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Writing Tips: How To Plot And Outline Your Novel

April 2, 2020 by Creative Guest 3 Comments

Are you struggling to discover where to go next with your book? Author and editor Christina Kaye shares her tips for plotting and outlining that will help you get your words onto the page.

It’s the age-old question authors ask one another when discussing the methods to our writing madness: Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Ask a group of authors, and you’re bound to get a split vote. But what’s the difference?

Pantsers – people who prefer to open a blank document and start typing with nothing more than a general idea in mind beforehand. They typically don’t plot out their novel before they begin writing, and they just “go with the flow,” letting the story and characters develop naturally.

[Note from Joanna: I prefer the term ‘discovery writer,' and I am certainly one of those!]

Plotters – people who prefer to use outlines and other tools to determine the story arc, setting, characters, and even subplots before they even sit down to write. There are varying degrees of plotters, as some make simple notes ahead of time while others will write a complete story outline before they type the first sentence.

But how could anyone be a plotter? Aren’t most writers right-brainers? Is it even possible to create something organically AND plan your book in advance at the same time?

Impossible, right? Not necessarily.

Plotting doesn’t mean you have to type out your entire plot, chapter by chapter (though, it’s a possibility – more on outlines later). We’re simply talking about plotting out your novel to avoid major issues you might not even know you have until you’ve typed THE END, and an agent, publisher, or editor points them out.

So what do we mean by plotting, then?

Plotting, when you boil it down, refers to getting all your ducks in a row before you begin writing your novel. It’s the process of predetermining your characters (and fully developing then ahead of time), your setting (and mapping it out before you start), and plot/subplots (and deciding your story arc in advance).

During author coaching (where writers hire us to work with them as they write their manuscript), we recommend authors start big and work their way inward. The very first and most crucial step in the plotting process is to determine what you want to happen during the three major acts of your novel. What are we referring to?

The 3 Act Method

This is a method of structuring a novel into three distinct acts (essentially, a beginning, middle, and end). There are different variations of this method, and of course, it's only one way of working out your story.

In some, all three acts are divided equally into exact thirds. In others, Act 2 encompasses the biggest (middle) section of the book, while Acts 1 and 3 act as bookends (for lack of a better term).

Regardless of how you choose to split yours up, the concept is essentially the same across the board. There are certain aspects included in each act, and by following this simple method, an author can ensure they are covering all the crucial bases.

Let’s break it down, act by act.

We recommend starting a new document in whatever word processing software you feel most at ease with and type out Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3. Then, under each heading, make a list of the following plot points to cover within each:

Act 1 – Welcome to the Protagonist’s World

Introduction – we meet the protagonist and her life as she knew it before the conflict arises
Example – Gone Girl, Nick
Setting – set the stage and tell the reader all about the protagonist’s surroundings and everyday life
Motivation – tell us what makes the protagonist get out of bed each day, what drives them
Inciting incident – the catalyst that sets the protagonist’s adventure in motion and pushes them to action
Call to adventure – the protagonist is compelled (internally or externally) to take action in some way
Decisive action – protagonist makes the decision on her chosen route toward the resolution

Act 2 – Introducing…the Conflict!

New world – protagonist sets out on a (literal or figurative) journey to a “new world”
Breaktime – allow the protagonist to get a break from the conflict, enjoy their new surroundings
Midpoint – this will dramatically change the protagonist (usually when we meet antagonist)
Consequences – the immediate fallout/reaction to the protagonist’s choice/change/decision
And…Action – protagonist must take action to resolve the problem presented at the midpoint
Roadblock – things don’t go according to plan, consequences for protagonist ensue
Perseverance – the protagonist decides to push through to the end, consequences be damned

Act 3 – Finally, We Have Resolution

Trials – protagonist faces difficult situations (trials) never experienced before now
Twist/Pinch – something unexpected happens that makes things worse, protagonist’s darkest moment
The Ultimate Battle – protagonist and antagonist face off for a final battle where winner takes all
The Winner Is… – battle is over, protagonist triumphs, antagonist is defeated, conflict is overcome
Resolution – show us the protagonist’s reaction to the ultimate battle and its outcome

Once you’ve jotted down (or typed out) your notes on each point of each act, this is where the fun begins.

