Outlining a Novel - Step By Step

Not every author outlines a novel. I use a brief synopsis to set up my storyline not broken into scenes and I build from there. I build my characterization, and I know the beginning and ending of my novel along with the black moment. Then as I begin to write in more detail, I outline the next scenes. But I’ve had to outline a whole novel for an occasional publisher, and so here is what I learned from that experience. But you might ask, if you don’t outline is in worthwhile? My answer is yes.

Value of Outlining
• It provides a roadmap that helps you envision where you will begin your journey and where you’re headed. When you take a trip, you have a beginning point and a destination, but the adventures that happen in the middle can prove to be anything—interesting detours, car repairs, getting lost. But knowing where you’re headed keeps you focused on the destination.
• It forces you to brainstorm. It causes you to develop characters, select a setting which includes era, location, time of year. It compels you to select a genre whether a thriller, suspense, romance, paranormal, women’s fiction or comedy.
• It gives you confidence because you’ve answered numerous questions, and once you have a direction, you will begin to expand the brainstorming to unique ideas you may not have contemplated for the journey if you had just “climbed in your car and turned on the key.”
• It allows you to use techniques like foreshadowing events, problems, or clues which provides a hook for the readers.
• It helps you remember all the threads that must be tied together by the end of the novel.

Problems With Outlining
• You could stifle your creativity if you let it. Don’t give so much detail that you stop thinking outside the box.
• You may fear taking detours that can expand the story and adding new complications and obstacles.
• You may become bored with the story because you’ve made all the discoveries you think you can make.
• You may provide too many details that can bog an outline. Think skeleton or bare bones leaving out all details and emotions

Pre-Development of An Outline
Before beginning the process, answer the following questions
• Who will be your main character with type person, etc.?
• What is this problem or goal? What is the most important possession or person or treasure to your character at this moment in time?
• What problems arise between the character and his/her goal or the solution to his/her problem?
• What is the setting? Historical/contemporary? Urban/rural? What is the genre? Romance? Women’s fiction? Suspense? Paranormal? Thriller? What are the key events that move the characters toward resolving the problem or reaching the goal?

Outlining
Break your novel into chapters first, writing the gist of what you want to accomplish in each chapter. Next break the chapters into scenes with only enough detail to provide you with “the next step on your journey.” As you write the chapter, you still have a multitude of opportunities for creativity in where and how this scene will take place, who will be in the scene, what will you foreshadow, what will be the mood.

If you have a story with two or three plots running at the same time, do a chapter by chapter for each of these plots. When you expand into scenes for the whole novel, use color to highlight to designate the various plots as you arrange them into chapters. Make sure you give a good balance between the major plots so that the reader doesn’t lose interest in the side plot or doesn’t become confused. Keep each plot line clear by opening with reference to the characters involved in that plot. Example: detective, criminal, kidnapped child’s family.

For an excellent detailed example of an outline, visit Paperback Writer blog at:
http://pbackwriter.blogspot.com/2007/09/novel-outlining-101.html