Methods for Planning a Novel
By Sheila Arellano
When that new idea ignites your imagination, the world becomes very exciting. At that moment, all you want to do is start writing. But sometimes—and I know pantsers will disagree here—it is good to take a step back and analyze where your story is going before you begin writing. As someone who has written a book as a pantser and another one as a planner, I can tell you that planning a book can save you so much time and effort during the editing process. So, today I wish to share my process for outlining a new book.
This outlining method was created through an amalgamation of different resources. The most prominent resources that helped me simplify my outlining process are Tomi Adeyemi’s masterclass, which I would recommend if you are starting a new book, as well as Abbie Emmons’s videos on how to use the 3 Act Structure.
Note: remember this is a method that works for me, everyone’s creative processes are unique.
Without further ado, here are my tips on outlining a book:
Choose Your Story’s Themes
When I have a new book idea, I first analyze my favourite stories so I am clear on what I would like to include in my own novel. I observe what themes are present in those stories as well as in my own life. Then, I choose the main themes I’d like to communicate and I write down a theme statement (check out our blog on choosing themes). This theme statement will become my character’s motivation, which will in turn drive the plot. When crafting a theme statement, a good question to ask is: what are the underlying truths of my story?
Pick Your Storytelling Structure
When beginning a story, it is important to choose which structure your book will follow. There are various storytelling structures out there that might be a good fit for you. Here is a list of seven possible storytelling structures for you to choose from. The one that works best for me is the 8 sequence, 3 Act Structure. I like the eight sequences because they provide a nice flow to my stories and, at the same time, they don’t feel restrictive. It is crucial to not feel restrained by the structure you choose. You can look at it as a guideline that can be chiselled to fit your writing needs.
Write Everything Down
Before I discovered this outlining method, I used to be incredibly intimidated by planning out my book. But this technique snatched my fears away. First, you will write down anything and everything you think will happen in your book. Forget about chronological order or if these are good ideas, simply do a brain dump and make a list of the scenes that will take place in your book. Once you finish, you organize them in chronological order. And just like that, you have the first rough outline for your story! It’s okay if there are gaps or if it’s messy. The most important thing is that you now have something to work with.
Organize Your List of Events
Once you have that rough outline, it is time to organize it within the storytelling structure that you chose. For me, this means that I am going to organize my list of events into the eight sequence story structure, which fits within three acts. The most important beats to craft during this process are:
- The inciting incident—the moment that pushes your character into their journey
- The mid-point climax—the event that sets up the second half of your book
- The darkest moment—the climax of the story as well as the point of inner change for your main character
To gain more insight into these story beats, I would recommend watching these writing videos:
Once you have finished placing your story beats, you will have a rough idea of where you want to go with your book. From there, you can analyze the various climaxes and flesh them out, thus creating a more complete outline that will guide your path as you write your book. I hope these tips help you and please share your outlining methods in the comments below!
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