October Novel Prep Challenge

Hey Espero,

So for these assignments, I usually like to spread the outlining over multiple points, and I often follow inspiration from the Snowflake method (here's a link if you're uncertain): https://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/articles/snowflake-method/.

For the first one, I just kind of got an essence of what I wanted my stories to be about as a whole, especially over 15-30 minutes. Sometimes that means narrowing down a summary of the beginning, middle, and end. However, if it means nailing down your one-sentence summary to gauge how much plot you have, go for it. So then this is how I do things.

For the first outline revision, I am just getting the bare bones.

For the next one, I nail down, with aid from the structure I want to use, what happens where.

The last stage is to work on the scene-by-scene outline. This one, I often take a Sunday or, in the event I finish early, I will take the rest of the month to work on, until I have everything laid out.

At this point in the exercise, we still have a lot we're trying to learn about our characters and our stories. Don't be afraid if your outline is a little sparse.

All of this is to say that the outlining process is very personal, and it can depend on how you, the author, interpret it. And this is okay. You only need to be as thorough as you need, so long as it fits the 15 minute requirement.

The most important thing is to work in a way that works for you.

Thanks,
Anders