HOW TO OUTLINE A STORY
When it comes to story-telling, coming up with a basic idea is just the first step in a long journey. A good story has enriching, relatable characters, a good pace, and a fantastic in-depth plot. In this blog entry, one will learn the most basic of steps into outlining a story.
Warning: All images shown, minus the meme, cannot be reused in any way, shape, or form.
Note: All steps shown just show one way to outline a story, it's always best to experiment with different ways of outlining and figure out which way suits the individual.
STEP ONE: THE F Ws & ONE H
Establish the five Ws: who the protagonist(s) are, what their purpose is, where the characters are, when the story is set, why they are trying to achieve their goals, and how they are going to.
These questions help to flesh out the idea you might have. For example, take the idea of a princess trying to rescue her kingdom. The idea is too broad at the moment and the 5 Ws and 1 H will help flesh out the idea. This is where the details of the plot are added in.
Example:
Who the character is: A princess that's second in line for the throne.
What their purpose is: She's going to rescue her kingdom from a curse.
Where the characters are: A fictional kingdom that resembles Scotland.
When the story is set: It's in a time period similar to the Middle Ages.
Why they are trying to reach their goals: So the kingdom can be safe once again.
How they are going to reach the goal: She'll go through a series of mini quests on her way to find the stone that'll break the curse over the kingdom.
The idea went from basic to complex in just a few steps. Unfortunately, there's more to outlining a story than those few questions. Fortunately, it gets a bit easier now that there's more layers to the plot.
STEP TWO: A PLOT DIAGRAM
Now that the basics of the story are laid out, it's time to outline the events that lead up to the ending. Or in other words: the rising action, the climax, and falling action. These are common terms seen on plot diagrams used in school when children are drafting stories. Any method is okay when using a plot diagram, whether it's the triangle diagram used in classrooms settings or something that is shown below:
The use of paragraphs when doing a plot diagram is optional. Another option when doing a plot diagram is bullet points:
No matter which form that is used, the actual events that are going to be in the story should be included. Leave them as vague as needed, fleshing out the details of the events comes later down the line. The important thing here is to have them written down so that have there's a reference to refer back to; to make sure the story is sticking close to the details laid out in the plot diagram.
The events are not set in stone and can be adjusted if need be. Story-telling is not like a research experiment; changes can be made if better ideas come along.
Reminder: All stories need conflicts and there are two different types: internal and external.
Internal refers to what's happening in the protagonist's head, their feelings. A most common internal conflict is struggling to find themselves.
External is a conflict happening in the environment around the character. An example of this is having to defeat a dragon in order to the save the princess. It's the protagonist against the dragon. External conflicts have four categories:
O1. CHARACTER V CHARACTER - It's the protagonist against another character, usually the antagonist.
O2. CHARACTER V SOCIETY - This is when the protagonist is going up against an element of society; such as a corrupt government.
O3. CHARACTER V NATURE - The protagonist is up against the forces of nature.
O4. CHARACTER V TECHNOLOGY - The protagonist is fighting against some form of technology. For example, androids gaining sentience. It'd be the protagonist against the androids.
Weave conflicts into the story in order to give it depth. This ties in with the 5 Ws and 1 H.
STEP THREE: CHARACTER OUTLINES
Leave the plot alone for right now. Now, it's time to focus on characters. Again, there's no wrong way to outline a character. It can be broad: name, age, birth date, personality traits, biography, likes, and dislikes. Or it can be complex and have everything from the basics to what they look for in an ideal partner.
Here, the paragraph form is used again. The information, although jumbled, is all there and then some. The information can be clear-cut and easy to identify where each piece of information is or it can be like what is shown above. Again, there is no wrong way to do this.
Note: This part is very important and it should be done for every important character that's in more than five scenes. It's essential to the story if the author is acquainted with the characters before writing the story. At the very least write down this: name, age, personality traits, biography, and conflicts. If nothing else, know this about any character!
STEP FOUR: DEVELOP IT!
