Outline - Tumblr Posts
Tabatha's Guide to Outlining
So you’ve got your characters down, generally, and now it’s time for your outline!
That is, if you’re pretty much totally swinging towards the former in the architect vs. gardener theory, like me. It’s tough being a fastidious plotter. There seems to be a lot of romance surrounding the gardener half - it feels more creative and artistic, but that isn’t true. There is beauty in assembling before the fact! Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise! I’m going to try to bring some of that out.
Disclaimer: I don’t think my method will work totally definitively for anyone but me, because basically what I’ve done over the years to get an outlining method I’m most comfortable with is take my favorite parts of different outlining methods and sort of just combine them all. However, I hope that this guide will push you in the right direction, and help you develop your own personal perfect outlining method. (Also: this guide was made with novels in mind, but you can tweak it to fit other types of narrative, too.)
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Oh, and for those not participating in Ominous October (see my pinned post for details), does anyone have any suggestions for ways people can begin planning/outlining their Novella November projects?
Does anyone have some Outline templates they would like to share ?
I always just.... winged it in the past lol, but I *am* doing some more in-depth planning this time.
An outline at its most basic should at least consist of :
Who are the characters?
Where and when is it set?
What is the Big Problem/Plot of the story?
Some additional details you can fill in from there:
Who is your main character? What kind of personality, abilities, and flaws do they have? What do they look like? Sound like?
If there are two or more main characters, how are they connected to the Plot?
If there are two or more main character POVs, do the additional perspectives bring something new and interesting to the story?
What are your characters motivations? Do these motivations change over time?
What kind of Conflicts do your character(s) face?
What kind of setting is your story set in, and how does that influence your characters and the story?
If you have thought of one, what do you *want* the main Theme of your story to be?
How do you plan on including this theme in your work?
What will start your Character(s) on their journey in the plot?
How will they have changed by the time you reach the middle of the book?
What is the climax of the work going to be?
How are the events of the book resolved?
Are all of the strings tied up for a standalone, or are there still pieces left unraveled, for a sequel to explore, or simply for an open-ending, intended to invite speculation from the audience?
story outlining methods, pt. 1:
take off your pants!! (“take off your pants!: outline your books for faster, better writing” by libbie hawker)
this outline starts with a character — specifically their biggest flaw — and leads to five points that will make up the core of your story. it’s best for plots and subplots that focus on overcoming the flaw!
this outline doesn’t just have to be used for coming of age novels. it is just as important in your dystopian, fantasy, or thriller novels that the main character learns something or has changed by the end.
STEP ONE: think about your character
your main character — what is their name, and what are their important features?
what are your character’s flaws? what about their FATAL flaw? ex: hubris, overconfidence, stubbornness, etc.
STEP TWO: think about the end of the story
the story (whether the main plot, a subplot, or a facet of the main plot) is the journey lead to overcome the flaw. now that you know the character’s flaw, you know what lesson they need to learn.
the end of the story = the flaw mastered, the lesson learned.
STEP THREE: think about the external goal
the external goal is the plot, the outer motivation to push the character to the end of the story where the goal is mastered. if you remember my post on quests, you know that a quest has two reasons to be there: the external factor (shrek saving fiona for his swamp), and the real reason (the lesson learned)
the external goal should provide a chance for the character to recognize their flaw and begin to change. how does your plot tie into their character development?
STEP FOUR: think about the antagonist
thinking about the external goal should reveal who the antagonist is. the antagonist should want to achieve the same goal or a goal that impedes with the protagonist’s goal. the antagonist should be the biggest obstacle to the character.
STEP FIVE: think about the ally/allies
the character(s) that is capable of forcing the protagonist down the correct path. where your protagonist most likely will resist changing and confronting their flaw, the ally will help force them to do so anyway.
STEP SIX: think about the theme
so what’s the point of your book? if you are struggling to boil it down to one sentence, you might want to think about it a little longer. this is what keeps the story feeling coherent. what are you trying to tell us?
STEP SEVEN: think about the plot
each main plot element should somehow relate to the core of the book, aka the character’s development in overcoming their flaw
OPENING SCENE - set the stage. address the flaw or the theme
INCITING EVENT - what forces the character out of their everyday life and into the story?
REALIZING EXTERNAL GOAL - what makes the character begin seeking their goal?
DISPLAY OF FLAW - if the character’s flaw hasn’t been made blatantly clear, now is the time. make it known to the reader.
