Fiction Outlining: A Quick Guide for Writers Who Want to Stay Organised but Also Have Fun
So, you’ve got a brilliant idea for a novel. Maybe it came to you in a dream. Maybe it struck like lightning while you were brushing your teeth. Maybe it’s been simmering in your head for years like a particularly stubborn stew. But now comes the tricky part—getting it all down in an organised way so you don’t end up lost in a maze of plot holes and half-baked characters. That’s where an outline comes in.
Now, before you groan and roll your eyes, let me assure you: outlining doesn’t have to feel like a school assignment or an administrative nightmare. It’s just a way to stop your future self from weeping into a cup of cold tea when you realise you’ve written yourself into a corner.
Here’s how to do it—substep by substep, with minimal pain and (hopefully) a few laughs.
Step 1: Define the Big Picture
First things first, what kind of book are you writing? Answer these questions before you go charging in like a caffeine-fuelled crazy person:
- What genre are you working within? Is it a thriller, romance, fantasy, or something that defies categorisation? If it’s the latter, good luck explaining it to marketing people.
- Is this book standalone or series? If it’s a series, you’ll need to plant some seeds for future books.
- What is the setting of your story? Contemporary, historical, futuristic, or some made-up world where people wear cloaks and say “verily” a lot?
- Which narrative voice are you using? First person, like a diary? Third person, like an all-knowing entity? Or second person? That last one is rare, but possible if you enjoy making your readers feel personally responsible for everything.
- How saleable are your book’s ideas? Not the most important consideration for writers who just have great ideas that need getting down, but worth some thought. See more about researching idea viability in Step 1, Part 1 of this blog series.
Get these nailed down, and you’re already ahead of half the writers out there. personally I love this research stage. Digging into context, world maps, cultures, naming conventions, history, and more. What could be more fun?
Making a storyboard is also a great idea right about now. This can include images, textures, plant pressings, keywords, and even vision board elements. I will write about how-to soon, promise…
Step 2: Summarise Your Plot (Without Panicking)
Now, write down a rough summary of your story. Don’t overthink it. This is your “big picture” overview, not a legally binding document.
If you’re feeling brave, try writing a one-paragraph pitch—the kind you’d use to convince a bored literary agent at a party. Something like:
“When a caffeine-addicted journalist stumbles upon a conspiracy involving missing cats, she must team up with an ex-detective and a psychic to uncover the truth before she becomes the next victim.”
If that sounds ridiculous, congratulations! You’re writing fiction.
Step 3: Create Your Cast of Characters
Your characters are the ones carrying this thing, so let’s make sure they’re up to the task. Start with your protagonist (the person readers are supposed to root for). Write down:
- Their name. Try to avoid names that all sound the same, or readers will think you’re writing about clones.
- Their age. Unless they’re immortal. In which case, age is more of a suggestion.
- Their occupation—or lack thereof, if they’re one of those protagonists who somehow afford a penthouse while being “between jobs”.
- Their personality/unique traits. Are they brave? Cynical? Do they collect weird spoons? Do they have a nervous tic or a harelip?
- Their fatal (or potentially fatal) flaw. Every good protagonist needs one. “Too perfect” is not believable or relatable.
Then do the same for your supporting cast, including the antagonist (villain), love interests, sidekicks, and the random old person who will inevitably dispense wisdom at a crucial moment.
Step 4: The Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown
This is where you map out the journey. Think of each chapter as a mini-story with a beginning, middle, and end.
A basic structure might look like this:
- Introduction—who is your main character? What’s their life like before everything goes pear-shaped?
- Inciting incident—the event that kickstarts the plot (the murder, the love interest walking in, the alien invasion, etc.).
- The middle bits—things get worse. Obstacles arise. Tension builds. Maybe there’s an explosion.
- The climax—everything comes to a head. Big decisions are made. Dramatic things happen.
- The ending—wrap it up nicely, unless you want angry readers throwing your book across the room.
For each chapter, jot down bullet points of what happens. Keep it loose—this is your roadmap, not a contract.
Step 5: Add the Fun Stuff
At this point, you’ve got a solid outline. But let’s jazz it up a bit:
- Consider your themes. What’s your book really about? Love? Betrayal? The horrors of online dating?
- Include foreshadowing. Drop hints about future twists. Readers love to feel clever when they spot them.
- Get your subplots in a row. These are the little side stories that make your book richer (unless they hijack the plot—watch out for that).
Step 6: Step Back and Breathe
Congratulations! You now have a functional outline. Will you stick to it? Maybe. Maybe not. That’s the joy of writing. But at least now, if you get lost, you’ve got a map to find your way back.
And remember—this is your story. If you wake up one morning and realise your hero would actually make a better villain, or that your dystopian setting would work better with dragons, go for it. Outlines are meant to guide you, not shackle you.
Now, go forth and write! And try not to kill off too many characters. Readers tend to get emotional about that.
For help with creating book outlines, storyboards, and more, contact us here or check out our homepage.
We also have loads of really useful tools (like fiction outline templates) being loaded onto our website soon (at the time of writing), so go give the rest of our Blogs and Resources page a look!
Photo by Andrea Davis, 2020, Pixabay.
