Writing a novel is obviously not an easy task, but one of the ways we as writers can facilitate it is by drafting a novel outline. An outline is basically a brief overview of the most important elements of the story you will be writing. This could include things like characters, plot events, locations, and even a timeline. It may seem like an outline takes a lot of time, but in fact, you can outline an entire novel including all the major events of that novel in as little as one day.
My process is actually quite simple and it builds from the ground up. Basically, we want to go to the basics and then curate an entire outline. So, here is a step-by-step process on how you can outline a novel in one day!
Step 1: Back to Basics
When you start to outline your novel, you want to start at the most basic and foundational elements of the novel. When you start to write a story, you typically already have an idea of a character that you want at the center of your story.
If you want to know how to outline a character, you can check out my other guide for tips on that! It also has a free downloadable printable that you can use while you follow along the post.
Anyways, you should start with your character. Who is your character and what is their role in the story? These are the most vital questions you should be answering at this stage.
Next, where does your story take place? What city, state, country, planet, etc… is the story going to happen in?
And finally, what is the main conflict or goal that the character is working at? What will the character have to deal with? Here’s an example of what I would do here:
- Character: Jessica Ravensfield. Main character. Student at Brickvale Prep Academy.
- Setting: Riversdale, Ohio (fake location)
- Conflict: Jessica must compete against a new student (Lucas Richmond) who threatens to take her top spot as best student in Brickvale Prep.
This is just supposed to be a basic part that helps you out by giving you a stepping-stone. Don’t think too hard here. Just identify the most major pieces of each element.
Step 2: Outline the Plot Points
You’ve probably learned something similar to this in English class in middle school, but when you go to outline a story, you can think of a story as a mountain.
The bottom of the mountain is where you start and this is where your introduction is. As you go up the mountain, you are rising towards the top of the mountain, which is the climax of the plot. Then, you go down towards the resolution and finally the second bottom is the conclusion of the story.
This is a pretty basic way to look at a story, but it pretty much works every time. You want to identify the most major and vital pieces of your plot in this section. This is where you will be able to start thinking a bit more in-depth about your plotline. Remember, these things should be described in basic terms. Don’t start giving full chapter descriptions.
Just stick to the basic pieces here. You can work a bit harder at the basics later.
Step 3: Start Working on Your Characters
Before you start writing a story, you should have some idea of who your characters will be. The most major ones should be apparent before you start writing your story. In my example I gave about Jessica, obviously the two most important characters to the story are Jessica and Lucas. These will be the characters that I focus on the most before I start writing in regards to outlining.
Step 4: Build Your Setting
Before you start going a bit more in-depth with your plot, you should also consider talking about the setting that you want your story to take place in. In the case of my fake story I’ve been using as an example here, Brickvale Prep is the main location and it is in the fictitious town of Riversdale, Ohio.
So, my focus when I am outlining my story is to delve into what Brickvale Prep is, what it looks like, how it functions, etc… Then, I’d talk a bit more in-depth about Riversdale. That way, I can understand my setting and what it’s going to look like going into the story.
Your setting is going to define a lot of elements to your story. If your story takes place in, say, Calgary, Alberta or in Doha, Qatar, you obviously need to understand what the location is like and how it will impact your characters. I can’t apply the same ideas that I have about a place like Ohio to another place like Ontario. These places are distinct, and you should consider this before you start picking your setting.
I always recommend that if you’re not interested in researching much, pick a place that is familiar to you. I grew up in Ohio, so I can always pick Ohio safely because I’ve lived all over Ohio. I know Ohio by now and it is a place that I understand. Meanwhile, I wouldn’t pick a state like Kansas because I’ve never been to it and I don’t understand it. Granted, I would probably do research, but if I didn’t really want to research, I wouldn’t pick it.
Step 5: Outline Your Chapters
Now is the time to get a bit more into the deeper parts of your plot and story. The way I see things, you should plan for your story to have at least 80,000 words. This is the average length for a novel. When you have that in mind, you can decide how many words on average a single chapter should have. If we want each chapter to have 2,000 words, then that translates to 40 chapters.
This is a very systematic way of looking at chapters, as I find that chapter word counts fluctuate, but if we want to be exact and precise, assume you have 40 chapters.
You need to work with your plot in a way that will fit across these 40 chapters. You can then start filling in the details on the 40 chapters you are talking about.
Each chapter description should just have a basic rundown of what will happen in the chapter and maybe a list of the planned characters to be involved.
You are not writing your entire story here, so don’t fret too much about the details.
Helpful Tip: Be Flexible!
When you outline your novel in one day, you may not actually stick to your outline when you go to write. And this is something that I can attest has happened to me A LOT before.
I have outlined chapters and gone quite detailed in my outlines but I will end up changing the story as the story itself progresses. This is a totally normal part of the writing process and you shouldn’t shy away from straying off your planned path.
What you should keep in mind is that when you outline a story, you should be flexible and change the story if you see it fitting your plot and objectives more. Flexibility is key to writing because it gives you room to wiggle out of something that you don’t think makes much sense.
So, that’s how I outline a novel in one day! Consider also checking out my sci-fi/fantasy series so you can see how I apply these tips to my own works!