Introduction

Welcome to a new month! I’m a spooky girl at heart, but I also love the crisp December air and holiday delights. I’ve already been to a couple of light shows (Zoo Lights and the Arboretum Illumination) and taken a ridiculous amount of pictures.

In writing news, I’m working on a new science fantasy about necromancers. I can’t wait to reveal more about this one! I also also can finally announce that I sold a short story, “Sea-born,” to Flame Tree Press for their Morgana le Fay anthology, coming to you March 2025. The cover is gorgeous; I absolutely can’t wait to hold it.

What’s in an outline?

Today I wanted to talk about outlining, which I think is one of the most important skills a plotter can learn. If you’re a pantser, still read. Maybe something will strike you as useful? This may be quite basic for many of you, but I hope there will still be gems to glean.

The basic basics: An outline (or beat sheet) is basically a beat-for-beat, plot point-by-plot point list of what happens in your book. C’mon, C.J., we know this. Hush, I’m being thorough. It adheres to a certain structure, typically. I use K.M. Weiland’s three act structure as a basis for my outlines, but you can use any structure you like.

Why outline

The point of outlining is manifold. First, it keeps your thoughts organized and out of working memory. Second, it allows you to identify holes in your plot structure so you know where you need more/fewer scenes.

Third, it allows you to plan out your story so you know roughly where you’re headed. Fourth, outlines give me the freedom to play around with different plots without writing a whole book! I can add a subplot, take it away, and I didn’t waste 50k.

If all that sounds gross to you, you’re probably a pantser.

Types of outlines

Outlines come in a lot of shapes and sizes. Here are some that I’ve used. Hopefully one will inspire you!

There’s the basic outline. It’s a good place to start:

There’s my expanded outline, with K.M. Weiland influenced scene structure:

Then there’s my new favorite, the synopsis outline, which provides a scene-by-scene synopsis so that you’re really getting into the nitty gritty:

Yes, that’s a lot of text. My outline for this project is 8400 words, including backstory and Dramatis Personae. But what this does is give me a very clear idea of scenes, character arcs, and general movement.

Checking your outline

The last thing I always do is check my outline. How, you ask?

One: I have beta readers read it and tell me what questions they have. I may know the answers already, but what this tells me is I definitely need to make those answers clear. And if I don’t know the answers, that’s a sign my outline is wonky.

Two: I apply three-act structure to my outline. Act One, Midpoint, Climax, Pinch points, etc. You can do this with Save the Cat or other beat structures too. The point is: if my percentages are way off (like my midpoint is happening at the 75% mark) I know that my book’s emotional punches aren’t happening at the right time, so that’s time to edit my outline.

Three: I print it (yes, on real paper) and get a pen out. It makes it easier to see where the structure goes awry.

In conclusion

Hopefully this mini tutorial on outline has given you some food for thought, or at least a better appreciation of outlines. Thanks for reading, and see you next week!

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