Here we are focused on every step of a writer's journey, from the plot outline to the published novel; including how to use a plot outline, how to craft a story arc, researching literary agents, tips on sensitivity readers, query letter success, an...
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THE OUTLINE
An outline includes important information about your story's structure, plot, characters, scenes, and more. It is the skeleton of your novel. An outline can be anything from a one-page written document to a comprehensive visual mind map that uses diagrams to link information and ideas. If you have the space, you can write significant plot events on index cards to make it easier to view and manipulate. Some writers use a white board, while others find that beat sheets work just fine.
Three questions to answer in your outline:
◾What is the main contract (promise) of the story? You must resolve the promises you made to your reader by the end of the novel.
◾What sort of time pressure is working on your characters?
◾What is at stake for the protagonist of the novel? Do these stakes rise as the story progresses?
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THE PROCESS
Craft Your Premise: This is the underlying idea for your story. A good way to find the premise is to ask yourself, "What would happen if...?" For example: What would happen if a young man who survives a shipwreck spends months in a lifeboat with a large Bengal tiger? (Life of Pi, 2001)
It might help to answer a few key questions to expand on the premise and generate new ideas: Who is the main protagonist? What do they want? Is there an opposing force keeping them from what they want? How do they change from the beginning of the story to the end?
