Writer keeping a notebook for story ideas

How to Outline a Book for Beginners?

Every writer starts with an idea.

Sometimes it’s a character that just won’t leave your mind. Sometimes it’s like a movie, scene by scene, playing on in your head. And sometimes it’s as easy as a simple question, “What if?” That is one question can stir up a whole story. If you are interested in learning more about how “What if” can help you generate stories or ideas, check out our article on How to Come Up with a Book Idea That Excites You. If you are just starting out, this article on How to Start Writing a Book will help you get started.

But turning that spark into a fully fleshed novel can be daunting. That’s where outlining comes into play to help you. If you are a new writer, learning how to outline a book can make the writing process a lot clearer, smoother and far less intimidating. Outlining helps you create a roadmap for your story from start to finish, instead of staring at a blank page.

Let’s go through a simple practical method of outlining your first book. Story structure or Outlining also helps you to know how long your chapter will be. Before we get in the “how,” let’s take a quick look at why outlining actually helps.

Why Every Beginning Writer Should Outline His or Her Book

Many new writers feel that outlining will restrict their creativity. In fact, it does the opposite. A good outline frees your mind to focus on the storytelling and not worrying about what happens next. It is also helpful to know how many words you will see in your novel before you begin to write. Benefits of outlining out your novel are,

Prevents writer’s block
Helps you stay organised
Keeps your story focused
Makes writing faster/easier
Helps you to spot plot holes early
Provides you clarity on where your story is going

Think of it as planning a road trip. You still enjoy the journey, but you have a plan to keep yourself from getting lost.

Begin With Your Main Story Idea

Before you start outlining your chapters or scenes, begin with the heart of your story. Ask yourself some basic questions, Who is the main character? Your story is about someone and they have a want. What do they want? What are they battling against?

Example: A young detective who’s struggling to solve a mystery that everyone else has given up.

The next question to ask, What is the main conflict?

Stories advance because something gets in the character’s way of their want.

Examples of conflict,

A hidden secret
A powerful enemy
A personal fear
A dangerous mission

Next, How is the character changed by the story? The best stories have growth in them, perhaps your character becomes more brave or finds out something that’s true about them. Maybe they lose something that is important. These answers are the basis for your outline. If you can answer these well, then it is much easier to outline. To know how to create an interesting character, learn from here How to Create Interesting Characters Readers Will Never Forget.

Use Simple 3 Act Story Structure

Most of the stories have a natural rhythm called the three-act structure. It’s simple and powerful and perfect for beginners and most top authors follow this.

Act 1: The Beginning (Setup)

This is where your character is introduced to the reader, as well as what they experience in their world.

Introduction: Introduction of the main character.

The setting: The main problem or conflict, the moment that drives the story forward.

Example: The detective discovers a strange clue that has been attached to a case that hasn’t yet been solved.

This moment is often referred to as the inciting incident. It launches the entire story.

Act 2: The Middle (Rising Conflict)

This is your book’s longest piece or part. Your character tries to figure out how to solve the problem, but things only get more difficult. To make your character struggle to make it interesting, include,

New challenges
Unexpected twists
Rising tension
Character growth

Think of this as the messy middle, where things get complicated. The detective is following clues, but he keeps finding something is more dangerous.

To learn more about rising conflict, read our article What Is Rising Action in a Story? it will give you a better picture.

Act 3: The Ending (Resolution)

This is where it all comes together. Make the ending part more interesting by including,

The final confrontation
The biggest challenge
The resolution to the conflict
The changing of the character

The detective finds the truth at last and comes face to face with the real villain. Readers close the book feeling satisfied as the story has gone full circle. If you are looking for some help in writing a satisfying ending, check out my article on How Do You End a Story?

Break Up Your Outline in Important Story Beats

Once you get a hold of your story structure, you can expand it to a simple outline. It doesn’t need to be complicated. Just write a list of important events in your story. Example outline,

Introduce the main character, his or her ordinary life
Mysterious event upsets all
The character decides to investigate
The first major obstacle rears its head
Shocking discovery changes direction
The stakes get higher
The character faces his or her greatest challenge
The truth is revealed
Final confrontation
Resolution and character development

This list will be the skeleton of your novel. Later, you can turn each point into one or many chapters. You can keep this outline flexible or detailed, whatever seems easiest for you. Here’s what a basic outline might look like when put together,

A detective living a quiet life finds a strange clue
He decides to re-open a forgotten case
Each clue leads to more danger and confusion
He reveals a secret about someone close to him
All builds up to a final confrontation
The mystery is solved, not without personal loss

Choose the Method of Outlining That Works for You

There’s no “correct” way to outline a book. Different writers have different approaches.

The Bullet List Method

This is the simplest method. Write a list of all events in your story in chronological order. It’s perfect for beginners if you find 3 ACT hard.

The Chapter Outline Method

Some writers decide on the chapter before and write an outline of events in hints, chapter by chapter. Example,

Chapter 1 — Introduce the hero

Chapter 2 — A mysterious letter arrives

Chapter 3 — The investigation begins

This approach to writing is very structured and manageable for some beginners who have a clear idea of their story.

The Index Card Method

Many novelists just love this approach! Write out scenes on individual cards, one scene per card and move them around and rearrange the story easily. This is a great method for visual thinkers.

Try out a couple of methods and see what feels flexible for you and you don’t have to stick to just one.

Don’t Overthink Your Outline

One of the biggest mistakes made by beginner writers is to try to create a perfect outline. But outlines aren’t permanent or fixed. They are just your guides and not rules to follow. As you write your novel,

New ideas will appear
Characters may evolve
Scenes might change

That’s normal. Allow your outline to develop as your story does. Some of the best moments in fiction come out of nowhere.

Final Thoughts

Your Story Begins with a Plan. Writing a Novel can be like going up a mountain at first. But outlining takes that huge task and breaks it down into small steps that are manageable. When you know,

Who your character is
What they want
What challenges they face
and how the story ends

then your writing process will be less intimidating. If you have dreams of becoming an author the first and most important step is to start. Your outline doesn’t have to be perfect. It just has to exist. And once it done, your story is on its way.

If you like learning about storytelling, fiction writing and the creative process, don’t hesitate to look at more articles on the site and even check out my books as well. Stories are meant to be shared and I’d love for you to be part of this writing journey.

How to Come Up With a Book Idea That Excites You

How to Write the First Chapter of a Book That Hooks Readers