A book plan is the starting point for a well-organized writing process. It can act as a road map for the rest of your book-writing journey and should be done before your first rough draft.
Regardless of your writing ability, you have probably experienced the dreaded writer’s block, sometimes known as blank page syndrome.
An outline is the solution. In fact, it is the only solution to writer’s block. Therefore, it is pertinent that you learn how to write an outline.
What Is A Book Outline?
A book outline is a structured document that lists and arranges the information of your work. It serves as a framework, or wireframe, for your book, guiding you as you write.
The outline contains the primary subjects or situations that will be discussed in your book and serves as an agenda or road map.
It is nothing unusual for us to use a map or GPS when on vacation. Of course, a blueprint is used when constructing a house. Football’s game plan is created by the coach. All of these things make the work easier to do.
Creating an outline for your writing achieves the same result by presenting you with a road map to follow as you write.
Both fiction and nonfiction books will follow the same general principle, but the format and style will vary depending on the genre.
A fiction book will feature key storytelling aspects such as organization, plot, scenes, and characters.
Nonfiction books contain important information elements such as concepts, topic clusters, and planned information architecture.
In essence, fiction and nonfiction books require an outline.
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Does Writing a Book Require a Book Outline?
Writing a book without an outline may take much longer, and the quality may be inferior, making the reading experience less enjoyable. A book outline may not be required, but it will surely accelerate and improve the quality of your work.
Consider the book outline to be the writer’s blueprint. A novel or book outline is a blueprint or flowchart that depicts the contents of the work.
Many well-known authors attest to the efficacy of a book’s outline. It not only helps with book arrangement and direction, but it also helps you overcome writer’s block when you’re stuck on a project.
A well-crafted book outline develops as you write.
Furthermore, there are many different approaches to write an outline for a book. Although there are models to follow and great book templates to use, each outline is unique.
See also: How to Write a Prologue That Hooks Your Readers: Essential Tips and Examples for Every Genre
Reasons To Outline Your Book
The biggest benefit of learning how to write an outline is being able to use it to help you start and finish your book project.
It can help with the writing process by removing roadblocks and confusion, making the journey to becoming a published author more straightforward.
Write quickly. With an outline for your book, you’ll know exactly what to write about next.
Deliberate organization. An outline is useful for both fiction and nonfiction, but it can also help you establish a good book structure. This may result in a higher-quality literary piece.
Beat the blank page syndrome. The dreaded blank page isn’t as daunting when you have a plan. When you sit down to write, having an outline will help you get started right away.
Avoid experiencing writer’s block. Once again, having an outline can assist you overcome writer’s block because you may start writing the next thing as soon as you open your plan. It’s like giving the brain a jolt.
Push through the sagging middle. If you’re writing a novel, you are familiar with the uphill battle of writing the sagging middle. With a carefully structured outline, this becomes easier.
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How To Write A Book Outline in 7 Easy Steps
1.One-sentence Summary
Start with a one-sentence summary. In one word, describe your novel’s “big picture” theme. Even if it appears straightforward, producing a one-sentence description of your entire work may require you to compress your ideas into a single, key issue.
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2.Write down the 5 Ws
Create a mental dump. List the key parts of your book’s concept. A frequent strategy for this phase is to create a mindmap or bubble map. First, I place a bubble in the center of the page, usually with the title or chapter number, and then I ask the 5W + H questions (Who, What, When, Why, Where, and How) in each bubble. I also create small passages between the bubbles.
Begin your outline by asking the following 5W + H questions:
What? What is the idea, issue, or concept?
Where? What context does this idea, topic, or notion belong in? Perhaps it is a scenario in context or an event.
Why? Why is this relevant
Whom? Who is involved, and who is this for?
When? Does this include the concept of time?
How? If yes, think about the following question: “How will this happen?
You will probably discover yourself as you work through your plan and evaluate these key concerns and their solutions. As a result, when you get serious about writing your book, it will almost magically appear. Test it out.
