Writing and Publishing on Wattpad or Anywhere

Chapter 3 - Outlining

Okay, I will admit to rarely if ever outlining. When I wrote my first fanfic, which was over 200,000 words, I never outlined. Now it's rough since it's the first thing I've written, but it's gotten a decent following. I write mainly SuperCorp fanfic, so it's not the most widely read of the fandoms, but I write what I know and love. At any rate, some people need to outline in a very detailed method while others shoot from the hip. I'm the latter, obviously. I have tried to outline, and I just end up writing a chapter. I'm not saying outlining isn't important. For some people, it's critical. Maybe I'd be a better writer if I outlined. I wish I could. When I write, and idea explodes out of me, I write it, and then I retreat back to the real world. Still, there are things at the beginning of the book that are foreshadowing to the end of the book. I generally know where I'm going, but I don't use a map. To each their own. So long as you are happy with your process, if you feel you are getting the quality and quantity of the writing out that you desire, keep doing it.

Now, if you do want to outline, there are a few different ways to do it. Again, you can use electronic tools or write on index cards and tape them to your walls. That's up to you. What helps you to visualize your story?

When people think of outlining, they tend to think that you write down a mini-synopsis of each chapter. That's the Chapter Outline method, and it's a great one, but it certainly isn't the only method available. Some people use this to note the key parts of each chapter, and they fill in the exposition and the dialogue around that.

There is also the Zig-Zag method. In this method, you are literally making a zig-zag design which represents high and low points of a story. You write the relevant plot points where they exist on this as the story moves forward. Also, keep track of how the plot helps to develop the characters. Sometimes people just use the main character and how the plot moves them further from and closer to their goals. Now, the goal does not have to be getting the magical sword. That may be their intended goal, but perhaps learning to love again is the goal you intend for them in the story.

You can outline just around the Main Character and build out other characters that are needed to help them develop. Make sure that these other characters don't end up just being caricatures. No matter how small a part someone plays, make them a person whose personality could exist in real life.

You don't need to outline or write in a linear fashion. Sometimes it's easier to figure out where things end and then outline backward. Knowing your destination can give you a sharper image and help you to see what's missing to get you there.

For instance, the Snowflake Method lets you create smaller pieces of your outline and grow them. You start with just a one-sentence synopsis and expand it into a paragraph. You make a small summary for each character and expand the relevant ones. You write a page telling the story from each character's POV. You list out every scene in the story and then write a description from that list. All of this is the backbone to write your first draft.

Another method of outlining is to list off the characters, setting, plot, conflict, and resolution. These are Five Key Elements in any story. From there, write down the character goals for the story (theirs and yours for them). List off key points in the plot that will help the characters to reach these goals. List how your characters will have conflict and where that is in the plot. This will give you a rough skeleton to help guide you while you build each chapter.

You can also outline just your plot into its Five-Part Outline: Introduction/Beginning (explains the setting and the main character, also sets up the plot), Rising Action (this is where your conflict comes in and don't forget about antagonists), Climax (this is where the conflict is resolved), Falling Action (think of this as the consequences of the conflict), Resolution (if you have any loose ends, tie them up here, and you can also foreshadow for the sequel).

Very similar to the five-part outline is the Three-Part Outline. A story is divided into its beginning, middle, and ending. Within each of these, you fill in some key details necessary to start flushing out your story. For the beginning, you have: opening scene with setting and characters, initial conflict (self, nature, another character), and the action (how the characters initially react to the conflict). In the middle you have: change (how characters now act toward conflict/plans they make to overcome it), rising conflict (add more problems here, how initial conflict increases and unravels plans), surprise (additional conflict/person that throws plans into disarray), result of the surprise, and the reversal (new plan made after the surprise to deal with conflict). The end: the plan put into action, climax (protagonist vs antagonist), and the finale (how the antagonist has changed as a result of the plot/conflict).

I'm going to put my outline templates here again so you don't have to try and build your own or go back to the previous chapter to get these. Please, help yourself.  Sadly, Wattpad won't let me enter a link, so copy and paste.  If you have any issues, PM me and I'll send you the link.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pCrpc6kwOEPKgGg1D3pt6WzB-mxBDyu1XLlI4xnj35M/edit#gid=860403998