6 Ways to Outline Your Novel

JTM Books

Authors are said to fall into one of two groups: the plotters, those that outline every step of their novel before they begin, and the pantsers, those prefer to ‘fly by the seat of their pants’, creating the story as they write. Both plotting and pantsing have their pros and cons and both can produce fantastic novels. If you fall into the pantser camp then you thrive on discovering your story as you progress.

Writers describe this as letting their characters lead the way. They like the surprise of taking their story in unexpected directions and feel creatively restricted when they have to stick to a rigid outline. Plotters, on the other hand, like having a roadmap leading to their destination.

out their stories means that they can write faster with more focus and fewer revisions. Many authors fall somewhere in the middle of these two outlining approaches. They are the plantsers, beginning with a flexible outline that offers them some guidance along the way.

No matter your preference, every author, even the most hard-core pantser can benefit from some pre-planning. As with all things writing, the trick is to find what works for you.

Think about how you prefer to write: do you feel lost if you don’t know every inch of your story or do you get bored if the ending is clear before you begin? Which part of the novel writing process do you find the most problematic? Do you lose the threads of your plot in the middle? Or have difficulty writing a satisfying ending? If you are struggling with your plot or finding yourself endlessly editing your work try a different approach. To get you started, here are six tried and proven ways to outline a novel.