Howdy folks, I've been stuck off and on with various drafts of my story for six years now. Recently, I decided to buckle down and use a 27 part template to outline the basic structure of my novel. When I went to draft again, it helped my typing speed, but I've realized about 4k words in that it's still not at the level of detail I need so I can just zoom when I write. You see, I've discovered I'm definitely a hardcore plotter. The more detail I know ahead of time, the faster and easier drafting comes out. I need to take these 27 plot points, of about a sentence or two each, and really expand them into detailed scenes. It'll also help me stop hand-wringing about plot holes and unanswered questions that are still present. Can someone please point me in the right direction to a more detailed outline template?
Dot points treatment. For each of your twenty seven plot points have a dot point list of all the little details that connect to whatever number of the 27 you are currently writing on. You can make the dot points as detailed as you like but always create a new dot point for a new element. If it's a related point to a dot point then you have a dot point list under one of your dot points as well. And so on and so forth until you've written down everything you want to get down. You can even colour code your dot points so you can keep track of points that span multiple elements.
Hmm I'll give it a shot. How would you recommend I handle plot holes? There are certain things I need to happen that either happen too quickly for my liking, or have currently shoddy explanations. If I sit here and try to pick at each one individually, it'll take me forever.
Would you be willing to share this outline template? I'm getting ready to start a new project and am always on the lookout for a well-made template to use as a jumping-off point.
I would also like to see the template as I'm having a tough time with my plot. First I would say it doesn't have to be perfect the first time around, it's ok to leave plot holes open then fill them in later. For each sentence you've written make a list of important things needed to that scene. It helps to think of each scene are there own separate story, with a beginning, middle and end. Each scene has a goal, conflict and a disaster. You may find this helpful. I found the entire website useful and interesting to read https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-structure-scenes/
You can have a list of what needs to go on in the scene and what the major conflict is going to be. I have the opposite problem. Knowing when to shut up and move on. My scenes are usually too long or start to branch off evolving other scenes. Whenever I'm writing out a scene I do a full mental scan of the setting asking myself - what can I utilize, what's the conflict going to be like, the dialogue, the tone, is this for an important plot point or more to showcase character, can I use this scene to advance the character towards his goal or will this be a setback scene with an obstacle. How many characters will be in this scene, is this part of the subplot, is there a hint of foreshadowing and can I utilize details and layer them for metaphors, is this scene wrapping something up or starting something that must be addressed in a future scene. Once I'm done addressing these issues the scene manages to flesh itself out.
If things happen too quickly then finding something that adds to the lead up that also covers a plot hole later on in your story if you can. For the explanations the only thing to do for them is to work on it until it's solid as a text book explanation, know your information as though you're the one writing the text book. Or better yet, write a manual. Some of your explanations will come at different time in the story for the same thing, give information as it becomes necessary to know. So write out all the rules of your world and your explanations so you have all of that information in one place and then you can disseminate it in your plot piece by piece as is necessary. You can dot point the rules of everything that needs explaining in one place and then add those dot points where they are necessary in the main story dot point list. Divide and conquer. Seperate your elements. Things that need explaining and story. With your 27 start with an over view of the plot point then each dot point pertaining to one of the 27 gets increasingly more detailed and pin point to what happens. Make it a cascade of increasingly detailed information.
