Novel Outline – Write on the World

A chapter summary for a novel is a detailed plan that outlines the key events, themes, and character development for each chapter of the book. It may include subplots that will add to the richness and complexity of the original story idea. You might even begin to add bits of description and dialog if the mood strikes. Think of these as little gold nuggets that will later help you buy your way back into your story at the start of each writing session.

The chapter summary provides a road map for writing your story. Image generated using artificial intelligence.

The chapter summary can be thought of as a roadmap or guide for the author to follow as they write the novel. A chapter summary can be helpful in keeping the author focused and organized and can also help to ensure that the story flows smoothly and logically from chapter to chapter.

Each section of a chapter outline typically includes the following elements:

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Writing Assignment #3: Outline your novel!

July 29, 2024July 23, 2024 Mandy Webster

If you’ve been following my blog the past couple of weeks, you’ve probably learned a lot about novel structure and how to outline an idea as part of the planning stage of the novel writing process. You may be wondering, what now, brown cow? Well, I hope you have a lot of notes and ideas at the ready because it is finally time to outline your novel!

Image generated using artificial intelligence.

By now, I hope you have settled on one or a couple of story structure outlines that will meet the needs of your novel or novels. I say, “or novels” because at this point, you may still have a couple of ideas that you are hashing out. While you may be tempted to narrow your focus to just one at this point, I say keep working on all those ideas for now, at least until a clear forerunner emerges. Just make sure you settle on one novel to draft at a time. Right now, you still have plenty of time to consider which novel you want to write first. For now, let’s jump into our next writing assignment.

Writing Assignment #3: Outline your novel

Outlining a novel is a personal process, and there is no one “right” way to do it. However, here are some general steps you can take to outline your novel:

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Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

Larry Brooks’ Story Structure

July 26, 2024July 23, 2024 Mandy Webster

The Larry Brooks story structure is one that I have used several times and find to be very useful when planning a novel. It is a structure that I will detail here in depth because – to me – it seems to be one of the more effective methods of outlining a novel.

Brooks is a writing coach, author, and speaker known for his expertise in the craft of storytelling. He is the author of several books on writing, including Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing; Story Physics: Harnessing the Underlying Forces of Storytelling; and Great Stories Don’t Write Themselves: Criteria-Driven Strategies for More Effective Fiction. Brooks is also the founder of Storyfix.com, a website dedicated to helping writers develop their storytelling skills. Brooks’ approach to writing emphasizes the importance of structure, character development, and genre expectations. He believes that successful stories must meet certain criteria, and that writers who understand these criteria can create stories that are more engaging, satisfying, and marketable.

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Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

Story Structure: The Hero’s Journey

July 24, 2024July 18, 2024 Mandy Webster

The Hero’s Journey story framework was first described by Joseph Campbell, a scholar of mythology and comparative religion. Campbell’s influential book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, first published in 1949, examines the patterns and themes that recur in myths and stories from cultures around the world. (I highly recommend watching the below interview of Campbell with Bill Moyers to learn more.)

In the book, Campbell outlines the monomyth, a narrative structure that he argues is present in many of these stories. Campbell’s idea was that the Hero’s Journey is a universal pattern that reflects the human experience of transformation and growth. He believed that the monomyth could be found in many different cultures and historical periods, and that it offered a powerful framework for understanding the ways in which stories shape our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.

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Finish Writing Your Novel Now!

Pantsing vs Plotting: A case for the dreaded outline

July 14, 2024July 12, 2024 Mandy Webster

“Pantsing” and “plotting” are two very different approaches to novel writing. The term “pantsing” comes from the phrase, “flying by the seat of your pants,” which means to improvise or make something up as you go along. The phrase was first used in the 1930s in reference to airplane pilots who navigated without the aid of instruments.

Few writers are successful at pantsing their way to the end of a good manuscript. Those who can do it possess a certain kind of magic that most of us will never obtain. Image created with Canva Free AI Image Generator.

The term “pantsing” in the context of writing specifically refers to a technique where the author writes without a detailed plan or outline, instead relying on inspiration and improvisation to guide the story. This technique is also known as “discovery writing” or “organic writing.” It is unclear exactly when the term “pantsing” was first used in this context, but it is thought to have gained popularity in writing communities and workshops in the 1990s. It has since become a widely used term in the writing world, particularly in discussions about outlining and planning versus improvisation and discovery.

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