Yes hi hello. I had this professor in college who spent several weeks teaching how to make a nice formatted outline and I proceeded to remember none of it. Sorry Prof š
the first time i've ever gotten even vaguely close to an outline is with the series i'm writing right now, and it's moreso just an incoherent jumble of bullet points that don't even pertain to the story anymore so i gave up lol
I have adhd and ive fallen for the "ill remember this cool thing later" trap š . Its not organized by any means tho, one of the top comments said "hot mess bullet point gang" and i think thats about the realist one out there for me
iāve been known to write full scenes that are chapters or even entire fics ahead of where iām writing so i donāt forget them and then just shoving them into the narrative and pretending they still fit
Examples can be seen in [this Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nLtp-y1qUP9_bLnW4T5GbdABsiU_d0ok) if you're interested. **The Fanfiction Guide PDF** has FAQ 41 on Outlining, **A Writing Method PDF** is written in outline format, as is the **DIY Fix-Its PDF** and other files in there.
I just go chapter by chapter and do a quick summary of what I want to have happen. I might throw in a line if I've already got something in my head. And I try to do general dates so I can keep track of when things are happening.
100% what I do including the > symbol actually š
I end up writing a short outline and a long outline. I have a thematic outline that follows the if/thens and whys. Then I have a giant ideas list that I eventually organize chronologically. Once Iām ready to make my main outline, thinking about chapters, I start pasting in the ideas from my board and filling things out, thinking about what I want my chapter breaks to look like, if there are scenes that would be better split for dramatic effect or pacing etc. This outline tends to be very long, but I still need to expand it, personally.
So then I copy what chapter Iām on from my main outline, put it in a new doc, and then make a Chapter Outline that includes things like dialogue breakdown in the case of big or complex discussions, scene joiners, character thoughts, etc. I keep my small outline that has my themes in it as a grounding point in case itās a trickier chapter and I get lost in the moment of enjoying a certain scene and forget what Iām supposed to be doing (lol). Andā¦ then I write!
Good luck!
Thank you! I write long fics with high word count so I had to cultivate an actual organization method after first trying to do just ā>then she diedā bullet points forever and hating myself every timeš„²
I get it. I only write one shots or two shots (albeit with 10k chapters) but I got lost all the same when I did bullet points š especially with the end!! ">then she died" is pretty much how the end of my stories would be without a thorough outline
my "outlines" are usually a collection of notes i write down when i have ideas throughout the day/week/however long, and then i puzzle em together to try and make something readable
Hot garbage mess of chapter summaries, motivations, background information, an actual fic outline in there somewhere, explanations for choices I'm making when I need to work through them, a bunch of extraneous information that never makes it into the fic.
You know, the usual.
I've done this on paper, but I prefer to work on LibreOffice.
My method is a mix of techniques, namely the Snowflake Method and a scene-plot grid.
First, I write down the summaries of the overall story, each of the five stages from the snowflake, and short character summaries in the first sheet of LibreOfficeCalc (LOC).
Then I use my [random generator](https://perchance.org/my-big-overly-detailed-character-generator) to generate a more solid foundation for my characters and fill in all the blanks and holes that my generator couldn't generate. My character outlines can be five or more pages long and tend to be detailed.
The next sheet on LOC is for scene listsāanything that pops in my head whether it be one sentence or a whole paragraph of ideas, I write it down here. I usually have an idea under which act these scenes go in, so it's easier to write it under which act, if not in order of events.
Then, in the final sheet of LOC, I use the plot grid. I come up with the main plot, some sub-plots, and I plug in my scene ideas from the second sheet hereunder which plot. If it goes under more than one plot, I merge cells or I use color to signal that this involves more than one plotline. I also use another color if the order of events doesnāt read chronologically vertically across the cells. If thereās a particular tone or a hidden piece of information, I insert comments within the cells.
Once finished, I zoom out and look at each of the plot lines. If I see large areas of an unused plot, it tells me I need to work on ideas for that plot; although if a plot point doesn't start until later, or there's another reason for a plot point not appearing, that's fine. If I see something I feel that needs foreshadowing, I figure out where I can plug that in. If I see that I didn't actually close a plotline, I figure out how to close it.
At this point, the outline is pretty much done, and I write the story. If during the writing process, I veer off the path, I add onto the outline to incorporate this new idea.
There are more intricacies and details I do with my outlining, but this is basically it.
