Structuring Your Writing

This article is not a debate on whether or not you should outline your novel.

 I have already stated my stance on the Plotters vs. Pantsers debate and I stand on both teams.

This article is to help those that want help creating an outline for their novel that will help them develop a story that is well-structured (stop cringing Pantsers structure isn't a bad thing) and will help your story flow seamlessly from start to finish. With the added benefit of cutting down some of the editing time that awaits you after the finish line.  

But to get to the finish line, let's first build you a roadmap to get there. 

Understand the Purpose of an Outline

Why do you need an outline? 

Think of an outline as a blueprint for your story that will keep your story focused on the big picture. It won't write your story for you, but it will act as a guide to keep you on track. It keeps your characters from going throughout the entire alphabet when you only need them to get from A to B. Outlines give you a look at the big picture so that you can identify any gaps or inconsistencies in your story before you begin writing it. 

Outlines can be as simple or as complex as you need them to be from filling out a notebook with important details to include to plastering your walls with sticky notes, but for this example, we're going to use a few sheets of paper from any notebook you have laying around. 

Identify Your Main Points or Plot Elements

Take that first sheet of paper and write out what it is you know about your story, character's names, setting, and anything else you can think of that you know you want to include jot it down on as many pieces of paper as you need. This doesn't have to be super detailed, it's mostly so you don't forget it. 

What is happening in your story? What is it that your character wants and what is it that is standing in their way? 

Write down the main point of your novel from key ideas, plot points, and incidents you know you need to include in your story. 

i.e. Maria wants to open a bakery, but she doesn't know how to make cake. 

Establish a Logical Order

Now that you know the main points of your story it's time to figure out what order that they happen in. You can do this in chronological order or cause and effect. 

Take the main points that you have from the first jotting page and write them down in the order they happen, either as headings on separate pages or bullet points leaving enough space in between to write more details in between. 

i.e. 

Maria's favorite bakery closes 

Maria decides to open a bakery 

Maria learns how to make cake 

Maria opens the bakery 

Develop Subpoints and Supporting Details

Under each main point in your outline write down the supporting details. This could be scenes that will happen to get to this point, or certain actions that characters will take that will get you from the current point to the next point in our outline. 

i.e.

Maria's favorite bakery closes

• Maria talks with her mom about the closure. 
• She tries going to a new bakery but hates it.

Maria decides to open a bakery

• Maria does the research to find out how to open a bakery 

Maria learns how to make cake

• Maria goes to baking class and develops a relationship with the teacher

Maria opens the bakery

• The bakery is a success and the baking teacher asks Maria to marry him

Use Clear and Consistent Formatting

As you create your outline make sure to keep it as straightforward as you need it to be. It will be easiest to do in an online document, but in a notebook just try to keep the coffee away from the pages. 

Highlight your main points and stick to the same formatting style throughout so that you don't have to go looking for information when you need it.

This is why I prefer notebooks, I keep it open to the left of my keyboard at the scene I am writing for that day so that when I need to know where I am going next all I have to do is glance down and not stop what I am writing to flip through the pages and fall out of the creative flow I was in. 

Remain Flexible and Open to Revision

Remember that you are not carving your outline in stone and that things can change. This initial guideline is just that a guide. If in the moment of writing, I feel that Maria wants to take a cooking class and falls in love with it more than she does baking and wants to open a restaurant instead then I change my outline to match, rewriting the main points from where I changed it and adding new supporting details below it on a new page. 

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Using an outline is one of the best free tools available to any writer that can be adapted and personalized to fit any need. 

Whether you are a Pantser or a Plotter investing the time to create an outline can mean a world of difference especially if you've never been able to cross the finish line before. 

Best of luck and get to outlining. 

With love,

B.K. xo xo

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