Outlining your Novel Workbook What If?

 You probably have ideas for several main characters, a handful of scenes, a general conflict, and maybe a broad sense of the ending. Your first goal is to hammer all this down into a premise: one or two sentences that convey the characters, the plot, and the theme. 

Who is your hero? Woulf

What does he want? To find his place in the world

Who or what is keeping him from getting what he wants? his disability (telepathy, empathy)

What’s at stake if he doesn’t get it? He won't get to marry his girlfriend or be able to live within his pack

The premise is where you discover and solidify these decisions.

Exercise #1: Ask yourself every “what if” question that pops to mind regarding your story. Some of your ideas will be ridiculous; most will probably never make it into your book. But don’t censor yourself. By allowing yourself to write down every idea, no matter how crazy, you may come up with story-transforming gems.

1. What if he never learned to control it? 
2. What if he did but not completely? 
3. What if he didn't have his year mates? 
4. What if getting his disability under control is grounds for exile? 
5. What if his girlfriend rejects him because of it? 
6. What if his disability makes him hypersensitive to emotional nuances? 
7. What if he scares his elders? What if the journey is his choice? 
8. What if he is pushed out of the village by the council? 
9. What if he finds out he isn't unique in his village? 
10. What if the planet warped the children of the Woulven from the beginning? 
11. What if are just curious about what is outside their village? 
12. What if the elders had kept them locked into the village ? 
13. What if more than Woulf sets out on this journey? 
14. What if contact with other marooned races are on similar quests? 
15. What if they weren't but Woulf's arrival gets others interested in learning the secrets of the planet and why they can't leave? 
16. What if the planet is somehow alive and was lonely? 
17. What if pulling the ships down was the planets plan to become less lonely? 
18. What if the members of woulfs group become the planets slave? 
19. What if they are able to convice the planet to allow some of the races return to the stars? 
20. What if a villian has arrived and is terrorizing other groups? 
21. What if Woulf and his group are necessary to save them? 
22. What if the spur getting woulf to leave is a cry for help on a bandwidth only he can hear? 
23. What if the cry is a trap? 
24. What if Woulf has other talents that he is not aware of? 
25. What if he becomes a hero to other races? 
26. What if his companions become afraid of him? 
27. What if Woulf does not exist except in someone elses mind? 
28. What if his childhood trauma made him unacceptable to his pack?
29. What if he is the chiefs son not the hunters? 
30. What if he only loves his girlfriend because his best friend is in love with her and he is simply mirroring?
31. What if he had to make his way in the world since the first incident and he doesn't know his own people?
32. What if he becomes part of a reverse harem?
33. What if the call he hears in because of a sickness?
34. What if he is somehow immune to the sickness and the remedy is known to his people?
35. What if his ability to hear thoughts could solve a series of murders? or help a ruler?
36. What if he decides he is looking for a way to burn the telepathy out of his head so he can be "normal"
37. What if someone he knows has an idea how to do that?
38. What if he needs to meet and discover other minds like his to solve the reason the planet can't be left behind?
39. What if the solution is worse than the problem
40. what if he decides not to follow the river for a bit what will he find
41. what if his friends decide they do not want to go any further
42. what if promises were made that need to be broken how would he decide
43. what if he is not honourable or brave
44. what if he has a difficult time making decisions
45. what if he is sent out as a spy
46. what if his people know about his disability and use it to solve issues
47. what if he runs away because he needs to find something else he is good at
48. what if he hates his people because of the way they treat him
49. what if the need to run away is for self preservation
50. what if each race he meets tries to use him in the same way
51. what if there is always a group of "nice" people that help him out
52. what if he uses racial characteristics to solve mysteries willingly
53. what if he and members of the other races band together to discover the secret of the planet
54. what if the ships have been all but forgotten m the other races
55. What if the further the race is from "Wulven" the longer they have been on the planet
56. What if a new ship is about to crash or has crashed and Woulf is the one that finds them and helps them get situated
57. What if the new race is telepathic without spoken language (they are all mutes)
58. what if Woulfs telepathy is the only thing that allows communication between them.
59. what if the new race had other mental gifts as well
60. what if Woulf needs to protect them from becoming slaves
61. What if solving mysteries is what makes Woulf strong, that it is his saving grace

Outlining Your Novel Chapter 3

 “…your premise is your inspiration. It’s the ‘lightbulb’ moment when you say, ‘Now that would make a terrific story’….” —John Truby6

My first goal is to hammer all this down into a premise: a single sentence that conveys the plot and the theme.

I know this sounds basic, but be able to create a mission statement along the lines of “I’m writing a relatively fast-paced action-adventure story with a subplot involving espionage and a tragic love relationship.” You may vary from that description, but being able to on the macro level tell yourself what it is you’re trying to do is very useful.