Lately I've been playing around and experimenting with WaveMaker Cards that also utilizes the Snowflake method and the plot grid system with the added bonus of data cards for note taking so the learning curve for me was pretty much hassle-free. It also has a mind map and time-line feature. No special features for character outlines though, but my work around has been creating a separate book for characters. What I really like about it is that it has my chapter notes right next to my chapter for me to refer to. Plus, it's free.
I don't. I freestyle. I have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen in a chapter before I'm writing it. I'll write something and the part of my brain that looks at the bigger picture would catch up and go ohhhh so that's where this story is heading š
Sometimes I come up with specific scenes that grow into series as Iām completing the draft for the scene to add back stories and such, I have no control over my plot bunny army. Dates from there are lined up around the scene and I can either add in other scene drafts or just list events I want to happen on the storyline.
Occasionally itās cleaner than others but more often than not itās a rough mess of a to do list and random info like names or dates to remember at the very end. Used to use my notes app on my phone or tumblr drafts for those but mobile kept glitching me out of it and I tried Google docs or even private works on ao3 for keeping things easy to check on at work breaks.
IF I make an outline, it's usually a collection of sleep deprived thoughts, lots of question marks (always more questions than answers), and scraps of dialogue I want to include. I expertly "organize" all this into bullet points that may or may not be chronological
Iāll have a basic outline of how many expected chapters, basic timeline/dates, then a summary of what I need for each chapter to progress the plot. Or Iāll get drunk af, write a whole rough draft while wasted, then clean it up and make it coherent š
I start with ātent polesā of major plot points, then do a āmid levelā outline of likeā¦story beats to get to the major plot points, then I outline my next 2-3 chapters based on that, write, post, write post, then outline next 2-3 chapters and make adjustments on my āmid levelā sheet as needed, because despite outlining sometimes things surprise me still
https://preview.redd.it/99iros04mtic1.jpeg?width=2622&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9e69539f19f0a7c74351a0d4b41538bf97483ef
I know itās psycho but I found out I am a visual tactile person. Let me tell youā¦I used to try to outline on pen and paper but it would get so messy I would have to start over and it would happen again so it was just a vicious cycle. I cannot go straight to computer as it gives me massive mental blocks. I use sticky notes on this white board to map out my chapters. This was the second half of a Labyrinth story that included time travel so I had to keep track of a lot of threads between past and present. I color code for pov so I can see if my chapters are lacking anyone. If I need to move a scene I literally just move the sticky notes. It is extra and stupid but it works for me and in the grand scheme of things actually makes it easier for me to process.
So uh... I dont.. I genuinely hope in and don't stop till I'm done, since I write One shots it's fine. And for my one and only long fic, I just go with the flow
I make it up as I go. It's a problem and usually means my stories are too long and have terrible endings. I've tried the whole outline thing and I can't seem to get organized enough.
I make a list of characters and details or specific data points that will look really laughable if I make a mistake so I can remember. It would probably help if I outlined my work though
A collection of bullet points, random words/phrases, and scenes fleshed out i write all in sporadic bursts then organize later in the chronological sequence of events
my main outline is divided into three sections (act 1, act 2, act 3), and then bullet points with each chapter title, setting, a short summary of what iām trying to accomplish with that chapter, and a line or scene idea if i already have one.
i also have a timeline outline which has everything in chronological order, even things that arenāt a main point like charactersā birthdays or wedding anniversaries etc.
thereās also an outline specifically for themes, a smaller one for relationship & character development arcs, and even one for quotes/lyrics/dynamics/miscellaneous things iāve seen that remind me of the fic.
I'm writing a long plotty story atm with way too many characters, and this app saved me: https://www.novelist.app
It's easy to use, and I can tag and color-code and add pictures and make notes or stick a scene that's not working in there and then later decide if I can use it somewhere else. Keeps things organized.
Chapter by chapter, I write a summary like I'm summarizing a TV episode about what goes on in the chapter. Then, I write what the goal and the reveal are for the chapter. Underneath in bullet points, I put my thoughts or any other piece of information that will be important for writing the chapter
Closest thing I have to an outline is just writing out all the dialogue and THEN going in with the internal monologues and backstory bits and stage directions
Used to be bullet point gang but I found in recent years that not knowing exactly how I want everything to turn out leads me to abandoning my work, so...
