It’s All About the Outline
When building your story it’s important that you start with a foundation before you start trying to build. That is why I suggest before you write, do an outline of what your story and your characters are going to look like. The more prep work you do, the easier it will be to write your story. I have broken down the elements of the outline on my YouTube channel, which you can find to your right and also corresponds with this blog. Below is an example of the outline you can use for your work. Remember this is just a suggestion. You are the author and can build your outline any way you like.
There are three parts to the outline…
- Character
- Names
- Ages
- Physical Traits
- Likes
- Dislikes
- Background
- Unique Characteristics
- Background
- Place
- Where does your story take place
- Popular Areas
- Popular Streets
- Attractions
- Any festivals or big shows that your specific place may have
- Story
- What’s the problem
- Who hates who
- What is the turning going
- How are we going resolve issues
- History of characters
Once you clearly can make your characters, the place where they live and their story visual and real to you, then it will make for an easier transition to make them real to your characters. Remember, your story is not afforded the benefit of video, so you are 100% responsible for bringing it to life through your words. Try using the above outline and make it as detailed as possible. When I wrote my first novel, Skye’s His Limit, I had to stop in the first few chapters and create an outline because I had no idea where I was going and this really helped. If you have not started or even if you are unsure where your story is going, STOP and OUTLINE!!!!!
Join me tomorrow as we move into the next segment of my It’s Time to Get Published series and take on the importance of character building.
