The making of your Outline (Open door accessibility)

The making of your Outline

(Open door accessibility)

BLOG SESSION

December 7th, 2017

Good Morning Writers ~ Today we are going to discuss "The making of your Outline (Open door accessibility)".

You are in for a real treat, so get your trusty Journal out to take notes . . .

Journal Notes

The first thing you'll need to do in your journal notes is to jot these needful items down...

1.  Novel Outline Summary

2.  Main Character(s) - Basic Information

      a.   If there will be more than one main character in your

             story, be sure to write basic information about each of 

             them.

       b.  You may want to create a Character Profile Worksheet

             for your Characters as it will make it easier for you to 

             keep track of each of them at a glance as you write

             your Novel.

3.  Main Problem your character has to solve - list it; or

      Important goal your character has to achieve - list it; and

      Why is the problem solving and/or goal achievement

      deeply important to your character.  Explain the

      reason(s).

4.   What terrible difficulties are there between your

       character and his or her goal or the solution to his or her

       problem?  Make a list, and also make a note that if it is

       too easy for your character to get out of trouble or get

       what he or she wants, then there will be less of a story.

5.   Where or when in general will your story take place?

       (Location setting; time frame) -- For example in Berlin in

       the year 1876 or on the planet Xanexo in the year 3054.

6.   Also keep the following items in mind:

       a.  The inciting incident

       b.  Rising Action

       c.   Crisis

       d.   Climax

       e.   The resolution of the plot

For all of the Writers here who are also artists or creative by nature, you may want to create a visual Outline that will be more of a road map for you as you work on your story.  Because there are so many various styles of visual Outlines, I'm going to share a few examples with you today so that you will have a chance to look them over this evening.  You may also have your own favorite Outline style, and that is good too.  Use whatever Outline style you are most comfortable with.  Tomorrow, we will come back for more visual Outlines.

As you take a look at the Outlines to follow, pay attention to the elements of each of them.  The making of your Outline is up to you in terms of style.  You have open door accessibility to all of the details of your Outline.  What works for you may not work for another Writer.  Do not feel forced to follow any particular style Outline -- make it your own.  I'll just share the following styles with you, and you can go from there! . . .

Story Mountain Style Outline

Outline:   Plot Diagram

Outline:  Plot Chart for Short Story

Outline:   Plot Diagram

Outline:  Plot Diagram

Outline Basic Story Starter

NOTE:  The "Story Mountain Style Outline" is a good Outline for you to try out.  [See 1st visual Outline above].

Should you have any questions, comments, thoughts, or suggestions, please feel free to share your input in our "Comments Section" at the end of this Blog Session.

Have a great evening!

OUR NEXT BLOG SESSION:

Let's get fired up and ready to WRITE!

The Plot Thickens!

Writers, until we meet back here once again

 for our next exciting Blog Session ~

Peace, Love & Light

By René Allen

©Copyright - René Allen - 2014-2017 - All Rights Reserved

CREATING A NOVEL THAT MAKES SENSE . . .

We're typing away this month!

CREATING A NOVEL THAT MAKES SENSE

BLOG SESSION

July 2017

Writers, Authors, Novelists, Poets, Journalists, Mystery Writers, and Project Writers ~ We are back here on the Blog to discuss something that I think everyone will enjoy, and that's this:  CREATING A NOVEL THAT MAKES SENSE.

By now, if you are participating online during the month of July in Camp NaNoWriMo to work on your Novel or Writing Project, then you will have much to share with your friends about how many words you've written thus far.  The goal is 50,000 words in a month.  This month you have an extra day, so you have 31 days to complete your Novel.

Not only should you have at least 25,000 words written to be on target since we are half-way through the month, but you should also have an Excerpt to share, as well as a Synopsis.  If you aren't quite to that point, not to fear ~ there is still time, and the goal can be reached.

I'm going to be adding in more Chapters to my Novel in Camp online this weekend.  I've been working on my research for the Novel that I am writing in Camp entitled, "And, yet I say ~ I SEE."

