Making an Outline for a Story

A lot of story ideas start out small, then grow bigger and bigger as we build up on ideas. The purpose of outlines is to record these ideas and plan the story ahead so we have things to work with and plenty of options. Actually, there are many different ways, but I've found that many people find this method helpful.

Step One: General Information

This is the most basic part of the outline. Stating the general info is really just what somebody would see without reading your story: the title, names of some of the characters, and a brief summary. To get more specific, you can put down possible titles and leave room for more ideas, as well as space to add more details to the summary or add more characters.

Step Two: Characters

The more specific you are, the better. While outlines aren't as detailed as the story itself, of course, it especially helps if you have more ideas that are recorded and things you can use for creating more possibilities. So, start writing down the full names of the characters - first, last, and middle, if they have one. Describe their appearance, and use any noteworthy adjectives or adverbs in your descriptions. List the personality traits, but also add extra notes that can go deeper and make your character more unique and specific. Also, write down the heritage, birthday, age, and the past of the character.

While doing this to all your characters can take a while, it will be extremely helpful when writing your story. We tend to forget the little things, such as middle names or exact birthdays, or anything memorable about the characters. Continue to write these things down so that the more information you have, the easier it will be to explain your characters.

Step Three: Setting

The setting where the story takes place is vital and can sometimes require lots of extra details that can be added in at any time in the story that you won't remember. First, write down any general information, like the names of the key places in the story and the climate. Again, write down any notable adjectives used to describe these places. Like the characters, writing down the past and the atmospheric traits are vital when talking about your setting.

Step Four: Plot

The plot is one of the most important parts of the outline. Writing down every specificity of your plot is so important, because the more you plan, the more sure you can be of where your story is headed. Start from the beginning, and work your way until the end. It doesn't all have to be planned out, but it does help if you don't just create ideas as you go, because you might forget something from the previous parts of the story that support their own ideas. In simple words, write down the main as well as the more distinct events and activities in the story.

Step Five: Add Notes

Adding notes is extremely important. They aren't always as direct as the subject you're talking about, so it's not always easy to remember them. For example, if I put down that my character, Jane, as sarcastic, witty, and kind, I could add - as a note - that she has slight temper issues.

Step Six: Ask Questions

Asking questions is one of my favorite parts of the outline. Anything that you're wondering about the story can be asked here: each and every question. Once you've answered them all, you'll always have new ones, and the more you answer, the farther along you'll get in your story - and the more sure you are that you can follow through with it.

I hope this article is helpful!