With this post I listed 10 outline techniques to help writes move their story from a basic idea to a complete set of arcs, plots, sequences and/or scenes. Or to simply expand whatever you have in hands right now.
If you have a vague story idea or a detailed one, this post is for you to both discover and organize. A few technique will work perfectly. A few won’t. Your mission is to find the one that works best for you. That said, I advice you to try out as many techniques as possible.
So, are you ready? Open your notebook, or your digital document, and let’s start.
1. Snowflake method: Start with a one-sentence description of the novel. Then, develop this simple phrase into a paragraph. Your next step is to write a one-page summary based on the paragraph, you can write about characters, motivations, goals, plots, options, whatever you feel like. From this point on, you can either start your book or expand the one-page summary into four pages. And, at last, four pages into a brief description of known sequences of scenes. Your goal is to make the story more and more complex as you add information, much like a forming snowflake.
2. Chapter by chapter: List ten to twenty chapters, give each chapter a tittle and a brief description of what should happen. Then, break each chapter into three to five basic sequences of scenes. Give each sequence a title, a brief description and a short list of possibilities (possibilities of dialogues, scenarios, outcomes, moods, feelings… just play around with possibilities). From this point on, you can either create the scenes of sequences with a one-sentence description for each or jump straight to writing. Your goal is to shift from the big picture to a detail-oriented point of view.
3. Script: This might sound crazy, but, with this technique, you will write the screenplay of your story as if it’s a movie. No strings attached to creative writing, just plain actions and dialogues with basic information. Writing a script will take time, maybe months, but it will also enlighten your project like no other technique. Your goal is to create a cinematic view of your story. How to write a script here.
4. Free writing: No rules, no format, no step, just grab a pen or prepare your fingers to write down whatever idea that comes up. Think of possibilities, characters, places, quests, journeys, evolutions, symbolisms, fears, good moments, bad moments, clothing, appearances. Complete five to ten pages. Or even more. The more you write, the more you will unravel. You can even doodle, or paste images. Your mission is to explore freely.
5. Tag: This technique is ideal if you have just a vague idea of the story. Start by listing ten to fifteen tags related to the story. Under each tag, create possible plots. And, under each plot, create possible scenes. Grab a red felt pen and circle plots and scenes that sparkle your interest.
6. Eight-point arc: With this technique you will divide your story into eight stages. They are Stasis, Trigger, Quest, Surprise, Critical Choice, Climax, Reversal and Resolution. The Stasis is the every-day-life of your main character. Trigger is an event that will change the every-day-life of your character (for better or for worse). Quest is a period of your main characters trying to find a new balance, a new every-day-life (because we all love a good routine). Surprise will take your character away from their new found every-day-life. Critical Choice is a point of no return, a dilemma, your character will have to make the hardest decision out of two outcomes, both equally important. Climax is the critical choice put to practice. Reversal is the consequence of the climax, or how the characters evolved. Resolution is the return to a new (or old) every-day-life, a (maybe everlasting) balance.
7. Reverse: Write down a description of how your story ends, what happens to your characters and to those around them. Make it as detailed as possible. Then, move up to the climax, write a short scenario for the highest point of your story. From there, build all the way back to the beginning.
8. Zigzag: Draw a zigzag with as many up and downs as you want. Every up represents your main character moving closer to their goal. Every down represents your main character moving further from their goal. Fill in your zigzag with sequences that will take your character closer and farther from the goal.
9. Listing: The focus of this technique is exploring new ideas when your story feels empty, short or stagnated. You’ll, basically make lists. Make a long list of plot ideas. Make another list of places and settings. Make a list of elements. And a list of possible characters. Maybe a list of book titles. Or a list of interesting scenes. A list of bad things that could happen inside this universe. A list of good things. A list of symbolism. A list of visual inspiration. A list of absurd ideas you’ll probably never use. Then, gather all this material and circle the good items. Try to organize them into a timeline.
10. Character-driven: Create a character. Don’t worry about anything else. Just think of a character, their appearance and style. Give them a name. Give them a basic personality. Give them a backstory. Develop their personality based on the backstory. Now, give this character a story that mirrors their backstory (maybe a way to overcome the past, or to grow, or to revenge, or to restore). Based on your character’s personality, come up with a few scenes to drive their story from beginning to end. Now, do the same thing for the antagonist and secondary characters.
So, when is it time to stop outlining and start writing?
This is your call. Some writers need as many details as they can get, some need just an basic plot to use as a North. Just remember, an outline is not a strict format, you can and you will improvise along the way. The most important is being comfortable with your story, exploring new ideas, expanding old concepts and, maybe, changing your mind many times. There’s no right or wrong, just follow your intuition.
I have a LOT of dice hanging around this house doing nothing–doubles of sets I already have, doesn’t fit my aesthetic, whatever the reason, they’re perfectly good but didn’t make the collection cut. So, I want to share them with someone who’ll appreciate them! The winner of this giveaway will receive one full pound of random dice!(I’ll pay shipping.) The actual number will vary depending on the mix, but that’s somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 dice!
Rules:
Must be following me! New followers count too.
Likes and reblogs both count for an entry! You may reblog as many times as you like.
You can get a THIRD entry by submitting a picture of your own dice to my blog! (One entry per person this way.) Depending on how many submissions I get, not all may be posted, but every single one I receive will count for an entry.
Do not tag your reblog as “giveaway,” it can lead to the notes getting messed up and no one wants that.
Winner will be chosen by RNG on October 1st, 2017.
You MUST have your askbox open and MUST be comfortable giving me a shipping address.
**This giveaway is not affiliated with tumblr in any way**
Rythian Enderborn- The Anglerfish. He’s not timid, persay, but prefers to steer clear of groups. He usualy Spends his time with Zoeya, or ‘Red’ as he likes to call her.
Xephos Brindley- A drown soldier from the hunting ship owned by Sips. He fell victim to the Siren, but his life was spared as he showed no fear of death. He still wears what is left of his rotting uniform in memory of his ‘past life’.
Zoeya Proasheck- A Mermaid who sticks around Rythian a lot, and is the most curious of the shoal. She gets too close to the hunting boats sometimes, hence why her arm was missing- removed by a harpoon that pierced her when she got too close.
Alex Parvis- The Siren. After his mate, Sparkles*, was hunted and taken from their home, Parvis took it upon himself to avenge him by learning the sirens song and luring sailors to their deaths.
Sorry I’ve been AFK since like January, things got a bit hectic after I came back from travelling and the stress bummed me out a bit. I’ve been meaning to do an update but yeah… But I’ve just finished my dissertation (WOOP WOOP!) and after exams I’m completely done at uni! I want to get back into writing stuff so please send me prompts or request stuff, might be a little slow getting back into it but so happy to be back :3
Hope you enjoy my first go at this! Feed back always welcome (thank you shannombre ! I learnt how to computer today!)
‘Knock, knock, knock’ You banged on Smith and Tom’s apartment door at 7:30 on the dot for your night in. You’d been looking forward to this night for ages; you’d missed the last one and had missed so much banter with the guys. These annual meet-ups were always held at their flat, where you and some others (mainly Trott, Ross, Katie and a few others) would play video games, drink, eat and generally have top banter. And you couldn’t wait to see Kanye/Kim and Randy again (you loved Smith’s geckos nearly as much as him)
