How to Create a Book Outline—And Why You Need One
By Mary Kole
Mary Kole is a former literary agent, freelance editor, writing teacher, author of Writing Irresistible Kidlit, and IP developer for major publishers, with over a decade in the publishing industry.
Whether you’re writing a novel or memoir, creating a strong book outline is an essential skill for any writer to learn. Not only does a book outline offer structure and direction that you can use as a road map as you’re completing your manuscript, but this very important document will keep you on track and organized. In this article, I’ll discuss the key components of a book outline, how to create one, and why using an outline is essential to writing success.
How to Create a Book Outline
Creating a book outline is actually quite straightforward—it just takes time and careful, intentional thought. Start by jotting down all of your ideas as they come to you, in whatever format works best for you. Start with thinking about your premise. What are the broad strokes ingredients of your book idea? Once you’ve decided on a protagonist, a type of plot, your intended genre and target audience, you can start to delve more deeply into organizing your ideas.
Some people prefer mind maps or lists, while others like to sketch out their stories visually with diagrams. Most of the outlines I’ve written for myself and created or edited for clients have started as bulleted lists in a Word doc. Once you have all of your ideas down in one place, start organizing them into acts, chapters, and scenes. Make sure you consider your plot arc and character arcs. The good news is, there are many structure theories and methodologies that you can try, like the one prescribed in Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody. This will help you develop the flow of your story and establish the overall structure of your work.
Ingredients of a Book Outline
When creating a book outline for a novel or memoir, there are several key elements that should be included:
plot points in order of acts, chapters, and scenes;
character arcs for all of the major characters, especially the protagonist and antagonist;
setting details and relevant worldbuilding (fantasy writers will need to define their magic systems, for example);
sources of story conflict and tension;
the universal theme you’re working with.
You’re welcome to adapt this list to the needs of your story, but it’s a great starting point. You should carefully consider each element when building out the foundation for your work. For example, when outlining plot points, think about the major events that will drive the action forward. Consider the internal conflict for the character, as well as the major external conflict. Focus on your protagonist’s growth arc and make sure that there’s enough for them to do, so that they don’t become a passive character. You can even go so far as to figure out which settings will play a role in the story, so that the world starts to take shape.
Using Your Book Outline
Once your book outline is complete, it’s time to begin working with it as you draft your manuscript. Think of it as a map that guides each step of your creative process. When writing each chapter and scene, refer back to your outline so that all aspects of your manuscript storytelling—characters, plot points, dialogue etc.—accurately reflect what you brainstormed. A book outline also helps you avoid getting stuck in moments of writer’s block (which is an illusion) as you have something tangible guiding you through your creative journey from start to finish.
That being said, it’s totally fine to stray from your outline as you write or revise. It’s natural, even. You can make changes to your idea and see how they might fit into your story at the book outline level. It’s a lot easier to brainstorm and play around with an outline than it is to make adjustments to a 400-page manuscript.
Keep notes in your book outline that document the changes you made in writing or revision, or changes you want to make. And the best news is, it’s never too late to create a book outline. If you’ve already drafted your manuscript but think it needs more structure, you can always make a reverse book outline (a summary of what exists in your manuscript that’s organized chapter by chapter).
A well-crafted book outline can provide you with the blueprint to effectively plan out your story before drafting your manuscript. It allows you to focus on specific story ingredients, such as plot points, character arcs, and worldbuilding details without getting lost along the way. By creating a book outline ahead of sitting down to draft, you can create stronger stories with greater clarity while avoiding pitfalls, such as writer's block. While some writers are daunted by the prospect of a book outline, or think it sullies the creative process, I’ve never been more productive than when I outline, and neither have the editing clients who’ve tried it.
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