This is where you can decide whether to pants it and start writing your story or to continue plotting by creating a more detailed, chapter-by-chapter outline first, then writing your story.

Subplots

It’s not enough to have your “main” plot planned out. When we say “main” plot, we’re referring to the direct journey your protagonist will travel from the beginning of the book until the end.

For example, think about the book (and blockbuster movie) The Notebook. The main plot is that Ally and Noah fall in love at a young age, they struggle with the pressures society puts on the different classes they were raised in, and (spoiler alert) they find their way back to each other, despite the odds.

However, there were subplots throughout the story that added complexity and tension that your story-at-hand may be lacking. In The Notebook, Ally’s subplot is her relationship with her parents and her fiancé Lon, whom she’s about to marry, even though she still loves Noah.

And Noah’s subplot involves his father and the house he wants to build for Ally, despite financial setbacks and his tour in the war. Think about how these “smaller” storylines not only made the story complex, but they wove together with the main plot to add tension and dynamics which might not have been there otherwise.

When trying to determine your subplot(s), think about what your protagonist (and even antagonist) can be dealing with in their “normal” life to make their journey more complex. Once you have a few ideas jotted down, try to find ways to interweave those subplots into the main plot. It won’t work if they don’t all connect and serve a purpose.

Now that you have all your main ideas and subplots planned out, it’s time to either begin writing (pantsers) or to write your detailed outline (plotters).

Let’s assume you want to write a chapter by chapter outline. Here’s how we recommend writing an effective, detailed outline.

Outlining

Outlining can come in handy if the author is worried about plot holes, timeline inconsistencies, or failing to deliver on promises. If you choose to create a chapter outline first, we recommend spreadsheets. Spreadsheets were created by angels, in our opinions.

Column 1 – Chapter number
Column 2 – Events that transpire in that chapter (in one brief sentence)
And so on…

It’s that easy. Start with chapter one. In the second column, type out a short sentence of what you envision happening in your opening chapter.

What is the protagonist doing when we meet her? Do this row by row, chapter by chapter, constantly referring to your Three-Act Outline and ensuring you’re covering all the crucial points along the way.

If you get stuck…stop. You can always come back to your outline later as the story further develops in that wonderfully talented brain of yours.

What now?

When you’ve gotten as far as you can in your outline…when you’ve finished your outline…or even if you decided not to outline, here are some key issues you want to try to address as you write, which will keep your pacing tight, your story flowing smoothly, and your structure in-tact, all while creating amazing characters in an unforgettable setting doing amazingly unique things.

Sounds a bit overwhelming, doesn’t it? Don’t get stressed. You can do this. Just make sure you cover all the following bases as you write:

Chapter Length

There is no hard and fast rule on chapter length, though fantasy writers tend to get away with longer chapters than other genre writers can. As a general rule of thumb, the shorter the chapter, the faster the story will seem to move along to the reader.

Think about it from their point of view…if you’re reading a book, and the chapters are 15, 20, even 30 pages long…don’t you tend to find yourself flipping to see how many pages are left until the chapter ends? Odds are, if you’re writing extremely long chapters (well over 10 pages), you risk losing the readers’ attention. This is to be avoided at all costs.

We advise our clients to keep chapters only as long as they need to be for the scene to be complete, concise, and get your message through to the reader. Anything more, and your pacing will suffer.

Sentence Structure/Cadence

This one’s a bit harder to explain, but essentially, sentences that are too long, too wordy, and have too much crammed in there, will slow the pacing of your story significantly.

If your sentences tend to be in the run-on department, you risk readers skimming to shorter, more succinct sentences to find out what in the heck you’re trying to say in the first place. One rule of thumb is the “30-word-sentence” rule. No, it’s not hard and fast, but it’s a good way to measure your sentences, if you aren’t sure if it’s too long or not.

Much more than 30 words and odds are, you’re rambling. You may be trying too hard at that point. Without getting to technical, the only real requirements of a complete sentence is a main clause with an independent subject and a verb to complete the thought.