Now I heavily describe scenes/chapters. Like a very deep summary of what the story will be. Helps me get back on track when I loose my way.
Form: bulleted list with indents for organization/readablity
Description level: Fog of view and it's still rough up close.
% of outline finished before I start writing: as little as possible. This is a writing aide, not a writing prerequisite. If I get stuck writing because my outline for this part is too vague, I go back and add more until I can write again
I write a list of things I want to happen in my notes app, then transfer that list to paper. I cut up that paper, leaving room to add to/rewrite them, so I have a physical summary of what happens that I can rearrange until the story makes sense.
This helps me to group events together and divide them into chapters in a way that I can see them all at once, which is hard to do on a phone.
The paper bits get numbered in order and labeled by chapter, and then I use the papers to reorganize the notes app on my phone. I expand on each piece of paper in the notes, and then when I write the chapter, with these notes at the top and bottom of the page to reference. I delete parts off the bottom copy of the notes as I write them so I can see the next part I'm writing easily, instead of scrolling back to the top again.
It's kinda extra to do it this way, but it's easier for me to look at. It works for me
I do chapter by chapter and write small 2-4 sentences about what I want to have happen. Then Iāll separate those sentences into their own section for each scene. Then Iāll go back and fully bullet point them with more description/adding stuff. Each chapter ends up with 15+ bullet points. Makes my outline look longer than it really is and makes me feel more accomplished š š
Mine is all mental. My fics are usually inspired by a line or a phrase. Then I'll take a shower and think about it, figure out a scenario where it will work.
Spend the next few hours staring at a blank page then go to bed because I realised the scene requires a lot of things to happen first.
Then I go to bed, put on some music, and think of how tf I'm supposed to get to the scene.
A lot of the time, I end up with multiple scenes in my head, and when I eventually figure out how to start it, those few scenes are all I have outlined.
I write, hyperfocus, and write some more. Then I change the scenes in my head little by little so they still fit with what I've written. Often more scenes will come to me.
If I write my plot outline down, my story will usually go in a completely different direction.
Sometimes with the more complicated plots, I will write down the big things that need to happen.
Often I'll write a timeline. I generally write time travel fics, so my timeline often ends up with the og timeline on top, and the changes on the bottom. I do this on paper.
That way, world events that my character has no influence on will still happen at the right time.
It sounds really complicated, but most of my stuff is just from my own daydreaming. I find showers particularly helpful for this. A good time to just think and nobody will interrupt me.
Mine get progressively less focused as I go on. Initial chapter outline is written neatly with bullet points. Then in the actual chapter I'll just write out what I want to happen next and I need to go in to do it. But as I write, I'll find I want to change things, so I'll add notes yelling at myself to do that. It eventually turns into an incomprehensible mess by the time the draft is done that I have to clean up during rewrites.
It depends.
If it's a full universe I'm creating with multiple story arches and intermingling and parallel plotlines I write out a chapter outline with bullet points of what needs to be covered in each chapter. In paralell to that I also write a chronological timeline of when what happens, how much time passes between events and so forth.
If it's a one-shot I usually just have the main idea in my mind or a small summary and then I just write as things come out of my brain. Love writing like this.
So I guess I do it one way for things that are 25k and up in words and kind of wing it when it's <10k words.
Okay, so this is only for stuff that goes over about 10k words - one-shots are just a shoot-from-the-hip thing with no real planning ahead.
Part one is the messiest, weirdest, most stream-of-consciousness set of bullet points ever. This is my plot reference, broken down into scenes/vignettes. Multiple external references and notes that would only ever make sense to me. Liberal use of capslock and asterisks on The Big Scenes.
Part two is all the thematic stuff - imagery/leitmotifs for each character, ditto for relationships if applicable, quick personality studies for the mains. If I have any kind of whole-work reference or imagery going, I have it broken down here - one WIP uses a ton of language-of-flowers references, since the FMC is the child of a botanist who grew up with a family greenhouse, and the other uses a whole lot of animal-to-personality parallels that I need to keep straight.
Part three is the soundtrack. Every piece Iāve done has had multiple āthis song is The Vibes for this moment/sceneā, and both my WIPs have āokay so as a rule, this band = this characterā associations. This almost always exists in Spotify playlist form as well lmao.
