ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishavers ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishaverse trailer?? What did you think of it?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m reeling right now, and I’m about to watch the live chat back but i cannot wait!! I’ve nearly finished S+B and then I need to read Six of Crows before April!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #amwriting #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #ofsimplethings #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #malandalina #sixofcrows #shadowandbone #leighbardugo #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really? 𝐀 ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m doing ok at the moment- I’ve been feeling quite down and out of control recently but I feel like things are looking up 😊  I want to know how you’re truly feeling (you can dm me if you don’t feel like leaving it in the comments)  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments  #mentalhealth #selfcare #mentalhealthawareness
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite s ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite series!!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m currently reading the Shadow and Bone series (on book #3) and I’m really enjoying it!!  I also love ACOTAR (but I still haven’t read the new one πŸ™ˆ), Noughts and Crosses, ToG and Caraval! πŸ’•  And speaking of Caraval, this gorgeous bookmark from @bookbookowl is probably my absolute favourite out of my collection! Isn’t that quote just so perfect?? You can use my code WANDERING15 on the whole range of bookmarks!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #bookbookowl #bookseries #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #readersofinstagram #pinterestinspiration #shadowandbone
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite a ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite authors 😁  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus is my favourite!). I also really like Philip Pullman and Carlos Ruiz Zafon (and of course Cassie Claire!) ✨  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration #authorsofinstagram #favouriteauthor
ππŽπ“πƒ- do you like romance in books?? ππŽπ“πƒ- do you like romance in books??  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I really do!! My favourite genre is fantasy but I always love if there’s some romance in there as well 😁  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #favouritebooks #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #romance #romancebooks #romancereadersofinstagram #fantasyromance #yaromance #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- are you going to be reading ACOS ππŽπ“πƒ- are you going to be reading ACOSF? And did you enjoy the ACOTAR series! * I know this isn’t ACOTAR but I don’t have the books with me! At least it’s still fantasy πŸ˜‚  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love the ACOTAR series (I prefer it to ToG, although I do love ToG too!!). I can’t wait to read ACOSF!  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #beigeaesthetic #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #acotar #pinterestinspiration #acourtofthornsandroses
ππŽπ“πƒ- do you have a favourite fantasy ππŽπ“πƒ- do you have a favourite fantasy book/ series?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- as you all know, I adore The Night Circus! I also love Caraval (and how beautiful is this Jack’s bookmark from @bookbookowl ??)  ✨ @bookbookowl rep- The February book book owl mail box is going on sale tomorrow- 15th February.  This month’s theme is Bitter Attraction (enemies to lovers, forbidden romance 😍) and some of the books included will be Red, White and Royal Blue, The Shadows Between Us and Beauty and the Beast. You can use my code WANDERING15!  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #winterreads #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #bookbookowl #bookbookowlbookmarks
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me your perfect cosy day ✨  π€πŽπ“πƒ- mine includes a good book (Shadow and Bone will do it πŸ™Œ), a cosy cup of something warm and a fluffy blanket ☺️  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #cosyaesthetic #cosypost #cozyposts #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #coffee_time #coffeeandbooks #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments
ππŽπ“πƒ- what are your plans for the week ππŽπ“πƒ- what are your plans for the weekend?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I have a week off now!! Which I really need because school has left me so frazzled.  But I’m currently in the middle of about 6 books so I’m hoping to finish them off and hopefully just relax 😁  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #cutephoto #simplemoments
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Writing · September 11, 2020

How to Outline Your Novel

So– you want to write a book, but you don’t know quite where to start? Or, perhaps you have a concept, but you want to flesh it out a little before you write your first draft?

Having an outline before you start drafting is one of the best ways to ensure you don’t end up giving up partway through.

Why should you outline your novel?

Why might you not want to outline your novel?

What goes into an outline?

How to craft your outline?

How long will it take?

Why should you outline your novel?

Before you outline, it’s important to think about which approach is right for you. Some reasons you might want to make an outline are:

Helps Prevent Writer’s Block

If you are susceptible to getting stuck on your story, having an outline lets you know exactly where you’re heading. This makes it much easier to keep writing, even if you aren’t feeling as inspired.

Avoid plot holes

Writing out a storyline prior to starting will allow you to spot any major plot holes or snags, before you arrived at them. This will make drafting run much more smoothly, as you will be able to focus more on developing the characters, and less on whether the story makes sense.

Avoid the slow middle

The ‘muddle’ of the middle is a real struggle for a lot of writers; having an outline ready when you start drafting allows you to clarify the middle and take out any needless scenes that might cause it to drag.

Why might you not want to outline your novel?