Your goal is to create a sentence that conveys the characters, setting, and central conflict, first generally, as in the example in the paragraph above, and then in the most specific way possible.

Every writer is familiar with the power of the “what if” question. Even when the question isn’t articulated, every novel, every story, and every article is ultimately inspired by those words.

Make the “what if” question a part of your routine for every story. Write the question out to provide yourself a solid visual, and let your imagination take off. Once you’ve selected the few ideas that might work, start looking for tangents: “If such and such happened, then what if this also happened? Or what if this happened instead?”

“What if” questions are hugely powerful. But if we don’t refine them into full-blown premise sentences, we’re not taking full advantage of them. Crafting a good premise sentence is valuable for a number of reasons.

Identifies Viable Ideas Condensing and solidifying an idea into a premise sentence gives you an immediate assessment of whether this idea will stand up for the length of an entire story.

Solidifies Characters, Conflict, and Plot A premise sentence forces you to identify a main character (as explicitly as possible: you’ll note my premise sentence indicates his name, his occupation, and a personality trait), a central conflict, and, as a result, a general plot. Your “what if” question gives you an idea; your premise sentence gives you a story.

Distills the Book’s Essence A story has so many potential directions that the task of selecting the best one can prove difficult. Sometimes you’ll be chapters into the story before realizing you should have taken another path. A premise sentence is like a mini-outline, one that’s useful even to those who dislike outlining. Writing down your idea (and it is important to actually write it down) gives you a guiding star by which to direct the frigate of your story.

Guides You to the Next Question Once the premise sentence has given you the central crux of your story, the next step usually becomes obvious.

Provides an Easy Answer to Questions About Your Story When well-meaning friends, family, and fans ask, “So what’s your new story about?”, you hem and haw, flustered by the difficulties of explaining a 300-page novel in a few words. The easy solution is to offer them your premise sentence. It’s an answer that satisfies their curiosity and allows you to appear confident and prepared.

Prepares You for Selling Your Work Finally, creating a premise sentence early in your writing process prepares you for pitching your work to agents, who inevitably require a concise, gripping description of your story. If you start now, you can polish it to perfection by the time you’re ready to start shopping your book.

Your premise is the foundation for every other facet of your story—character, setting, theme, plot. Without a solid premise, your story will turn into the Leaning Tower of Pisa, no matter how strong the other elements may be.

Take a long, hard look at your premise: Are you milking it for everything it’s worth? Don’t settle for the obvious or easy answers. If you have a brilliant premise, don’t let a drop of that potential go to waste.

In addition to questions specific to your premise, ask some general questions: 

What are four or five big moments that will occur in the plot?

 Can you think of at least two complications for each of these moments? 

Will these complications push your characters in ways that make them uncomfortable? 

What additional settings will these complications demand? 

Which character will be the protagonist? 

Which character will be affected most by the inciting event? 

Does this character have at least two major problems or anxieties in his life? 

Which offers the most potential for conflict and drama? 

How does this problem affect other characters?

Take note, though: this isn’t the end of your creating. This is just the beginning. A “well thought out [novel] ….does not include knowing in advance every line of dialogue, every scene, every exciting turning point.”8

How to Brainstorm Some methods of brainstorming are more likely than others to put us in the way of viable ideas. Mind maps and “what if” questions, as well as writing prompts and free writing, are all valuable methods because they all have one thing in common: they allow us to move past the critical, analytical side of our brains and get in touch with the “dream zone” in the back. This kind of brainstorming is what Robert Olen Butler refers to as “dreamstorming.”9

Chapter Three Checklist 

⬜Write down your story’s primary “what if” question.

⬜Craft your premise sentence to a) identify your story’s central idea, b) solidify your character(s), conflict, and plot, and c) distill the book’s focus (romance, mystery, historical, etc.)

⬜Answer the appropriate pre-outline questions to make sure you’re considering all the options your premise offers.

Outlining Your Novel Chapter 2

 “Outlines help us not only to generate stories, but to organize them….” —Sarah Domet3
Weiland, K.M.. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) (p. 20). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

How do you decide which outlining method is best for you? Trial and error is your best bet. You’ll never know for certain if you’ll click with a particular method until you give it a try.
Weiland, K.M.. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) (p. 21). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

don’t box yourself into a rigid system. Never be afraid to experiment. Ultimately, finding the right outlining method isn’t so much about choosing as it is about creating. As you read this book, grab hold of anything that strikes your fancy, give it a try, combine it with the methods you’ve already put into practice, and keep searching for tips you can pick up from other authors. If you’re continually striving to learn about the outlining environment that allows you to work most efficiently, you’ll be able to refine your writing in ways that reach far beyond the craft itself. 
Weiland, K.M.. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) (pp. 21-22). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

Different types of Outlines:

Mind Map - I've tried this but for some reason it just doesn't stick for me

Pictorial Outline - This is how I do things. A picture sparked Woulfs story and I continue to use pictures to flesh out his path and his world

Map - This is a method I have in mind if I am to track Woulf's trip as it will give me a clearer idea of the hazards he might find.

