outline a novel. Each writer will do it differently, and I’ve used a few different methods myself. You’ll find what works best for you as a novelist (or whatever kind of writing you do). And that might take a lot of trial and error. That’s how you learn.
However, if you are in the middle of a project and stuck, or not even sure where to begin, it can be stress inducing to learn that even seasoned writers can’t agree on the same outlining method. Writing is an art, not a science. It’s messy and hard. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t outline, though. Here’s why:
Just like a synopsis, an outline is a tool you can use to be a little more organized as a writer. Sure, you might write whole chapters just to throw them out later (which is every bit as painful as it sounds). You may even throw away a whole draft and begin again. But having an outline showing where you are going and how you are planning to get there can make the ride a little less bumpy. Just hold those plans loosely because off-roading is to be expected.
At some point, all of my books have looked like the picture above (though usually not as neat). This is Already Almost Home, and here I was planning the interior design.
When outlining a novel, I write out every scene I can think of. I generally have a point A and point B in mind, and the middle-to-ending is the hardest part of each novel for me. I write each scene (a word or phrase that I can remember) on a different sticky note. I like sticky notes because I can move them around easily. Maybe you don’t have a wall you can devote to the sticky-note outlining method. I’ve found it handy to use a posterboard, and then roll it up when I’m done or need to use our space for something else.
This process helps me get to a bullet style outline. I’ve found that I think (and write) in about 250 word snippets. So, if I know a certain piece will be, say, 30,000 words, I need about 120 snippets to make that happen. While I can typically write 1500 words an hour, I have two toddlers and I might not get an hour to write. So writing very small snippets and weaving them together allows me to write when I have time and still work on a longer fiction project. After I write all the scenes on sticky notes, I group them into chapters and transfer that information onto either a notebook or google doc outline. It looks something like this:
Chapter One (1,500 words):
Dream scene
Jess wakes up
Jess writes
Michael wakes up
Jess and Michael enjoy a cup of coffee
Michael makes breakfast
or
Market trends (625 words):
Phone call
New client
Google
I type this bullet list into a Google Doc, which is what I use for writing and formatting. Then I open a second document in what I think will be the final size of my finished book and begin breaking the chapters up. For THE ONE, I planned on having ten chapters, so I formatted that, and then transferred over the list of snippets for each chapter. At this point in the process, I write out a paragraph or so describing the chapter, and the snippets. Then, I’ll write out each snippet. I work one chapter at a time, but not necessarily in order. Soon, I’ll have enough words strung together to create a manuscript. Then, the real work of writing begins: revisions.
At that point, I print it out on regular paper and read through the whole document, preferably in one sitting. This gives me a sense of what developmentally needs work. Are there any gaping plot holes? Did I change a characters name, or some other important details, halfway through? Are there any points that need more clarification? I’ll write down my notes as I go. Then, I make one more pass. Here, I look at one chapter at a time. What was my word count goal, and how many words do I need to add to get there? This helps me to plan out my work load when I have time to revise. I would consider my first draft of a novel an outline, as I just write everything that has to happen. No matter what my final POV is, I usually write my first draft in Third Person. My first draft of THE ONE was around 10,000 words, and my final book is close to 20,000. So, I have several stages of “outline” before I would consider my project a manuscript.
Hopefully, you outline your novel before you begin. But maybe, you’re like me and you get halfway through and realize you need an outline. Don’t fret, you can salvage your plot and your sanity by taking a big step back and asking where in the world is this book going? Okay, how do I get there in a few big steps? It’s like goal setting. Have a goal in mind. Create steps to get there. Break those steps into actionable items or bite-sized pieces. Whether you are just setting off or you’ve been blown severely off-course the process is very similar. I didn’t outline when I first started writing. But now I’ve got a few projects under my belt and a few in the works, and I’ve found that the more robust my outline, the better my finished manuscript is.