DRIVE FOR GOAL - what is your character’s first attempt to reach their goal?
ANTAGONIST REVEAL - how do you first show your antagonist’s opposition to your character?
FIRST THWART - what happens to your character that keeps them from reaching their goal?
REVISIT FLAW - show the character’s flaw again, even if they themselves aren’t aware of it yet.
ANTAGONIST ATTACKS - what does the antagonist do that makes things worse?
SECOND THWART - where your character fails most likely due to the attack
CHANGED GOAL - the character finds a new goal or focuses on the external goal in a different way
ALLY ATTACKS - what does the ally do to force the character to see the flaw?
AWAKENING - the character knows what they must do to reach the external goal. how will you show that the character has also awakened to their flaw? how will you show them changing?
BATTLE - the final showdown with the antagonist!
DEATH - the character’s flaw dies here. how will you show that the character truly is different now?
OUTCOME - show whether the character won or lost the external goal, reveal the theme of the story.
naturally, you don’t have to follow that outline exactly, but it can be a good place to start ;)
SX Seoul Series | Jimin Entry ⚡
You coo him, playing with his tip at your entrance, "So hard and thick. Wanna feel how good you’ll stretch me. Gonna make me all wet and crazy for this cock. Fill me up with that sweet cum of yours. Aren’t you?"
Listen, I don't know, okay? I had other stuff to write, other smut but... I had this thought and Jimin fit it like a glove. I guess this is how we're starting 2024 🤷♀️
Unique ⚡ Part 2 - Chapter 3
"Stop, Hyejin," he grabs her arms, and the coffee slips and pours on him. She's instantly frightened that he’ll get burned. He smirks, "The whipped cream was colder." She raises her eyes to him. "And the moment was far sweeter."
Who says 'Unique' is just about Namjoon? Part 2 is only happening because Yoongi's heart broke and I wanted to do something about it 💔
SX Seoul Series | Taehyung Entry ⚡
"Please." "No, sweetheart," he kisses the corner of your lips while you moan. "You told me to teach you a lesson." "I got it." "Yeah?" You can barely think, he insists, "Tell me; what have you learned?" "I love you." His eyes are glistening and you smile and bite your lip despite the pleasure scrambling your mind. He knows you’re teasing him because you know how hearing that melts his heart. Makes him weak. He sees right through you, he also loves you that much. "You only learned that right now?" His tone is sharp and you smirk. He’s not taking it easy and you whine. You’re almost coming undone but he stops his fingers, so you squeeze around them but don’t come. "Such a smart ass you are." "You love it," you bite back.
I think I might put this series up here besides my AO3... it fits the Tumblr format I think 🤔
SX Seoul Series | Jin Entry ⚡
You find him surrounded by his friends in a corner of the dance floor, jumping around and laughing with red cheeks. His friend with you immediately goes to join them and you falter - he didn’t want you there. He never invited you and he never shared with you what was happening. You had to find out from your mom and his mom, as best friends since childhood they were, because your own childhood friend kept you out of the loop. Because he didn’t want to tell you, because he didn’t see you like that.
Slowly but surely I'll have all SX Seoul entries 👀
Pencil VS Pen sketches. #illustration #fox #art #nature # line #lineart #canine #fineliner #ink #blackandwhite #outline #sketch #sketchbook
A quick wash of water colour can do lot more than you think!! Reference image used and can be seen in background. #watercolor #ink #outline #nature #art #fox #canine #illustration #sketchbook #brush #pen
Few little thumbprint/fingerprint animals made to help with my creativity and to help fill out my sketchbook. I have 6 ovals left... Any ideas?? #art #illustration #animals #colour #promarkers #winsorandnewton #zoo #pen #outline #ink #sketchbook #oval #fingerprint #thumbprint #fingerpainting #fingerprintpainting #thumbprintpainting
But everything falls away, try as you might to stop it. And for whatever returns to you, be grateful.
Rachel Cusk, from Outline (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2015)
buffleheadcabin:
“It was one of those moments that in retrospect have come to seem prophetic … Sometimes it has seemed to me that life is a series of punishments for such moments of unawareness, that one forges one’s own destiny by what one doesn’t notice or feel compassion for; that what you don’t know and don’t make the effort to understand will become the very thing you are forced into knowledge of.”
— Rachel Cusk, from Outline (Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, 2015)