I've been scouring the internet looking for as many different outlining processes as possible. It's not that I'm looking for any specific set of rules to adhere, I'm more interested in widening my understanding of different methodologies and approaches. For some reason, I haven't seen many outlining methods detailing chapter by chapter structuring. I understand that it's not an exact science and everyone writes differently, but I expected to see more of them -- even if they were ill-conceived. This, of course, could be variable by genre choice. I've contemplated it and believe there are certain points that may be beneficial for many planners to consider before writing, such as (per chapter or expanding): A running (chapter by chapter) synopsis Plot progression timeline Character development running summaries Scene synopsis Setting summaries Potential progression conceptualization (to review back upon later) To me, I consider all of this simply more extensive world building and overall planning. Anyone willing to share any resources, the more the merrier, pertaining to novel outlining? I collect, as much as I can, so that I can share with anyone interested. Also, if anyone has any thoughts on what you feel is beneficial when considering chapter outlining is appreciated as well. Not looking for any debates over the merit of outlining, or planning, when writing a novel. For some, it can be beneficial. I say we leave it at that.
Mine tend to be pretty free-form: Quick blurb about the first thing that happens Quick blurb about the next thing that happens Quick blurb about the next thing that happens Side note about a minor detail Side note about another minor detail Quick blurb about the next thing that happens Side note about a minor detail Quick blurb about the next thing that happens ...
Yeah, this. At least to the extent that I outline, which is not much. Chapters are relatively arbitrary, though we all certainly put some thought into their length/structure. Id worry more about the content of the events and the order in which they occur than the actual chapter delineation. Once you've finished a draft and have some product you can play with their length/content until the cows come home, which in writing terms, takes a very long time apparently. If you plan them out too much ahead of time you may end up trying to force things that don't work because you have subsequent chapters planned that ostensibly rely on the ones that came before it. And it might prevent you from exploring spontaneous ideas that crop up as you're writing. Personally, I don't plan much beyond the blurby things until I'm done. Then I go bat-shit with the outlines and things. That's just my method. There's really no wrong or right.
The main reason I've considered this is for planning & outlining for projects such as NaNoWriMo. When you have a specific deadline, it can be beneficial to have everything planned out to reduce any non-productive moments. The intention of NaNoWriMo isn't to produce the highest quality material, but rather to just produce a finished rough draft. Even if you don't adhere to the system, it still can potentially help with conceptualization.
I like to plan things out really thoroughly. I find that chapter demarcations suggest themselves, but what helps is working out how all the sequences fit into a vision of the overall structure. I tend to use a variation of Vogler's simplified 12-stage hero's journey to guide my outline according to the main character's progression. I visualise the whole thing in a spreadsheet and write up short summaries of each section. It's probably a bit excessive, but I like a systematic approach.
I use a spreadsheet. Chapter numbers in the first column. Brief summary of what happens in the second ("John meets Jane at a saucepan exhibition"). Third and fourth are for the MC's character arcs, showing in which chapters they have key realisations/events that spur them on to change. Fourth is for the source of tension or conflict in each chapter, because I believe every chapter should have those. Last one is a date, so I can keep track of the timeline. It changes as I write because I can't plan everything in advance and usually hit on good ideas or come across snags and have to adapt. I update it a couple of times during writing. This helps me with pacing, because I can see if the character arc happens gradually or if there are long stretches with no growth.
I generally use yWriter's chapters and scenes to build my outlines. I should note that my novels are also generally just multiple short stories sewen together. So each chapter is a story in and of itself. In the chapter description I will detail the overarching goal of the chapter. Then in the chapter section I add the first scene. In that I will describe the events in as much detail as I can at first. This generally gives me the next scene. Rinse and repeat until I have the first touch of the outline. I do that for each chapter and then as I write I will edit the outline as things become clearer. This also allows me to move around and write the book in chunks, skipping scenes that are difficult at first.
