If you are a plotter or even a planster, please come here and help out a friend.
Teach me how to outline and plot a whole novel series before I start writing the novel series. I need to change my tactics since I am doing a novel series that is possibly going to be more than two or three books.
So, teach me how to outline a book series before I get started on it.
Thoughts and feelings?
note: never did it for a whole novel series but if i were to these would be the options I would take to approach it broadly speaking. and tailor based on whatever unique needs, challenges, obstacles, strengths i had.
questions for you:
what are you strengths as a writer? storyteller?
what are your needs?
what are your current obstacles?
what are the things you find challenging?
here are the options
option 1:
write your entire story out as a screenplay or teleplay (aka television episodes). this will serve as your outline. you then ‘adapt’ the screenplay/s and or teleplays (television episodes) into a novel/s
option 2:
look at the various types of story structures. look over each of them and see which might work for your story. then try out one and at a time each of them.
here’s a link listing all of them
note: you can mix and match but I would go through each story structure type in full. and then mix and match
option 3:
pitch your story. summarize your story out loud. then write a bullet point outline of what you summarized. read over your outline- and ask your self if it wasn’t my own story what would be unclear and or underdeveloped for me and or not explicit/ obvious.
write those down as a list of questions. and answer them.
then pitch yourself the story again.
keep repeating this process until you have a full detailed outline
option 5:
same as 4 but instead do it with another person and have them tell you what is unclear, and ask questions
option 6:
combine any of these option in any order just make sure to do one at a time.
questions for you:
what are you strengths as a writer? storyteller?
what are your needs?
what are your current obstacles?
what are the things you find challenging?
Pacing and dialogue.
What do you mean?
Character control, properly showing and telling, execution, and prose
Setting, descriptions, and showing not telling.
what are your needs- as a writer/ storyteller are their certain things that you need personally or as a part of your process to write?
Honestly, nothing much. I don’t have much.
Unless you count writing chapter summaries, but even that was varied.
okay based on your answers I am actually going to recommend something different for you then above.
recommendation
step 1: write your story as a stage-play or series of stage-plays. stage-plays tell a story through dialogue primarily. so write your entire story using dialogue only
step 2: read the stage play/s and write it out as an outline using Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat
If you know the beginning and the end to each book, the middle is easier to come up with. If you have just the beginning and middle, the ending becomes harder.
out of curiosity; are you hoping outlining will help with this?
Sorta. But that will be more of me practicing how to edit and revise a novel.
ah kk. off topic- is it just descriptions you struggle with or actions too?
I tend to think about those things in vague ways. I understand enough…sometimes.
Both. Though descriptions are a bit more challenging.
i would suggest doing the following writing exercise to help.
write something without commentary and or dialogue.
if you don’t know what to write; find a writing prompt and write for the writing prompt without dialogue and or commentary.
the more you drill this the easier it will be. so don’t just do it one time- but make it part of a routine/ schedule.
Would trying writing prompts and doing a screenplay make my novels come out better over time?
This is a genuine question because I can only hope.
Pinterest has plenty. Though I want to make up my very own.
yes. though the prompt and or idea isn’t what helps you- it is the exercise of writing without commentary and dialogue that helps you. It is that most people need an idea or prompt to write.
as for screenplays- I wouldn’t suggest it as writing exercise or outlining tool for you just yet.
It’s funny but I tend to have moments where I want to write a screenplay as a draft then turn it into a novel.
haha then you should try it. it is just that screenplays are almost entirely show.
True. I’m going to do it.