In this post, I’m going to focus on tips for plotters, but this method doesn’t work for everyone. Here are some reasons it might not work for you:

You’re a discovery writer

Discovery writers thrive off have little/ no outline, as this aids their creativity and writing flow. If this is the case for you, having a strong outline at the beginning may feel too rigid, and could cause the story to not flow as freely.

It can take some time to craft

Depending on how extensive you want your outline to be, this process can take a while. It’s important to ensure that you really love your story, as it may be difficult to stay interested when you’re not actively writing it for quite a while.

It’s difficult to stick to the outline

Most writers experience this at some point or other- the characters don’t want to follow the actions you’ve set out for them, or it just doesn’t feel right for them to do so. A little straying from the outline is fine, but if it comes to a point where you’re throwing it away altogether, maybe you can save time next time by making no/ a smaller outline.

What goes into an outline?

All authors outline differently, and no one outline is the ‘perfect’ prototype. But, there are some key things that you should include in your outline:

  • A brief (or more extensive) storyline outlining each scene.
  • Character description- this could be a character profile, Pinterest inspiration, or even a Spotify playlist.
  • World-building– this will look different depending on genre, whether you’re writing a standalone/ series and personal preference. World-building includes geography, history, politics, magic system.

What will my outline look like?

Many authors like to craft a story bible for their standalone/ series. This can be physical (e.g. a ring-binder) or digital (e.g. on Scrivener/ Campfire). This is a great way to keep all information about your story in one place (including any points of foreshadowing or subplots you might lay along the way).

How to craft your outline:

So you have a ring-binder/ notebook (physical or online), and you’re ready to get going…

Figure out the premise

The first thing you need for any story is an idea; maybe this is just one line of dialogue, perhaps you have the whole first half plotted in your mind. However this looks for you, take 5 minutes to ‘brain dump’- write every idea you have onto some scrap paper. It doesn’t matter if it’s a complete mess right now, just make sure you get down every idea that could link to your novel.

Worldbuilding

Will your story will be set in the past or future? In our world or an alternate world? Do the people look like us or are there different creatures? After these initial questions, make some deeper notes on setting- the geography of your world, history, government and politics, magic system (if applicable), technology (this especially applies to sci-fi).

When you have an initial view of the world, zoom in on the specific settings the story will revolve around (usually about 3 or 4 places). If it helps you to visualise, try drawing a rough map of each of these places, with the key points and landmarks annotated.

Characters

Write out a character profile for each of your main characters- depending on how extensive you want your outline, this could include physical description, background, hobbies, likes/ dislikes, hopes/ fears. Even if you’re only creating minimal character profiles, it’s important to think about these questions: what are the characters’ wants/ needs? What are the characters’ motivations and how will they have changed by the end of the novel? What are the stakes for the characters?

Try to craft a clear voice for each character- a great way to practise this is to insert all the characters in a situation, with only dialogue. If you can’t tell which character is speaking, you might need to work on their individual voices.

Construct a storyline

How extensive this is will look different for everyone, but it’s helpful to have at least a short outline of each scene.

Jot down scene ideas

Take out post-it notes or a notepad and note down any scene ideas you have. When you have roughly 30-50 scene ideas (depending on how long your novel will be), split them roughly into beginning, middle and end.

Narrow them down

Open up a word document or notebook, and split the document into beginning, middle and end. Take each scene idea, and further develop it in the document (this could include what takes place, who is involved, and what the characters accomplish by the end of the scene). If a scene doesn’t seem to fit in order or doesn’t feel right for the story, change it up a little or take it out altogether.

The finishing touches

Now each of the scene has a general outline, you can add in changes to characters’ environments, conflict and tension, and any subplots you want to include. Read through your storyline to ensure pacing is even, and that goalposts are in the proper places.

That’s the last thing to go in the ring binder. But we’re not done! I then create a Pinterest board, with inspo for each character (some vague ideas of how I want them to look, and also their interests), the setting and the time period. And then we’re done!!

How long should it take to craft an outline?

This really depends on how quickly you write, how much time yo have to write and how much is going into your outline- it could be just a few days, more extensive outlines could take 3-4 weeks.

Are you in the process of outlining your story? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below or you can connect with me directly on any of my social medias.