Word Choice

When writing your dialogue, and especially in your narrative, fight the urge to over-describe people, places, and things. Avoid describing every aspect of everything your characters encounter in the story. There is no one waiting at the end of your manuscript to hand you an award for the number of “big” words you use, the way you describe every detail, or how many unique adjectives and adverbs you can come up with.

Just remember…readers don’t read books to be impressed with your ability to use five-dollar-words or “flowery” language. They don’t care that you have an impressive vocabulary that rivals Ralph Waldo Emerson himself. They simply want to be transported into your story and to step out of their own worlds, if only for a few moments.

We hope these tools will help you structure your novel and plot your story in a way that you feel more confident about your book. But if we could offer one final piece of advice, it’s this. Read, research, and practice.

It’s not enough to have a great plot structure. You also need well-developed characters, a perfect, well-defined setting, and a three-dimensional supporting cast. Also, there are so many “rules” to writing fiction properly, and who can keep track of them all?

First, read every book you can get your hands on in your chosen genre. See how the masters do it.

How did they structure their book? What tools did they use to create characters you’ll never forget? Stephen King said it best when he said, “Can I be blunt on this subject? If you don't have time to read, you don't have the time (or the tools) to write. Simple as that.” So…read all you can.

Second, there are unlimited resources out there for authors seeking help while writing their novels. Most notably, The Creative Penn has articles, podcasts, and books galore that touch on every subject you can think of and every question you could conceivably have about the art of writing. So tap into those resources.

[More tips on How to Write your Novel here!]

Learn all you can. Reach out to people who have found success already (published authors, editors, etc.) and ask them questions if you can’t find the answers you seek. Be a sponge and absorb all the information you can to help you write your best story.

Third, practice makes perfect. It’s true. Nothing will help you hone your craft better than writing, writing, and writing some more. Find out what works and what doesn’t.

If your first book never finds success, don’t give up! Keep writing. You will get better with each book.

It’s like any other art form. You must practice to sharpen your skills. If you were a piano player, you wouldn’t just play the instrument once a month, would you? So treat your craft the same. Practice regularly. Write something. And keep writing. Never give up.

Do you have any favorite strategies or techniques you use when you're outlining and plotting a novel? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

Christina Kaye is an award-winning suspense author and the co-owner/editor of Top Shelf Editing, an elite editing service created for authors by authors.

And if you want to join a negativity-free, promo-free authors’ group where you can share and receive tons of industry insider tips, tricks, and advice, join our Facebook group, Creative Authors Network.

Listen to Christina's podcast, Write Your Best Book, every Friday to learn helpful advice from industry pros on writing, editing, publishing, and marketing your books – available wherever you listen to podcasts.

Writing Tips: How To Craft A Compelling Scene

March 27, 2020 by Creative Guest Leave a Comment

As author and writing mentor Rosie O'Neill shares, scenes are the DNA of stories. When we understand how to craft a compelling scene we take huge steps toward writing a page-turning book. Here are tips on how to do just that.

Scenes really are the building blocks of any novel, a pocket of story that frames your characters and plot in a defined time and place.

Making sure these building blocks are working hard for your manuscript helps to develop a finished project that's really captivating and compelling – and crucially, not carrying any extra weight or unnecessary words.

These are things I usually dig into as I'm revising or editing, but if you're a writer who outlines extensively, it can also be a great way to plan a really secure first draft.

1. Is your scene doing enough?

Your first point of call is to assess why the scene is there in the first place. What's it doing in the wider landscape of your novel, and is it doing enough to stay in there as you revise?

Writing Tips: 6 Secrets To Becoming A More Productive Writer

March 25, 2020 by Creative Guest 3 Comments

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. What we do with that time makes the difference between getting our words onto the page…and not. Freelance writer Tiffany Joy shares six tips for making the most of whatever time you have set aside for your writing.

[Note from Joanna: This article has been scheduled in advance for a while, but in current circumstances, it might help make the most of your time sheltering in place/in lockdown/quarantine. It's tough to concentrate right now, but let's try to make the most of it.]

Good news: You’re about to increase your writing productivity.

If you’re like me, you’d be writing and doing at least three other different things. Doing the laundry, thinking about what to eat for lunch, and scrolling through your Facebook newsfeed. The list goes on.