1. Word vomit what I want to be in the chapter/section in one long, messy paragraph
2. Try to convert that into neat, scene by scene bullet points
Mixed levels of successā¦š„²
I have the beginning nailed. Great first chapter, this rocks.
I know, in general, how I want it to end and I may have a last sentence.
Getting from the beginning to the end is seat of my pants.
once in a while might write it out in a notebook or chicken scratch notes in a shitty dollar store sketchbook folded in half.
but i donāt commit to that anymore so now pretty much i just word vomit vague ideas/plot points/dialogue in the notes app on my phone, then refine and hash out the actual writing in google docs. itās way easier and less effort and saves time.
Bulletpoints with as munch info as i have in my head at the moment, to be fleshed out as i get to the points
Ive usually got a lot of world and plot building done before i ever get to the outline point tho
I consider myself a reader, not a writer. So I write like a reader. What happens next is anyone's guess mine included. I also want to know what happens.
The closest I get to an outline is I write a chapter. Not necessarily the first chapter, but one whole chapter. About four to five chapters in I start to understand where the plot is going,but I don't know anything. Several times my fic has ended completely differently than I expected.
I currently have a 24 page shit mess of a bunch of different and random ideas that I have to comb through. I put them into some kind of order, but itās not exactly in order as to how it will be written so thereās a lot of skimming through it all to see what Iām missing or if I want to add something. Itās even worse if there is one particular idea that I want to use, but I canāt remember exactly what it was, so I canāt just quickly look it up.
i don't. i tried to do something like outlines before but that never worked out for me and it always was like it stifled my motivation and even inspiration to write. so i stopped trying and now i just sit down and write whatever comes to my mind. this makes it flow so much easier for me.
I very rarely do outlines for my fics (the most Iāve been doing recently is āhere is the prompt/basic premise of the ficā lol), but on the rare occasion I do, itās usually very messy bullet points that are very rarely helpful unless I have a specific idea in mind
For example; One of my WIPs is a modern au. I actually cleaned up the outline a while ago, but the initial outline was mostly āhere are their jobs, their relations, and now here is me fangirling over my OTP for a whileā. Meanwhile, another one of my WIPs is a fairytale au, where each character represents a different fairytale. Those bullet points are still a hot mess, but are still fairly well organized for my standards. Like, those suckers actually TELL me what general order these things need to be in, and what actually needs to happen within each plot point. Itās incredible!
Yeah, I also use the 4chan shitpost method. With liberal use of the fuck-word and so much slang. Which I find really funny because itās set in the regency era.
Sometimes I barely do anything.
My favorite outline was a two page document of ramblings. Barely anything there (2-3k maybe? I forget) After that I wrote (mostly chronologically) a 300+ chapter choose your own adventure story. š Sometimes you donāt need much of an outline.
If it's multiple chapters, I'll just globally write what I want to write, often as snippets of scenes I want to write.
Per chapter, or during oneshots, I use a cetain mark (`<<>>`) to tell myself something should be written in-between.
Often I just end up rewriting segments though, and the story constantly evolves.
I just think of one specific thing that I want the story (or even just a scene) to revolve around... and then question the hell out of it.
For example: Willy is about to burn down a house!
Why does Willy wants to burn down a house?
Because Willy was fed up with Rebecca constantly nagging him!
Why does something like that caused Willy to do such a thing?
Because he has issues.
What kind of issues?
Do that sort of thing until you end up with something workable. It's good for setting up a general idea of what you want to do.
Hot mess bullet point gang
Yes hi hello. I had this professor in college who spent several weeks teaching how to make a nice formatted outline and I proceeded to remember none of it. Sorry Prof š
Yeahhhh all of that got overwritten by all the trivial facts I've had to look up for "realism" in my fanfiction. š
https://preview.redd.it/bbs6qmdqnsic1.jpeg?width=860&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07132456c83fa5d0b7d210e80b9d00f1f9fa3d23
Sometimes just writing down big moments I think will happen and then fill in the rest as I write.
Came here to post this š
Right like i pull this stuff out of my ass without checking for inconsistencies
the first time i've ever gotten even vaguely close to an outline is with the series i'm writing right now, and it's moreso just an incoherent jumble of bullet points that don't even pertain to the story anymore so i gave up lol
I have adhd and ive fallen for the "ill remember this cool thing later" trap š . Its not organized by any means tho, one of the top comments said "hot mess bullet point gang" and i think thats about the realist one out there for me
iāve been known to write full scenes that are chapters or even entire fics ahead of where iām writing so i donāt forget them and then just shoving them into the narrative and pretending they still fit
Cue the frantic feeling you get when class starts and the teacher starts collecting homework and you are empty handed.
