How to Plot a Novel | my tips and process
- Eva L. Roy
- Mar 5
- 5 min read
Hey everyone and welcome! I'm so glad you could join me here on my site! Today I have a bunch of tips and ideas to help YOU create an AMAZING book!
If you're a writer or an aspiring author, you know that coming up with a story from scratch can be an extremely daunting task, so where do you even start? You probably have heard of plotting or planning and how there can be many different methods to make your own. Whatever process you end up adopting is fine, just make sure it works for you. Just keep in mind that there is no right or wrong when it comes to story telling, but it's also important to maintain an open mind in order to collect tips from other writers. This post will be full of my own processes that I've developed over the years.
STEP 1: BRAIN DUMP DOC
When I first open a blank document to "scribble down" my ideas, I usually already have an inkling of a story idea. This document is meant to be the messy, brainstorming page where my mind can essentially throw up. This doc is also usually my most creative piece of the entire process. As someone who likes to keep her Google docs extremely organized, it was hard for me in the beginning to keep this doc very basic. Now, I won't even change the font from the default. Don't worry about design or formatting. It's up to you if you use bullet points or paragraph forms. I tend to go for full sentences and even include things like "I'd like to have the ending maybe be like XYZ but I'm not sure how main character gets there". See? Super vague, but the idea is to get the ideas down on "paper" before you forget, and sometimes when we write out our first ideas, more come after. Another tip is that sometimes I even includes bits of inspiration if I had any, so I can always refer back to that at a later time.
STEP 2: DEVELOP THE MAIN CHARACTER
After you have some general story ideas, it's time for the single most important piece of your story: The main character (MC).
In order for readers to care about your story, you need to have a developed protagonist (or antagonist) with INTERNAL CONFLICT. Did you see that? Internal conflict is what makes the readers care about your story and want to follow your MC along for their personal journey.
I have a free MC profile template which I will link to this blog post. Feel free to make a copy and fill it out for yourself. Note that I got this template originally from Abbie Emmons' YouTube videos. She is an amazing writing coach and author and I wouldn't be where I am today without her content, so I am also leaving a link to her channel.
I use this template every time I am trying to come up with a new MC and it is so helpful. What I want you to focus on the most when filling out this profile are the "character goals" and the "backstory" sections. These two sections are the most crucial parts to understanding your main character's internal conflict. If you would like an in depth explanation on how to use this template, check out Abbie's videos or you can watch my video which is linked above.
STEP 3: THREE ACT STORY STRUCTURE
Next comes another outline! Yay! If you spend any amount of time online, following other authors, you may have heard of this outline structure. There are many others structures, and a bunch that even go by different names, but are essentially the same (One that I've heard of that's similar to the three act story structure is from the book Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody). Remember, you don't need to follow my processes step for step. This is just me trying to share my experience with you.
Once again, if you want to learn how to use this outline, you can visit Abbie's channel. I love her information so much! Here is the free template:
Basically, your story is going to be broken down into three acts with important plot points within each act. Each plot point further develops or shows your MC's internal conflict which drives the story. Without these plot points or internal conflict, the story is going nowhere. I don't care how much external action you have, if it doesn't somehow matter to the character, no one will care to read it.
STEP 4: CHAPTER BY CHAPTER OUTLINE
You got it, ANOTHER outline! I am a super planner so I literally have to have basically a first draft done before I even start the actual first draft. I know it sounds crazy, but it's what works for me to keep me focused on the actual writing when that step comes along. Of course I go off "script" sometimes (and those can be the best parts!), every author does! The idea is just to have a more in depth (or basic) plan for what you want to take place in each chapter. You can always add or delete chapters on the outline later, or move stuff around.
I usually start by typing a bunch of chapters (Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, ect...) and then beneath each chapter heading, I type out a few paragraphs of my ideas for what I want to happen. I also include what plot point(s) will take place in each chapter and WHY any external action matters to the MC. Sometimes I also include any dialogue ideas if I have any.
To take this one step further, I have also recently been including scene descriptions under each chapter. This has been helping me a lot when I get stuck writing a transitional scene in a chapter because I know where I want the next scene of the story to go.
You can either go super in depth, like me, or just use bullet points. The choice is yours. The important thing, is to find what works for you.
STEP 5: BOOK BINDER (world building)
Now, this step should be worked on throughout the entire plotting process. A "book binder" can be a big document or file, or can be a literal binder or a notebook. It's essentially just one place where you keep all of your world building notes and information. For fantasy writers, I would include your magic systems, places, languages, peoples who live in the world, and any sort of mythical creatures. History can also make your world feel more believable! Include ANYTHING about the world your story takes place in even photos that may have inspired the development of your world. The book binder is one of my favorite parts of planning a novel. Your binder should be organized in a way that you can easily refer back to when writing.
Well everyone, we have reached the end of my lengthy novel plotting process! I am so grateful you stuck with me through the whole thing and hopefully you picked up some good tips along the way. If you would like to check out this content in video form, head on over to my YouTube channel (Author Eva L. Roy) or click the button below. Can't wait to come together again for our next blog post. Oh, and don't forget to tell me what you think, or ask any questions and share your own tips with others in the comments. See you soon!
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