My Novel is a Mystery Novel.  For the Authors and Writers who are following along here on the Blog, I'd like to share a little about Mystery Novels with you all.

The Mystery Genre is a type of fiction in which a detective, or other professional solves a crime or a series of crimes.  It can take the form of a Novel or a short story.  This genre may also be called Detective or Crime Novels.

How do you go about writing a Mystery Novel?

This is a good question for the writers who are writing a Mystery Novel for the first time.  To give you just a little background on mystery novels, just know that mystery novels have been spooking children as well as adults for many years.  There are haunted houses, crimes, ghosts, and many other details that will keep the reader turning the pages of your Mystery Novel should you choose to write a good one.  In the end, it will still be a mystery whatever the case may be that you are writing about.  If you have ever been involved in a mystery yourself, or you love reading mystery novels, then you may want to consider writing a mystery novel.

Writing a Mystery Novel takes time and a great deal of effort on the Author or Writer's part.  You must consider your schedule, and also carve out time to really do a good job working on your mystery novel.

The first thing you need to do if you are going to write a mystery novel is decide what kind of mystery you will be writing.  This means that you will have to think about whether you will be writing a ghost story or a crime novel.  Will you have a creepy haunted house in your mystery novel, or a murder scene?  The decision you make will be the focal point that you will spring from when it comes to writing your mystery novel.

The most important thing about writing any type of Novel is that it must make sense.

Make sure you have Character descriptions.  You should include the following details (as an example) . . .

Name:  Carter Royal

Age:  76

Height:  6"5

Weight:  220 pounds

Role in the story:  Lead Detective

Eye Color:  Hazel

Hair Color:  Golden Brown

Skin Tone:  Caramel complexion

Habits:  Chain smoker

Identifying Feature:  Large tattoo on the left arm

Past History:  Former Police Officer, married twice, no

                              children   

Present History:  Lead Detective, married to Paula

Future Goals:  Retire soon

Theme Song:  In the Air tonight by Phil Collins

After you have written your Character Descriptions, you should start roughing out all of your cast of characters.  Your characters are the foundation of your Novel.  You'll need to have a protagonist, an antagonist, sub-characters, and background for each character.  The number of details that you include will depend upon how many times the specific character appears in your storyline.  If the lady in the retail store only comes into the Novel one time to say a few words, there is no need to detail her much, simply give a brief description of her -- such as a name, and her job title.

However, for your main character, you will need to include details to the point of the time that he/she normally smokes their cigarette and drinks their coffee, and how many times a day.

Next, you'll need to rough out a Plot.  There are Plot Outlines and Plot Diagrams that you can use to help you rough your Plot out . . .

Plot Diagram

Plot Outline

Search online for Plot sources that will help you in this area of your Novel.

You'll want to rough out your plot, and if you think it is feasible for you, then center your plot around your characters.  Or you can do it the other way around, and base your characters around your plot.

A strong plot has a beginning, middle and end.  The beginning should be an introduction to future events and the life of your main character.  The middle should point to the problem that your character must face, and should also have a high point where an important decision must be made (or in other words, a climax).  The end should be a cool down that wraps up all the loose ends and leaves the readers hungry for the next great work!

Mystery Novel Tips

• If you get stuck on finding a plot, read some of your favorite mystery novels to get ideas.  Also, keep your eyes and ears open for new ideas and topics to write about.
• Use a system of ten scenes to map out your plot.  Write each scene separately and connect them with pages in between.  Scene one should be an opening scene.  Two through four should be complications, and five should be point of no return complication.  Six through ten should be solutions and wrap ups.

Hopefully, you have written these notes in your Journal so that you may come back to them when needed.  We will return with further Mystery Novel Writing Tips in our next Blog Session.

Friends, until our next Blog Session . . .

Keep at it!

Peace, Love & Light,

René

© Copyright - René Allen - JULY 2017 - All Rights Reserved