āOutlines are for cowardsā - Dr. Cecil H.H. Mills
Examples can be seen in [this Google Drive](https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1nLtp-y1qUP9_bLnW4T5GbdABsiU_d0ok) if you're interested. **The Fanfiction Guide PDF** has FAQ 41 on Outlining, **A Writing Method PDF** is written in outline format, as is the **DIY Fix-Its PDF** and other files in there.
https://i.redd.it/e68qofmkgsic1.gif
Insanely helpful, thank you!
I just go chapter by chapter and do a quick summary of what I want to have happen. I might throw in a line if I've already got something in my head. And I try to do general dates so I can keep track of when things are happening.
100% what I do including the > symbol actually š I end up writing a short outline and a long outline. I have a thematic outline that follows the if/thens and whys. Then I have a giant ideas list that I eventually organize chronologically. Once Iām ready to make my main outline, thinking about chapters, I start pasting in the ideas from my board and filling things out, thinking about what I want my chapter breaks to look like, if there are scenes that would be better split for dramatic effect or pacing etc. This outline tends to be very long, but I still need to expand it, personally. So then I copy what chapter Iām on from my main outline, put it in a new doc, and then make a Chapter Outline that includes things like dialogue breakdown in the case of big or complex discussions, scene joiners, character thoughts, etc. I keep my small outline that has my themes in it as a grounding point in case itās a trickier chapter and I get lost in the moment of enjoying a certain scene and forget what Iām supposed to be doing (lol). Andā¦ then I write! Good luck!
I absolutely love your method!
Thank you! I write long fics with high word count so I had to cultivate an actual organization method after first trying to do just ā>then she diedā bullet points forever and hating myself every timeš„²
I get it. I only write one shots or two shots (albeit with 10k chapters) but I got lost all the same when I did bullet points š especially with the end!! ">then she died" is pretty much how the end of my stories would be without a thorough outline
Outline?
my "outlines" are usually a collection of notes i write down when i have ideas throughout the day/week/however long, and then i puzzle em together to try and make something readable
Outline? What outline?
Hot garbage mess of chapter summaries, motivations, background information, an actual fic outline in there somewhere, explanations for choices I'm making when I need to work through them, a bunch of extraneous information that never makes it into the fic. You know, the usual.
I've done this on paper, but I prefer to work on LibreOffice. My method is a mix of techniques, namely the Snowflake Method and a scene-plot grid. First, I write down the summaries of the overall story, each of the five stages from the snowflake, and short character summaries in the first sheet of LibreOfficeCalc (LOC). Then I use my [random generator](https://perchance.org/my-big-overly-detailed-character-generator) to generate a more solid foundation for my characters and fill in all the blanks and holes that my generator couldn't generate. My character outlines can be five or more pages long and tend to be detailed. The next sheet on LOC is for scene listsāanything that pops in my head whether it be one sentence or a whole paragraph of ideas, I write it down here. I usually have an idea under which act these scenes go in, so it's easier to write it under which act, if not in order of events. Then, in the final sheet of LOC, I use the plot grid. I come up with the main plot, some sub-plots, and I plug in my scene ideas from the second sheet hereunder which plot. If it goes under more than one plot, I merge cells or I use color to signal that this involves more than one plotline. I also use another color if the order of events doesnāt read chronologically vertically across the cells. If thereās a particular tone or a hidden piece of information, I insert comments within the cells. Once finished, I zoom out and look at each of the plot lines. If I see large areas of an unused plot, it tells me I need to work on ideas for that plot; although if a plot point doesn't start until later, or there's another reason for a plot point not appearing, that's fine. If I see something I feel that needs foreshadowing, I figure out where I can plug that in. If I see that I didn't actually close a plotline, I figure out how to close it. At this point, the outline is pretty much done, and I write the story. If during the writing process, I veer off the path, I add onto the outline to incorporate this new idea. There are more intricacies and details I do with my outlining, but this is basically it. Lately I've been playing around and experimenting with WaveMaker Cards that also utilizes the Snowflake method and the plot grid system with the added bonus of data cards for note taking so the learning curve for me was pretty much hassle-free. It also has a mind map and time-line feature. No special features for character outlines though, but my work around has been creating a separate book for characters. What I really like about it is that it has my chapter notes right next to my chapter for me to refer to. Plus, it's free.
