Today, you and I are going to get down to business and defeat a common writer’s enemy, the Lack of Planning™.

Okay, so I’m both a plotter and a pantser. That’s a plantser, because people like to smash words together and make new words. What does this mean? It means I plan, but barely. It means that somewhere along the line of writing I fall into a hole in my outline and I have to rely on my improv skills to save me.

In short, it can frustrating and I’m sure it’s the same for you. Unless you’re an expert plotter or pantser, in which case I applaud you, because you rock.

If you’re still reading, maybe you struggle with the same problem. There are a bunch of ways I use to get those gears in my brain turning to spill out some plot points, but I’ve narrowed it down to four. If even just one of those help you, I’d be ecstatic.

Now I’d just like to say that these methods are specifically for novel outlines. You can totally use it for short stories if that’s more your thing, but these are more geared towards the complexities of novel plots.

So let’s get started!

 

 

1. Notebooks

All right, let’s start with what you’re very likely to have. Notebooks. You probably have one sitting around somewhere. Notebooks are great for getting into the meat of your story, where you start broad with a single idea – or maybe a few more – and expand on that one idea until you feel like you know what you’re doing.

What notebooks are useful for:

• Initial ideas and brainstorming
• Character interviews
• Worldbuilding and various other related explorations
• Crazy ideas that suddenly pop into your head
• Getting your amazing thoughts onto the page so you don’t lose them

That’s not all notebooks are limited to, of course. Let yourself loose and let your ideas soar across the pages in the speed of your handwriting. And don’t stick to notebooks if you hate writing by hand. Maybe use a word document, or an app on your phone if you prefer.

 

 

My point is, with notebooks I can very easily write lists of ordered scenes and explore deep things like themes, character arcs, and story structure. It’s incredibly handy to have a pile of notes you can refer to time and time again – especially if you’ve bookmarked the page with your outline.

 

2. Ripped up paper

Okay, but let’s say you’re more of a hands-on, messy type. You have a few scenes floating in your head, and maybe a couple more that you’re struggling to fit in. This is for you if you don’t have a solid outline.

Tear up some scrap paper into small pieces you can write on. If you’re a neater person, go for flashcards. Write down one scene on each bit of paper and lay them out before you. Now that you have all your scenes in one place, you can move them around in a basic timeline to find what works best for you and your novel.

 

 

What moving around bits of paper can achieve:

• A more solid outline.
• Plot points / scenes you never thought of.
• Potential plot twists you never saw coming.
• A visual way to cohesively link the scenes in your novel together.

 

3. Sticky notes

Sticky notes, Post-it notes, whatever you wish to call them – are especially great for plotting outlines that are mostly solidified but aren’t quite finalized yet.

Similar to the technique with ripped up paper or flashcards, just write down one scene on each note and stick them somewhere you can see. This way, you can still move around, add, or remove scenes whenever you want.

 

 

An added bonus is the satisfaction you get when you remove a note every time you finish a scene. I mean, taking down all your sticky notes and counting down until they’re all gone is a great motivator for getting some writing done.

What sticky notes are useful for:

• A visual outline.
• A flexible outline that is open to changes.
• Motivation to get you writing.

 

4. Google Tasks

But let’s say you’re more tech savvy, or have a near finalized outline. In that case, Google Tasks is your friend.

This only works for you if you have a Google account and write using Google Docs.

First, log into your Google account and open up a Google Doc. Then, if is isn’t already open, open your side panel by clicking the little arrow in the bottom right corner.

 

 

Click the Google tasks icon in the side panel.

 

 

You should see an empty version of this, as the screenshot below is part of an outline for my current work in progress.

 

 

How does this help with outlining, you might ask?

My answer: replace the word ‘task’ with ‘scene’.

Yup, I basically use a task manager as a scene manager. By clicking “Add a task”, I can add a scene. If I click the little pen icon, I can edit the scene and add little sub-scenes or events to my outline. And by clicking on a scene and holding it there, I can drag it around to rearrange them.

And as if that wasn’t already cool enough, clicking on the little empty circle in the side of each “scene” removes the scene and sends it to a little section in the bottom called “Completed”, so you can look back on the scenes you’ve already written.

 

 

What Google Tasks offers:

• A digital outline right next to your Google Doc – side by side with your novel!
• Easy adjustment of scene content and order.
• A digital checklist you can refer to (assuming you don’t delete already completed tasks).

 

 

Quick announcement: a short hiatus

Next week I will not be posting anything as I will be away on camp. I’ll be back on the third week of February, but until then, I won’t be on my blog at all 🙂

 

 

And right back to you!

All right, so we’ve gone through four ways you can use to outline your novels – notebooks, ripped up paper, sticky notes, and Google Tasks. So tell me – do you plan on using any of these ways to outline your novels? Or if you’re already an expert planner, how do you create or organize outlines? And while we’re on the subject, tell me about your WIP (work in progress)!