In: Writing · Tagged: drafting, my writing, nanowrimo, nanowrimo build up, outlining, outlining process, planning, story bible, story bible planning, storyline, storyline crafting, writing consistently, writing routine, writing tips

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Hi! I'm Millie, an avid reader, blogger and bookstagrammer from the UK. You can usually find me buried in a book or stressing about my recent writing project. Here on the blog, I also share tips and strategies on posting, taking pics and engaging on bookstagram and building a book blog

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ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishavers ππŽπ“πƒ- have you seen the new Grishaverse trailer?? What did you think of it?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m reeling right now, and I’m about to watch the live chat back but i cannot wait!! I’ve nearly finished S+B and then I need to read Six of Crows before April!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #amwriting #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #ofsimplethings #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #malandalina #sixofcrows #shadowandbone #leighbardugo #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really? 𝐀 ππŽπ“πƒ- how are you doing? Really?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m doing ok at the moment- I’ve been feeling quite down and out of control recently but I feel like things are looking up 😊  I want to know how you’re truly feeling (you can dm me if you don’t feel like leaving it in the comments)  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments  #mentalhealth #selfcare #mentalhealthawareness
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite s ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite series!!  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I’m currently reading the Shadow and Bone series (on book #3) and I’m really enjoying it!!  I also love ACOTAR (but I still haven’t read the new one πŸ™ˆ), Noughts and Crosses, ToG and Caraval! πŸ’•  And speaking of Caraval, this gorgeous bookmark from @bookbookowl is probably my absolute favourite out of my collection! Isn’t that quote just so perfect?? You can use my code WANDERING15 on the whole range of bookmarks!!  #aestheticpost #amreading #bookbookowl #bookseries #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bibliophile #bookcommunity #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #readersofinstagram #pinterestinspiration #shadowandbone
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite a ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me some of your favourite authors 😁  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love Erin Morgenstern (The Night Circus is my favourite!). I also really like Philip Pullman and Carlos Ruiz Zafon (and of course Cassie Claire!) ✨  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #pinterestinspiration #authorsofinstagram #favouriteauthor
ππŽπ“πƒ- do you like romance in books?? ππŽπ“πƒ- do you like romance in books??  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I really do!! My favourite genre is fantasy but I always love if there’s some romance in there as well 😁  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #favouritebooks #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #romance #romancebooks #romancereadersofinstagram #fantasyromance #yaromance #pinterestinspiration
ππŽπ“πƒ- are you going to be reading ACOS ππŽπ“πƒ- are you going to be reading ACOSF? And did you enjoy the ACOTAR series! * I know this isn’t ACOTAR but I don’t have the books with me! At least it’s still fantasy πŸ˜‚  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I love the ACOTAR series (I prefer it to ToG, although I do love ToG too!!). I can’t wait to read ACOSF!  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #beigeaesthetic #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #acotar #pinterestinspiration #acourtofthornsandroses
ππŽπ“πƒ- do you have a favourite fantasy ππŽπ“πƒ- do you have a favourite fantasy book/ series?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- as you all know, I adore The Night Circus! I also love Caraval (and how beautiful is this Jack’s bookmark from @bookbookowl ??)  ✨ @bookbookowl rep- The February book book owl mail box is going on sale tomorrow- 15th February.  This month’s theme is Bitter Attraction (enemies to lovers, forbidden romance 😍) and some of the books included will be Red, White and Royal Blue, The Shadows Between Us and Beauty and the Beast. You can use my code WANDERING15!  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #winterreads #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #bookbookowl #bookbookowlbookmarks
ππŽπ“πƒ- tell me your perfect cosy day ✨  π€πŽπ“πƒ- mine includes a good book (Shadow and Bone will do it πŸ™Œ), a cosy cup of something warm and a fluffy blanket ☺️  #aestheticpost #amreading #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #cosyaesthetic #cosypost #cozyposts #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #coffee_time #coffeeandbooks #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments
ππŽπ“πƒ- what are your plans for the week ππŽπ“πƒ- what are your plans for the weekend?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- I have a week off now!! Which I really need because school has left me so frazzled.  But I’m currently in the middle of about 6 books so I’m hoping to finish them off and hopefully just relax 😁  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookcommunity #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookflatlay #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #cutephoto #simplemoments
ππŽπ“πƒ- have you read Shadow + Bone or S ππŽπ“πƒ- have you read Shadow + Bone or Six of Crows? And are you excited for it coming to Netflix?  π€πŽπ“πƒ- as you may know if you’ve been watching my stories, I’m currently reading Siege and Storm (Shadow and Bone #2) and really enjoying the series! I can’t wait to read Six of Crows 😁  ✨ thank you so much if you dropped in for my live today! It was so much fun and I can’t wait to run another one! ✨  #aestheticpost #amreading #aquietmoment #sixofcrows #shadowandbone #grishaverse #leighbardugo #alwayscozyforeverbooks #averybookishpost #becauseofreading #bookgram #bibliophile #bookaddict #bookaholic #bookblogger #bookfeature #bookishlove #bookphotography #booktography #bookstagramfeature #bookstagramuk #cozyvibes #favouritebooks #hyggebookstyle #ofsimplethings #neutraltones #readersofinstagram #simplemoments #rusticpages

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