This is the step where the actual details that happen in main event listed in the plot diagram are filled in. Go back to the plot diagram and add in details to the events. Some events can be left vague and up to chance, but for certain events such as the climax, it's beneficial to know the exact details of what should happen in the major event listed.
It could be as simple as the picture above. There's no right way to do this, developing the plot helps the author figure out where it's going to go. Some people prefer to be looser and don't fill in many details, others are anal and need to know every little thing about their story. It's comes down to preference and like everything else detailed in this blog entry, there is no wrong way to do this.
STEP FIVE: FIND THE PLOT HOLES
Writing is key or else none of the plotting matters. A rough draft is needed to identify plot holes and correct them. All rough drafts are riddled with plot holes, it's part of the process to write and go back and fill in the missing details. Here are some tips when writing the first draft:
Tips:
O1. Write the ending first. It's easier to write the novel when the final scene is laid out, it makes it easier to find out what needs to happen to lead to that conclusion.
O2. Write random scenes. They don't have to end up in a chapter, but just getting the feeling for the characters will help develop and flesh them out in the actual chapters.
O3. Don't focus on grammar. Just write everything out, editing can come after the first draft is completed.
O4. Have a beta reader. Another person reading the story can help identify plot holes that may have gone unnoticed by the author when writing. It's always good to have someone with fresh eyes read the draft for that reason and to give additional feedback.
After the rough draft, go back to the plot diagram and fill in the holes found in the story.
After that step is completed, then it is time to go back and edit the story. First drafts are meant to be improved upon and it is common to find many mistakes in the first draft. The whole point of writing is to improve.
IN CONCLUSION
All in all, have fun. Writing is a long journey that requires a lot of time and energy, but it's worth it. The satisfaction after finishing a story is unexplainable. Just by following the steps above, anyone will be able to draft a decent story. Remember to not get discouraged by plot holes or beta readers that give negative feedback; it's all part of the process of improving the story so that the final draft is nearly flawless. Happy writing!
GLOSSARY OF WRITING TERMS:
Rising Action: The beginning events of the story, it's usually the first two acts of a story and leads up to the climax.
Climax: The turning point in a story. This is where a major event happens to the protagonist, maybe they lose an ally or maybe they finally find the magic seed they needed to defeat the enemy. This is a big part of a story and cannot be written out. For example: the climax in The Fault In Our Stars is when they are in Amsterdam and Augustus reveals he has cancer again.
Falling Action: The final act of the story. This leads up to the conclusion and are the final events of the story. Perhaps everything is falling apart for the protagonist or everything is finally coming together for them. This is where most loose ends are tied up, along with the conclusion of the story.
Plot Diagram: An organizational tool used to map out the events of a story.
STEP TWO: A PLOT DIAGRAM
Now that the basics of the story are laid out, it's time to outline the events that lead up to the ending. Or in other words: the rising action, the climax, and falling action. These are common terms seen on plot diagrams used in school when children are drafting stories. Any method is okay when using a plot diagram, whether it's the triangle diagram used in classrooms settings or something that is shown below:
The use of paragraphs when doing a plot diagram is optional. Another option when doing a plot diagram is bullet points:
No matter which form that is used, the actual events that are going to be in the story should be included. Leave them as vague as needed, fleshing out the details of the events comes later down the line. The important thing here is to have them written down so that have there's a reference to refer back to; to make sure the story is sticking close to the details laid out in the plot diagram.
The events are not set in stone and can be adjusted if need be. Story-telling is not like a research experiment; changes can be made if better ideas come along.
Reminder: All stories need conflicts and there are two different types: internal and external.
Internal refers to what's happening in the protagonist's head, their feelings. A most common internal conflict is struggling to find themselves.
External is a conflict happening in the environment around the character. An example of this is having to defeat a dragon in order to the save the princess. It's the protagonist against the dragon. External conflicts have four categories:
O1. CHARACTER V CHARACTER - It's the protagonist against another character, usually the antagonist.