And for this reason, I’d like to share with you an important topic. It’s about productivity.

As professional writers, we ought to pay more attention to how we’re spending our time. Because if we spend our time poorly, we’re likely to end up not getting any work done. Plain and simple.

If we can write as fast as we can, wonderful things happen. We’ll be able to train ourselves to get the best words out of our heads and onto paper in less time. The earlier we finish, the sooner we can proofread and edit our book.

Most importantly, being productive transforms us as persons. We learn the value of doing our best to reach our goals.

Within four years of writing for a living, I’ve learned these six secrets to managing my time with efficiency:

Writing Confidently In A Genre With Perceived Stigma

March 11, 2020 by Creative Guest 1 Comment

We live in a judgmental world and fear of judgment is certainly something I come up against in my own writing. In today's article, Sagan Morrow discusses the issues — and opportunities — when writing in genres with perceived stigma.

If you’re a reader of romance novels, how often do you read those books in public? Does that depend on what the cover looks like? And if you do choose to read that romance novel in public, do you find yourself angling the book so no one sitting beside you happens to look over your shoulder and read the steamy bits?

Even admitting to reading romance novels is something many readers feel embarrassed to say out loud… let alone flaunting those books in a public space.

I’m a romance author (and reader), and I’m proud of it.

Writing Tips: Hooking Readers With Characters They Care About

March 4, 2020 by Creative Guest 4 Comments

Your protagonist is the reader's doorway into your story. As author Florence Osmund shares, if you get readers to care about that character, they'll stick around until the last page to see what happens.

There is no shortage of articles and books that have been written about how to develop the main character (protagonist) of your novel—how to make him or her believable, authentic, unique, interesting, motivated, dynamic, vulnerable, dimensional, and flawed.

These are all good characteristics to keep in mind, but if the reader doesn’t care about the protagonist, the story will likely be doomed.

In my mind, caring for the character means that if they were a real person, you would jump to their aid if they needed it. For readers to become engaged in the story—whether it’s emotionally or intellectually—they must care about the main character, his or her journey, and the outcome.

Good storytelling is key to developing a deep interaction between the narrator and reader, taking the reader as close into the story and its characters as possible. One could argue that characters are the foundation for the whole story—the vehicle through whom your reader experiences the journey.

Making characters feel real to the reader is extremely important—without believable characters, readers won’t have someone in the story to like, dislike, or care about in any way, making the other elements of the story irrelevant. An effective narrator/reader connection makes a story come to life, and it can be accomplished with a protagonist that readers care about.

So how does one go about creating a cherishable main character, one that readers care about? Consider the following strategies:

Injustice

It’s human nature for us to care about a person who has been treated unjustly, even if that person is somewhat at fault. Unjustly treated people go through a variety of appreciative feelings—frustration, confusion, helplessness, isolation, anger (maybe even rage), hopelessness, and jealousy of those who aren’t having to go through a similar experience.

They may also undergo physical illnesses, emotional unrest, mental breakdowns, and behavioral disorders. And they are susceptible to feeling threatened, even when the threat isn’t real. When a character’s feelings and actions become out of control, readers will care about them and root for them to recover.

Example: Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature and involves many innocent characters who are victims of injustice and treated unfairly in society due to racial or prejudicial attitudes.

Kali fights the Hydra. Damien Hirst. Photo by JFPenn

Adversity

When a character faces danger, grief, or some other adversity, they often reveal a vulnerability that can tug at a reader’s heartstrings. As the character heads toward an abyss of despair, readers can get lost in the story, imagine the way out for the character, and have faith that the character will see a similar escape route.

But if the character misses an opportunity to flee from the adversity, readers may actually feel the wounded character’s pain and wish they could reach out and help them get in control of the situation.

Example: The protagonist Theo in Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch comes of age despite multiple circumstances of danger, grief and despair, learning valuable lessons from the adversity he faces throughout his life.

Caring for Others

In real life, troubled people often redirect their feelings, emotions, and actions to helping someone else. Similarly in fiction, if the protagonist still cares for others while faced with his or her own inner struggles and other challenges, readers will have even more empathy for them.

