Charting a Path to Organization

 Salutations Readers! If you're new, welcome to the Homestead. Last week we discussed three ways to make your first sentence/paragraph shine and entice readers. This week we'll look at my guide to plotting a Fiction novel. 

First, let's start with a disclaimer. Every writer is different and what works for one might not work for someone else. The key to seeking out advice from other readers is not to copy them, but be inspired by them. It's all about fine tuning and personalization. Trust me, customizing a template is much more fun than replicating a process. With that said, I'm a plotter, a heavy plotter. My first book had absolutely no forethought, and after many different iterations, writing, cutting, and rewriting I finally had something I was happy with. That process took me six years. When I wrote my second novel, a prequel to the first, I semi-plotted it, but still played it by ear and winged it. That book took me three years and is only on the second draft now. The third book I wrote, I had finally dialed in a process. I organized everything in a notebook and the first draft was completed in less than six months. 

First thing I do when I have a new idea for a novel is buy a notebook, decorate it, and write the title on the front. Any thought, any feeling, any idea that ever crossed my mind occupies a page in that notebook. I can reference it at any time and especially for High Fantasy books with alot of world building, this is essential. Other things I've tried in the past were Pinterest boards, character playlists, character design, and Venn Diagrams of each main character to make sure they weren't too similar, but still complimented each other. Once I get a grasp on character arcs, setting, and plot, I move on to the next major step.

Chapter by Chapter outline. It sounds like a beast, I know, but it's the most efficient way to know where you're going. It's like a map. A good map will steer you away from tangent bogs and writer's block trolls. Once you have a to-do list of scenes you need to write, the process flows smoother. Note: as you actually write the chapters, you may need to shift and combine to accommodate pace and chapter length. These chapter outlines can be as thorough or generic as you want but they should include the point of view character (if there are multiple, conflict, action, and a launching point for the next chapter. The story must keep momentum. Stakes rising, bad becoming worse, fear leading to horror all build up to the great climax that has your reader screaming and flying through the book like it was their favorite roller coaster. I'll talk about momentum in a future article, but for now, let's return to plotting. 

Like I said, these outlines can contain as little or as much information you please. There's no wrong way to write a book. You'll know what feels right. If writing feels torturous, try something else, there are tons of different opinions on everything regarding writing. Find what works for you!

And that my friends are my methods for plotting a book and organizing my thoughts. Writers, I'd love to hear what worked for you, feel free to shoot me a DM on Instagram or Facebook! Thank you for stopping by. Until next time, friends!