O2. CHARACTER V SOCIETY - This is when the protagonist is going up against an element of society; such as a corrupt government.
O3. CHARACTER V NATURE - The protagonist is up against the forces of nature.
O4. CHARACTER V TECHNOLOGY - The protagonist is fighting against some form of technology. For example, androids gaining sentience. It'd be the protagonist against the androids.
Weave conflicts into the story in order to give it depth. This ties in with the 5 Ws and 1 H.
STEP THREE: CHARACTER OUTLINES
Leave the plot alone for right now. Now, it's time to focus on characters. Again, there's no wrong way to outline a character. It can be broad: name, age, birth date, personality traits, biography, likes, and dislikes. Or it can be complex and have everything from the basics to what they look for in an ideal partner.
Here, the paragraph form is used again. The information, although jumbled, is all there and then some. The information can be clear-cut and easy to identify where each piece of information is or it can be like what is shown above. Again, there is no wrong way to do this.
Note: This part is very important and it should be done for every important character that's in more than five scenes. It's essential to the story if the author is acquainted with the characters before writing the story. At the very least write down this: name, age, personality traits, biography, and conflicts. If nothing else, know this about any character!
STEP FOUR: DEVELOP IT!
This is the step where the actual details that happen in main event listed in the plot diagram are filled in. Go back to the plot diagram and add in details to the events. Some events can be left vague and up to chance, but for certain events such as the climax, it's beneficial to know the exact details of what should happen in the major event listed.
It could be as simple as the picture above. There's no right way to do this, developing the plot helps the author figure out where it's going to go. Some people prefer to be looser and don't fill in many details, others are anal and need to know every little thing about their story. It's comes down to preference and like everything else detailed in this blog entry, there is no wrong way to do this.
STEP FIVE: FIND THE PLOT HOLES
Writing is key or else none of the plotting matters. A rough draft is needed to identify plot holes and correct them. All rough drafts are riddled with plot holes, it's part of the process to write and go back and fill in the missing details. Here are some tips when writing the first draft:
Tips:
O1. Write the ending first. It's easier to write the novel when the final scene is laid out, it makes it easier to find out what needs to happen to lead to that conclusion.
O2. Write random scenes. They don't have to end up in a chapter, but just getting the feeling for the characters will help develop and flesh them out in the actual chapters.
O3. Don't focus on grammar. Just write everything out, editing can come after the first draft is completed.
O4. Have a beta reader. Another person reading the story can help identify plot holes that may have gone unnoticed by the author when writing. It's always good to have someone with fresh eyes read the draft for that reason and to give additional feedback.
After the rough draft, go back to the plot diagram and fill in the holes found in the story.
After that step is completed, then it is time to go back and edit the story. First drafts are meant to be improved upon and it is common to find many mistakes in the first draft. The whole point of writing is to improve.
IN CONCLUSION
All in all, have fun. Writing is a long journey that requires a lot of time and energy, but it's worth it. The satisfaction after finishing a story is unexplainable. Just by following the steps above, anyone will be able to draft a decent story. Remember to not get discouraged by plot holes or beta readers that give negative feedback; it's all part of the process of improving the story so that the final draft is nearly flawless. Happy writing!
GLOSSARY OF WRITING TERMS:
Rising Action: The beginning events of the story, it's usually the first two acts of a story and leads up to the climax.
Climax: The turning point in a story. This is where a major event happens to the protagonist, maybe they lose an ally or maybe they finally find the magic seed they needed to defeat the enemy. This is a big part of a story and cannot be written out. For example: the climax in The Fault In Our Stars is when they are in Amsterdam and Augustus reveals he has cancer again.
Falling Action: The final act of the story. This leads up to the conclusion and are the final events of the story. Perhaps everything is falling apart for the protagonist or everything is finally coming together for them. This is where most loose ends are tied up, along with the conclusion of the story.
Plot Diagram: An organizational tool used to map out the events of a story.