In nonfiction writing, questions are essential.
What details do you want to add to your book?
Who is the reader: beginning, intermediate, or advanced?
Why is your book’s content interesting to the reader?
What knowledge does your book intend to communicate to its readers?
If you’re writing fiction, an outline questions can also help.
3.Determine your setting
Whether you’re writing a nonfiction book or a novel, you must choose the setting for the sequence of events. Think about the sights, sounds, and smells that can tempt readers to join you in the area, since this will help draw them into the story.
If it is a novel, you can create new institutions or creative physics laws; in a memoir, go into great detail about your first office or childhood home.
Do research if you need to.
4.Decide on the order of events
The order of events occurs after you’ve discovered your location and handled the important questions.
Where should your story begin?
What will happen at the end?
What transportation strategy do you have?
To ensure that your reader glides smoothly through your chapters, whether you are writing a hero’s journey, a dual-timeline novel with flashbacks, or the trials of becoming a successful businessperson, you must have a distinct plot arc.
Rearrange the plot as needed until everything makes sense.
5.Describe the character’s arc
The character arc refers to the changes that your protagonist undergoes from the beginning to the end of the story. If you’re writing a memoir, you’ll emphasize how your experiences and hurdles helped you grow.
If this is a novel, how will your character start and end up and why? How do the events of the story impact and shape them?
See also: How to Write in Third Person Point of View: 12 Tips for Writing in Third-Person Point of View
6.Disuss the details
Concentrate on the most important details.
Now that you have a rough idea for your book and have had time to brainstorm, it’s time to organize the details.
Arrange your book’s main themes and any particular information that has to be addressed in each section.
Are you writing a nonfiction book or a novel based on fiction? Learn how to write an outline for fiction and nonfiction below
How To Write an Outline A Novel/ Fiction
Put your thoughts down in paper. What is the basic narrative of your book? This is your story’s premise, or the “big idea.” Try to simplify your idea into one or two words, at most. Later on, you’ll have the opportunity to go into further detail.
Respond to the five Ws: Who, What, When, Where, and Why. Determine the essential themes of your story, which will help you build the basis for your book’s outline and identify any big “holes” you may have neglected.
Choose a template or structure for your book plan, make any necessary changes, and then start adding your content.
Make a plot for it, with a beginning, middle, and finish. It’s acceptable if you don’t fully understand everything that happens in your novel; you can add details as you go, but you should know where it starts and ends.
Include characters. Now that you have a storyline, it’s time to include your characters. This is important since it helps you find more characters you might not have thought of before, as well as outline your protagonist’s purpose and hero’s journey.
Once you have a general idea of your plot and the characters you’ll need, you can start adding the important scenes that will help explain it.
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How To Write A Nonfiction Book Outline
Put your purpose in writing: Write one or three sentences summarizing your massive book idea.
Consider the five Ws (Who, What, while, Where, and Why) while determining the aim of your nonfiction book, particularly the problem it answers or the purpose it serves.
Book structure: If you’re having trouble deciding on a structure for your book, consider if it will be a problem-and-answer structure, a chronological structure, or a comparison and contrast. Many nonfiction works have a predetermined format.
Use a sample book outline template: use it as a starting point and gradually add details about your work.
To successfully communicate the subject matter, make a list of the essential ideas that your book will address. Then, organize these key ideas into chapters.
Structure each chapter with its detail: After you’ve structured your key ideas into chapters, you may add the specific information or themes that will be covered in each one. Give each chapter a detailed framework.
Write an outline for every chapter: After you’ve completed your basic strategy, you can modify and expand it by creating an outline for each chapter.
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Conclusion
There is no best way to outline a book. However, follow the steps we have provided and you will be alright.
It’s perfectly fine to start with a loose structure and develop your outline as you go.
References
- Self publishing – how to write a book outline fiction and nonfiction
- Blog reedsy – how to write a book outline fiction and nonfiction
