As indie authors, we often face the blank page with a mixture of excitement and terror. You have a brilliant story idea, compelling characters dancing in your head, but how do you transform that creative chaos into a structured novel? The answer lies in creating a solid outline—your roadmap to storytelling success.
While some writers swear by pantsing (writing by the seat of their pants), outlining can be a game-changer, especially for indie authors juggling writing with marketing, publishing, and everything else. A good outline prevents writer's block, maintains consistency, and helps you write faster. Let's dive into seven practical steps to outline your novel like a pro.
Step 1: Start with Your Core Concept
Before diving into plot points and character arcs, nail down your story's essence. What is your novel really about? This isn't just the plot—it's the emotional and thematic heart of your story.
Write a one-sentence summary that captures:
- Your protagonist
- Their central conflict
- What's at stake
For example: "A reluctant young wizard must master forbidden magic to save his kingdom from an ancient evil, risking his soul in the process." This core concept becomes your North Star, guiding every plot decision.
Step 2: Develop Your Main Characters
Strong characters drive compelling stories. Before plotting their journey, you need to understand who they are. Focus on developing:
Your Protagonist
- What do they want most? (External goal)
- What do they need emotionally? (Internal goal)
- What's stopping them from getting it?
- What's their greatest fear or flaw?
Your Antagonist
Remember, great antagonists aren't just obstacles—they're characters with their own motivations. What do they want, and why does it conflict with your protagonist's goals?
Supporting Characters
Identify 3-5 key supporting characters and their roles in your protagonist's journey. Each should serve a specific purpose in advancing plot or character development.
Step 3: Choose Your Story Structure
Structure isn't a creativity killer—it's a creativity enhancer. It provides the framework that lets your imagination flourish within proven storytelling patterns. Popular structures for novelists include:
- Three-Act Structure: The classic setup, confrontation, resolution
- Hero's Journey: Perfect for adventure and fantasy genres
- Seven-Point Story Structure: Great for character-driven narratives
- Save the Cat Writes a Novel: Excellent for commercial fiction
Don't stress about choosing the "perfect" structure. Pick one that feels right for your story and genre. You can always adjust as you develop your outline.
Step 4: Identify Your Major Plot Points
Every story needs key moments that drive the narrative forward. Using your chosen structure, identify these crucial scenes:
- Opening Image: How your story world and protagonist begin
- Inciting Incident: The event that kicks your story into motion
- Plot Point 1: Your protagonist commits to the journey
- Midpoint: A major revelation or shift that changes everything
- Plot Point 2: The darkest moment before the final push
- Climax: The final confrontation
- Resolution: How your story world and characters have changed
Don't worry about getting these perfect initially. Think of them as tent poles holding up your story—you can adjust the details later.
Step 5: Build Your Scene List
Now comes the fun part: connecting your major plot points with scenes. Work backwards and forwards from each key moment, asking:
- What needs to happen before this scene to make it work?
- What are the consequences of this scene?
- How does this advance my protagonist's internal and external journey?
For each scene, note:
- POV character
- Setting
- Goal of the scene
- Conflict or tension
- Outcome or change
Tools like ProseEngine can help you organize and track your scene elements, making it easier to visualize your story's flow and identify potential gaps or pacing issues before you start writing.
Step 6: Map Character Arcs
Plot events mean nothing without character growth. For your main characters, trace their emotional journey throughout your outlined scenes:
- Where do they start emotionally?
- What beliefs or behaviors need to change?
- Which scenes challenge their worldview?
- How do they grow or change by the end?
Ensure your plot events naturally force character development. The external journey should reflect and drive the internal one.
Step 7: Test and Refine Your Outline
Before you start writing, step back and evaluate your outline critically:
Check for Pacing
Do you have too many quiet moments clustered together? Are there enough breathing spaces between intense scenes?
Verify Cause and Effect
Does each scene naturally lead to the next? Are your character's actions logical given their motivations?
Confirm Genre Expectations
Does your outline deliver what readers of your genre expect while still offering something fresh?
Test the Stakes
Do the stakes escalate throughout the story? Will readers care about the outcome?
Read through your outline as if it were a story summary. Does it excite you? If not, identify what's missing and adjust accordingly.
Related Guides
- The midpoint reversal explained
- Crafting satisfying endings
- How to write a great first chapter
- ProseEngine vs Scrivener for outlining
- Best AI writing tools for fiction
Test your tent poles against your scene list
- Write your seven major plot points on separate lines — inciting incident, plot point 1, midpoint, plot point 2, climax, and so on — leaving space beneath each one.
- Take your existing scene list (or jot down the scenes you have planned so far) and draw a line from each scene to whichever plot point it leads toward or follows from.
- Circle any plot point that has no scenes leading into it and no scenes flowing out of it — these are your gaps, where the narrative currently jumps without showing cause and effect.
Running the same check across a full novel outline — mapping every scene to every plot point and tracing all the cause-and-effect links — typically takes several hours of close reading and re-reading.
Key Takeaways
- Start with a one-sentence core concept that captures protagonist, conflict, and stakes
- Develop your main characters' goals, fears, and motivations before plotting their journey
- Choose a story structure that fits your genre — then identify your major plot points within it
- Build a scene list that connects your plot points, ensuring every scene has a clear purpose
- Treat your outline as a living document — adjust as you discover new possibilities while writing
Your Outline Is a Living Document
Remember, your outline isn't set in stone. As you write, you'll discover new possibilities, and that's perfectly fine. Think of your outline as a GPS for your story—it guides you toward your destination, but you can still take interesting detours along the way.
The goal isn't to constrain your creativity but to give it direction. With a solid outline, you'll write with more confidence, maintain better story momentum, and deliver a more satisfying experience for your readers.
Happy writing, and remember—every published author started with a blank page and an idea. Your outline is the bridge between that idea and the finished novel your readers are waiting to discover.