Perfect Review - "Write yourself the "perfect" review before your story even hits paper.
   
 If you could have a professional reviewer read your idealized concept of your finished book and totally get it—completely understand everything you’re trying to say with your characters, plot, dialogue, and themes—what would he write about your story? Close your eyes for a moment, emotionally distance yourself from your story, and pretend you’re that reviewer.

       Be specific. Don’t just let the reviewer say he loved the story. Make him tell you why he loved it. What parts are the best? What makes this piece really shine?

        Be thorough. Cover every aspect of story you can think of: plot (including arc, pacing, and originality), characters (including personalities, arc, and development), dialogue, themes, and climax. 

        Be extravagant. Praise your story to the skies. Layer on the adjectives of adulation. After all, you’re writing from the perspective of a reader who understands and loves your story just as much as you do. So have fun! 

When you’re finished, you’ll have an explicit goal toward which you can strive in molding your story.

Chapter Two Checklist 

✅Choose the best outlining method(s) for you.

⬜Write the “perfect review.” 

✅Select the outlining tools that will promote creativity and inspiration. 

⬜Download yWriter (if you’re so inclined). (Tempting but try scrivener first)

✅Locate a couple used calendars to track your timeline. (Will use calendars that are on my computer)

Word list

 

arboreal

 adjective

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ar·​bo·​re·​al | \ är-ˈbȯr-ē-əl  \

Definition of arboreal

1: of, relating to, or resembling a tree

2: inhabiting or frequenting treesarboreal monkeys

anthropomorphic

 adjective

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an·​thro·​po·​mor·​phic | \ ˌan(t)-thrə-pə-ˈmȯr-fik  \

Definition of anthropomorphic

1: described or thought of as having a human form or human attributesanthropomorphic deitiesstories involving anthropomorphic animals

2: ascribing human characteristics to nonhuman thingsanthropomorphic supernaturalismanthropomorphic beliefs about nature

Outlining Your Novel Chapter 1

 “In preparing for battle, I have always found that plans are useless, but planning is indispensable.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower 

Weiland, K.M.. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) (p. 7). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

Ollie Outliner: I’m lost without my outline. Gotta have a road map, so I know where I’m going. It makes the journey so much easier. How can anyone write a coherent story without some idea of what’s supposed to happen? Think how much time you waste writing dead-end scenes and meandering subplots! 

Polly Pantser: Where do you get the patience—and the time—to spend weeks, or even months, outlining a story? I’d go crazy if I had to wait that long to start writing. Besides, I lose all the sense of adventure if I know how the story is going to turn out before I start writing it.

I am going to try outlining as seat of the pants isn't working

Weiland, K.M.. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) (p. 7). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition. 

Misconception #1: Outlines Require Formal Formatting

Outlines don’t require the crossing of every T, the dotting of every I, and the buttoning of your top collar button. Rather, they should be opportunities for throwing caution to the wind, living on the edge, and breaking any rule silly enough to raise its head.

Misconception #2: Outlines Limit Creativity

Outlines should encourage wild creativity, daring experimentation, and focused inspiration. If you’re not encountering these elements in your own outline, you’re probably looking at the process in the wrong light.

Misconception #3: Outlines Rob the Joy of Discovery

Utilizing an outline allows us to take advantage of both sides of our brains by divvying up the necessary responsibilities of creating a story. When we outline, the creative process can be divided into four categories: conception, outlining, writing, revising.

Conception is a deeply right-brain activity.

Outlining is where the left brain gets its first crack at the story.

Writing the story is an intensely right-brain experience.

Revising brings the process full circle by once again imposing left-brain rationality onto the creativity of the first draft 

Misconception #4: Outlines Take Too Much Time

Outlining requires an outlay of patience. We have to be willing to put off the actual writing in order to get our ducks in a row. But this preparation pays for itself in innumerable ways. Preparation takes time and effort, but it’s always worth it in the end.

Chapter One Checklist 

Reject any misconceptions about outlining. 

Embrace the benefits of outlining. 

Open your mind to refining your writing process. 

Have fun!

Weiland, K.M.. Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) (p. 17). PenForASword Publishing. Kindle Edition.