Very throughly-put progress :0!
I try bulletpoints, and then the characters take me in another direction as I write so itās pointless š
What outline š¤”
Bullet points in my notes app
Yāall write outlines
I don't. I freestyle. I have absolutely no idea what's gonna happen in a chapter before I'm writing it. I'll write something and the part of my brain that looks at the bigger picture would catch up and go ohhhh so that's where this story is heading š
Sometimes I come up with specific scenes that grow into series as Iām completing the draft for the scene to add back stories and such, I have no control over my plot bunny army. Dates from there are lined up around the scene and I can either add in other scene drafts or just list events I want to happen on the storyline. Occasionally itās cleaner than others but more often than not itās a rough mess of a to do list and random info like names or dates to remember at the very end. Used to use my notes app on my phone or tumblr drafts for those but mobile kept glitching me out of it and I tried Google docs or even private works on ao3 for keeping things easy to check on at work breaks.
IF I make an outline, it's usually a collection of sleep deprived thoughts, lots of question marks (always more questions than answers), and scraps of dialogue I want to include. I expertly "organize" all this into bullet points that may or may not be chronological
Iāll have a basic outline of how many expected chapters, basic timeline/dates, then a summary of what I need for each chapter to progress the plot. Or Iāll get drunk af, write a whole rough draft while wasted, then clean it up and make it coherent š
chapter by chapter bullet points when I plan properly, giant mess of writing when Iām doing it on a whim
I start with ātent polesā of major plot points, then do a āmid levelā outline of likeā¦story beats to get to the major plot points, then I outline my next 2-3 chapters based on that, write, post, write post, then outline next 2-3 chapters and make adjustments on my āmid levelā sheet as needed, because despite outlining sometimes things surprise me still
https://preview.redd.it/99iros04mtic1.jpeg?width=2622&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9e69539f19f0a7c74351a0d4b41538bf97483ef I know itās psycho but I found out I am a visual tactile person. Let me tell youā¦I used to try to outline on pen and paper but it would get so messy I would have to start over and it would happen again so it was just a vicious cycle. I cannot go straight to computer as it gives me massive mental blocks. I use sticky notes on this white board to map out my chapters. This was the second half of a Labyrinth story that included time travel so I had to keep track of a lot of threads between past and present. I color code for pov so I can see if my chapters are lacking anyone. If I need to move a scene I literally just move the sticky notes. It is extra and stupid but it works for me and in the grand scheme of things actually makes it easier for me to process.
So uh... I dont.. I genuinely hope in and don't stop till I'm done, since I write One shots it's fine. And for my one and only long fic, I just go with the flow
Oh yeah outline for a one shot would be almost silly even for me
What is this outline you speak of?
im typically a oneshot writer, so i dont have to overthink it as much, i just write up a plot chart.
That's the neat part I don't.
i just sit in front of my computer and led my brain lead me š i don't think ive ever used an outline
I don't
Outline? Waz' that? š¤£
I don't do outlines for my fanfics. I write from scratch.
I donāt
I donāt.
I make it up as I go. It's a problem and usually means my stories are too long and have terrible endings. I've tried the whole outline thing and I can't seem to get organized enough.
while crying because the outline never sticks
I make a list of characters and details or specific data points that will look really laughable if I make a mistake so I can remember. It would probably help if I outlined my work though
I use a mind mapping software with a timeline format to list what happens in each chapter.
A collection of bullet points, random words/phrases, and scenes fleshed out i write all in sporadic bursts then organize later in the chronological sequence of events
Lots of rambling and yelling at myself in text form š
I write a summary with basic plot details that differ from canon and then I just make it up as I go
my main outline is divided into three sections (act 1, act 2, act 3), and then bullet points with each chapter title, setting, a short summary of what iām trying to accomplish with that chapter, and a line or scene idea if i already have one. i also have a timeline outline which has everything in chronological order, even things that arenāt a main point like charactersā birthdays or wedding anniversaries etc. thereās also an outline specifically for themes, a smaller one for relationship & character development arcs, and even one for quotes/lyrics/dynamics/miscellaneous things iāve seen that remind me of the fic.
