A lot of people have different opinions and choices when it comes to outlining their story. Some are persuaded that it is best to outline a story while others believe in sitting down and letting the story flow as they write. Many authors have done great with both styles.
For me, using an outline helps connect the dots in order to have a clear picture of where the story is going. That said, I found a very interesting video recently on Youtube by Tara Maya.
How to Magically Outline Your Novel
I’ve repeated the outline below and some of the points Tara pointed out.
Enjoy!
Each Act consists of 5 beats or 5 major points.
For a 90,000-word novel, develop 30 chapters of 3,000 words per chapter. Since there are 3 Acts and each act has 5 beats, you will have a total of 15 beats. Write 2 chapters per beats to give you the 30 chapters for your novel.
Your beats should be divided into action and reaction sheets. (Will discuss action and reaction sheets in another blog). So without further delay, here is the outline:
Act I:
1. Opening Conflict
2. Protagonist is shown in daily life, before transformation
3. Opportunity for Change
4. Resistance to the Opportunity
5. Point of No Return – Opportunity Accepted
Act II:
6. Entering the New Situation
7. Meeting Friends, Enemies or Romance
8. Problem Brings Them Together
9. Problem Drives Them Apart
10. Crisis Hits
Act III:
11. Terrible Secret Revealed or Final Attack Starts
12. All Seems Lost
13. Self-Sacrifice or Symbolic Death
14. Final Showdown
15. Conclusion (Wedding Bells, Award Ceremony, Pile of Bodies or Ride into Sunset)
The above outline can be extended easily by repeating Act II as needed. This is done with television dramas since they are usually outlined as a 4-Act structure. The number of Acts needed to complete your project may depend on the length of your novel, the genre, whether you’re writing a series and/or number of subplots involved.
Stay Blessed
~Arama Christiana
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