Characters who try to make a positive difference in someone else’s life while facing his or her own battles has the inspirative potential for making a reader care about them.

Example: Take Me with You by Catherine Ryan Hyde tells the story of a burned-out teacher who plans a trip to Yellowstone with the ashes of his 19-year-old son and meets up with two half-orphans with nowhere else to go.

Conflict, Crisis, Drama, and Tension

Readers care about a protagonist who is faced with conflict, crisis, drama, and tension. If done properly, these antagonistic situations define the character, set them in motion, force them to make choices and act in ways that reveal things about themselves, especially when it has been brought on through no fault of their own.

Since the central focus of most novels is about how protagonists overcome conflict to achieve their goals, readers care about them as they struggle through it. And then in the end, when the protagonist overcomes all the obstacles, readers can feel the satisfaction right along with the character, reinforcing why they cared for them in the first place.

Example: The story of youth against societal tyranny, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is the epitome of modern stories concerning conflict, crises, drama, and tension.

Moral Compass

When an otherwise good person temporarily loses his or her moral compass—when their sense for what is right and what is wrong has been impaired in some way—our hearts naturally go out to them. We desperately want to give them a big hug or, depending on the situation and/or the reader, grab them by the shoulders and shake some sense into them.

In either case, we care about the character in such a way that we want them to realize the error in their ways and then go in a direction that gives them back their dignity, integrity, and/or well-being.

Example: A woman traveling by train with two young nieces and a nephew attempts to entertain the children by telling them a delightful story about a little girl and her high morals in The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult, only to be upstaged by another passenger who tells them a different story—one that didn’t have a happy ending—about a little girl with similar morals.

The Underdog

There’s something intrinsically human about stories concerning underdogs—it's natural for people to want to root for someone who doesn’t get noticed and has little chance of winning at whatever it is they do. Most of us have either been there ourselves or know someone who has, so it’s easy to have empathy for them.

When readers see protagonists constantly struggle in their endeavors, they will be sympathetic, wish better for them, and then cheer them on when they are finally victorious.

Example: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, a dystopian novel that takes place in the year 2044, features underdog teenager Wade Watts who uses a virtual reality video game to escape from the many global, economic, and social problems surrounding him and his family.

Addictions

Many of us know the perils of living with someone with an addiction and all the related challenges that are involved. When there is an additive person in our midst, the reason we go to such lengths to maintain a safe and harmonious environment for everyone involved is because we care so much about the afflicted person.

Protagonists who have addictions cause similar problems for themselves and those around them—anxiety, stress, depression, guilt, anger, embarrassment, financial woes, and the risk of physical and security dangers—things many readers can relate to and care about.

And then, if/when the protagonist overcomes his or her addiction and brings an end to everyone’s suffering, readers will care even more.

Example: It all started when Alice was served a soft drink laced with LSD and ended with her on a downward spiral hopelessly hooked on drugs in the book Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks.

Mistakes

Readers can relate to and feel empathy for those who make mistakes, especially ones that are similar to those they have made themselves.

So when readers see a protagonist make a consequential mistake, they will likely feel bad for them and inherently will want the character to recognize the mistake, own it, learn from it, and then move on.

Example: Jared Diamond’s story Collapse embodies mistakes made by government, society, and individuals that cause environmental damage, climate change, globalization, and rapid population growth.

Maya Angelou once said, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

This is as true in crafting fictional stories as it is in life. Your protagonist can make or break a story, and crafting a character the reader will care about in one way or another has the potential of being a great one.

Do you give thought to how your protagonist(s) make your readers feel? Please leave your thoughts below and join the conversation.

After a long career in the corporate world, Florence Osmund retired to write novels. “I strive to write literary fiction and endeavor to craft stories that challenge readers to survey their own beliefs and values,” Osmund states. In the seven titles she has published to date, she has covered everything from troublesome family sagas, ethnicity, identity crises, social divides, abandonment, difficult coming of age, and hidden truths.

Florence’s website offers substantial advice for new and aspiring writers including how to begin the project, writing techniques, building an author platform, book promotion, and more. Osmund lives on a small, tranquil lake in northern Illinois where she continues to write.