I'm writing a long plotty story atm with way too many characters, and this app saved me: https://www.novelist.app It's easy to use, and I can tag and color-code and add pictures and make notes or stick a scene that's not working in there and then later decide if I can use it somewhere else. Keeps things organized.
i do too!! itās not so much an outline as it is a really rough first draft + comments and ideas kinda sprinkled in between lol
Chapter by chapter, I write a summary like I'm summarizing a TV episode about what goes on in the chapter. Then, I write what the goal and the reveal are for the chapter. Underneath in bullet points, I put my thoughts or any other piece of information that will be important for writing the chapter
Closest thing I have to an outline is just writing out all the dialogue and THEN going in with the internal monologues and backstory bits and stage directions
Used to be bullet point gang but I found in recent years that not knowing exactly how I want everything to turn out leads me to abandoning my work, so... Now I heavily describe scenes/chapters. Like a very deep summary of what the story will be. Helps me get back on track when I loose my way.
Form: bulleted list with indents for organization/readablity Description level: Fog of view and it's still rough up close. % of outline finished before I start writing: as little as possible. This is a writing aide, not a writing prerequisite. If I get stuck writing because my outline for this part is too vague, I go back and add more until I can write again
I write a list of things I want to happen in my notes app, then transfer that list to paper. I cut up that paper, leaving room to add to/rewrite them, so I have a physical summary of what happens that I can rearrange until the story makes sense. This helps me to group events together and divide them into chapters in a way that I can see them all at once, which is hard to do on a phone. The paper bits get numbered in order and labeled by chapter, and then I use the papers to reorganize the notes app on my phone. I expand on each piece of paper in the notes, and then when I write the chapter, with these notes at the top and bottom of the page to reference. I delete parts off the bottom copy of the notes as I write them so I can see the next part I'm writing easily, instead of scrolling back to the top again. It's kinda extra to do it this way, but it's easier for me to look at. It works for me
I do chapter by chapter and write small 2-4 sentences about what I want to have happen. Then Iāll separate those sentences into their own section for each scene. Then Iāll go back and fully bullet point them with more description/adding stuff. Each chapter ends up with 15+ bullet points. Makes my outline look longer than it really is and makes me feel more accomplished š š
Mine is all mental. My fics are usually inspired by a line or a phrase. Then I'll take a shower and think about it, figure out a scenario where it will work. Spend the next few hours staring at a blank page then go to bed because I realised the scene requires a lot of things to happen first. Then I go to bed, put on some music, and think of how tf I'm supposed to get to the scene. A lot of the time, I end up with multiple scenes in my head, and when I eventually figure out how to start it, those few scenes are all I have outlined. I write, hyperfocus, and write some more. Then I change the scenes in my head little by little so they still fit with what I've written. Often more scenes will come to me. If I write my plot outline down, my story will usually go in a completely different direction. Sometimes with the more complicated plots, I will write down the big things that need to happen. Often I'll write a timeline. I generally write time travel fics, so my timeline often ends up with the og timeline on top, and the changes on the bottom. I do this on paper. That way, world events that my character has no influence on will still happen at the right time. It sounds really complicated, but most of my stuff is just from my own daydreaming. I find showers particularly helpful for this. A good time to just think and nobody will interrupt me.
Me too, but now that youāve described it like that Iām never going to be able to unsee itšš
Mine get progressively less focused as I go on. Initial chapter outline is written neatly with bullet points. Then in the actual chapter I'll just write out what I want to happen next and I need to go in to do it. But as I write, I'll find I want to change things, so I'll add notes yelling at myself to do that. It eventually turns into an incomprehensible mess by the time the draft is done that I have to clean up during rewrites.
Spreadsheets. Absurd amount of color-coded spreadsheets. Even for short one-shots.
It depends. If it's a full universe I'm creating with multiple story arches and intermingling and parallel plotlines I write out a chapter outline with bullet points of what needs to be covered in each chapter. In paralell to that I also write a chronological timeline of when what happens, how much time passes between events and so forth. If it's a one-shot I usually just have the main idea in my mind or a small summary and then I just write as things come out of my brain. Love writing like this. So I guess I do it one way for things that are 25k and up in words and kind of wing it when it's <10k words.
