I’ve made no secret of my addiction to plotting. My friends will all tell you that outlining is the most fun I can have without taking my clothes off.
That in no way means that everyone has to outline. Some of my favorite authors are "pantsers" and I love their work. You never know what’s going to happen because the author is just as surprised as you are when they write the ending, which is amazing.
There’s no right or wrong way to write a novel. If you’re getting the words out and the story is entertaining enough, it doesn’t even need to be structured in a specific way. I recently read a book by indie author, Jon Ryder Davis that had a completely unconventional structure and I enjoyed it immensely.
That said, I can’t write without an outline. I write myself into corners, I lose interest in the project, and nothing gets finished. The reason I’m able to complete a novel per month for my ghostwriting job, is thanks to my wicked outlining skills. So, for anyone who is interested, I’ve broken down my plotting process to its most basic parts and broken it up into a series of blog posts. Today I’ll start with two things, The Hook and World-Building.
The Hook
Most of my books start with an initial concept that forms in my head. It might be as simple as two characters colliding under strange circumstances or an ironic problem that your main character might have. You’ll need to answer the when, what, who, where, how, and why questions about your main character or the plot, depending on whether your story is character driven or plot driven. Start with a problem and end with a question. The situation needs to be compelling enough for readers to care what happens to your MC.
For example…
When twenty-six-year-old aspiring actress, Avery Rollins, finds her roommate laying in the bathtub with a brutal looking bite wound on her neck, she soon finds herself swept up in a deadly game of cat and mouse with a local vampire coven. Can Avery save her roommate from a fate worse than death, or is she just prolonging the inevitable?
It’s a short paragraph. In two sentences, we told the reader a little bit about who our main character is, the problem that she’s dealing with, and what could happen if she fails. You can make a hook a little longer if you want to give some insight into the characters’ personalities, but this is the bare bones minimum that I would need to start building my outline.
World Building
Depending on your genre, you’ll want to decide whether or not you need to do some world building before you get started. A Fantasy, Sci-Fi, or Paranormal novel will require you to make rules and physics that will dictate what your characters can or can’t do. You also need to make notes of what parts of the world tie in directly with your hook.
If you’re like me, this part can be a dangerous because it’s easy to get sucked into writing more than you need to. That's why I suggest starting a world-bible but DO NOT ATTEMPT TO FINISH IT BEFORE YOU START OUTLINING YOUR STORY. Geography, history, politics, magic systems, plants, animals, and social customs will all contribute to enriching your story. BUT... You don't want to get sucked into the "World-Building Hole". Yes, there is a name for it.
Don't get me wrong. You want this info on hand, especially if you plan on writing a series because you want to make sure you’re consistent and you're not breaking your own rules. The mistake that most plotters make, is that they build an intricate world before outlining. The naïve intention is to develope a fully formed universe that they can dump their characters into it and expect a great story to unfold on its own.
In my experience, this rarely works out. You’re putting all these limitations on yourself before you even start writing, and it shrivels up before it has a chance. So in my outline, I’ll create a section for all this stuff, and fill in what I already know from my hook. Then I fill it in as my story takes shape in the outlining process.
A great story starts and ends with your character and their journey. In real life the world doesn’t revolve around anyone, but in fiction, we get to control the narrative. The world and everything that exists within it are devices that can be used to enhance the reader's experience. Obstacles and assets, friends and enemies, tension and fun, pain and pleasure, it’s all about balance and knowing how to use the world to take your readers on an awesome ride.
However world-building can be the kiss of death if you’re not careful. The danger of ornate world-building is that you could literally spend your entire life creating a fictional world without ever starting your story. For this reason, I choose to create my world-bible with sections for all the things I highlighted above, but I fill it in as I go.
When I’m outlining and something comes up, like a special spell or superpower, I fill it in under the magic systems along with any rules or history that it affects. If I need my character to be attacked by a giant carnivorous plant, I add that into the section for flora or fauna and geography. If my character gets taken hostage by a tribe of goblins, I’ll fill in what I need to know about their politics and social customs.
Having all this stuff on hand will ensure that your writing stays consistent and you can make the environment as rich and detailed as you like… as long as it doesn’t hinder you from telling your story. One of the biggest things that I feel the need to reiterate is that your reader doesn't even need to see all of your world building. I know that's a painful thing to process at first but, that doesn't mean it's a waste of your time to jot this stuff down in your notes.
Does the reader need to know that goblins get frequent skin infections and are allergic to shell fish? I don't know... You tell me. Can you mention it briefly and get a laugh without spending a page and a half talking about the biology of the little critters? Does the MC use this knowledge to escape somehow? Maybe he or she teaches them to make a soothing ointment and they choose to let him or her go.
The best way to determine whether or not you're info-dumping on your readers is to ask yourself if any paragraph sounds like something you might find in a textbook. Most people (not all) find text books monotonous and boring. Assuming that your intent is to sell books, my advice is to consider your readers the priority and set your ego aside. If the information you're presenting doesn't propel the story forward, develop your characters, get your reader to laugh, or pertain to an important plot point, you might need to kill that darling.
Bonus Content
But don't despair! Step three of my process says that the encyclopedia of your universe can still see the light of day. You're playing the long game with your writing and you want to look ahead to after the book is published. If your story is compelling and you win over a loyal tribe of super-fans. Your readers might have a million questions about your world and your process. If that happens, all those notes and drawings will do nicely as bonus content for people who have purchased and reviewed your books.
Speaking from the perspective of a super-fan, nothing feels better than being rewarded for supporting authors I love. Sometimes, an author will offer exclusive content for helping with a book launch, leaving a review, or subscribing to a newsletter, and I admit... I eat that shit up.
So the highlights of this article are... Start with a great hook. Build your world as you go. And save up bonus content from day one.
If you find this article helpful, I’d greatly appreciate if you shared it with your writer friends. Next week’s post will be covering how to map out detailed Character Profiles.
If you’re interested in more fun writing tips, please check out my YouTube Channel “Writing Happy Hour” at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCb84ejaH4jW_ceEdAcWnBlw or you can subscribe to my monthly newsletter at ravensmusepublishing.com where I also host a monthly giveaway.
Want a chance to win free stuff? Some of the prizes for that giveaway include signed paperbacks by the amazing Rick Gualtieri, free e-books from countless other indie authors, a possible spot on my show, or a premium cover package by getcovers.com.
Until next time, keep those pages turning and your keys clacking.
<3
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