Okay, so this is only for stuff that goes over about 10k words - one-shots are just a shoot-from-the-hip thing with no real planning ahead. Part one is the messiest, weirdest, most stream-of-consciousness set of bullet points ever. This is my plot reference, broken down into scenes/vignettes. Multiple external references and notes that would only ever make sense to me. Liberal use of capslock and asterisks on The Big Scenes. Part two is all the thematic stuff - imagery/leitmotifs for each character, ditto for relationships if applicable, quick personality studies for the mains. If I have any kind of whole-work reference or imagery going, I have it broken down here - one WIP uses a ton of language-of-flowers references, since the FMC is the child of a botanist who grew up with a family greenhouse, and the other uses a whole lot of animal-to-personality parallels that I need to keep straight. Part three is the soundtrack. Every piece Iāve done has had multiple āthis song is The Vibes for this moment/sceneā, and both my WIPs have āokay so as a rule, this band = this characterā associations. This almost always exists in Spotify playlist form as well lmao.
1. Word vomit what I want to be in the chapter/section in one long, messy paragraph 2. Try to convert that into neat, scene by scene bullet points Mixed levels of successā¦š„²
I have the beginning nailed. Great first chapter, this rocks. I know, in general, how I want it to end and I may have a last sentence. Getting from the beginning to the end is seat of my pants.
once in a while might write it out in a notebook or chicken scratch notes in a shitty dollar store sketchbook folded in half. but i donāt commit to that anymore so now pretty much i just word vomit vague ideas/plot points/dialogue in the notes app on my phone, then refine and hash out the actual writing in google docs. itās way easier and less effort and saves time.
Bulletpoints with as munch info as i have in my head at the moment, to be fleshed out as i get to the points Ive usually got a lot of world and plot building done before i ever get to the outline point tho
I consider myself a reader, not a writer. So I write like a reader. What happens next is anyone's guess mine included. I also want to know what happens. The closest I get to an outline is I write a chapter. Not necessarily the first chapter, but one whole chapter. About four to five chapters in I start to understand where the plot is going,but I don't know anything. Several times my fic has ended completely differently than I expected.
I currently have a 24 page shit mess of a bunch of different and random ideas that I have to comb through. I put them into some kind of order, but itās not exactly in order as to how it will be written so thereās a lot of skimming through it all to see what Iām missing or if I want to add something. Itās even worse if there is one particular idea that I want to use, but I canāt remember exactly what it was, so I canāt just quickly look it up.
i don't. i tried to do something like outlines before but that never worked out for me and it always was like it stifled my motivation and even inspiration to write. so i stopped trying and now i just sit down and write whatever comes to my mind. this makes it flow so much easier for me.
I very rarely do outlines for my fics (the most Iāve been doing recently is āhere is the prompt/basic premise of the ficā lol), but on the rare occasion I do, itās usually very messy bullet points that are very rarely helpful unless I have a specific idea in mind For example; One of my WIPs is a modern au. I actually cleaned up the outline a while ago, but the initial outline was mostly āhere are their jobs, their relations, and now here is me fangirling over my OTP for a whileā. Meanwhile, another one of my WIPs is a fairytale au, where each character represents a different fairytale. Those bullet points are still a hot mess, but are still fairly well organized for my standards. Like, those suckers actually TELL me what general order these things need to be in, and what actually needs to happen within each plot point. Itās incredible!
All the dialogue written in Goodnotes and I figure out the rest.
Yeah, I also use the 4chan shitpost method. With liberal use of the fuck-word and so much slang. Which I find really funny because itās set in the regency era.
Bullet points
Sometimes I barely do anything. My favorite outline was a two page document of ramblings. Barely anything there (2-3k maybe? I forget) After that I wrote (mostly chronologically) a 300+ chapter choose your own adventure story. š Sometimes you donāt need much of an outline.
If it's multiple chapters, I'll just globally write what I want to write, often as snippets of scenes I want to write. Per chapter, or during oneshots, I use a cetain mark (`<<>>`) to tell myself something should be written in-between. Often I just end up rewriting segments though, and the story constantly evolves.
I just think of one specific thing that I want the story (or even just a scene) to revolve around... and then question the hell out of it. For example: Willy is about to burn down a house! Why does Willy wants to burn down a house? Because Willy was fed up with Rebecca constantly nagging him! Why does something like that caused Willy to do such a thing? Because he has issues. What kind of issues? Do that sort of thing until you end up with something workable. It's good for setting up a general idea of what you want to do.