How to Plot a Novel Without Giving Up on Your Writer Dreams

First Things, First. Acknowledge Some Planning Is Prudent 

Writers of the pantser persuasion, please don’t boo! Hear me out!

I’m not saying you need to plot out every detail as us planner types take pleasure in, but setting up a rudimentary skeleton for your novel before you dive into writing will unmistakably save you heartache and time in the revision stage. 

But you must already know that or you wouldn’t be reading this post at all, right?

So, how much skeleton are we talking? 

I’m glad you asked! 

How to Plot a Novel with Minimal Outlining 

Save the Cat Writes a Novel is one of the best resources you can use to help you decide on the structure of your book. My instinct is to tell you to use the complete Save the Cat outline formula to plan your novel because that alone is still a pretty basic outline, but if you want an even looser outline there are some core things it’s critical you figure out. 

Here are the bare bones I recommend every writer commit to at the very least when plotting:

Figure Out What Type of Story You’re Telling

By this I mean you need to figure out what theme your protagonist will explore throughout the book. No need to be didactic and have an overwrought moral of the story, but you do need to figure out what fundamental change in the protagonist’s life is at the heart of the story, what internal metamorphosis will be driving the plot. 

Will the protagonist learn to believe in their ability to overcome adversity and accept their weaknesses? 

Will they learn that chosen family is sometimes better than blood?

Will they learn to be careful what they wish for?

Will they learn that the journey is more important than the destination? 

Will they go through a rite of passage that teaches them what growing up is all about?

Don’t get me wrong. You don’t necessarily need to start off with figuring out what type of lesson the character will learn. In fact, most of the time that’s not where you’ll start. You’ll start with a cool idea for a premise and the interesting adverse circumstances that stand in your protagonist’s way, but settling on what type of journey your character will be going on while solving said conflict will be crucial to keeping the engine of your story going. 

The why will keep you focused on what may need to happen when to get to the final destination, even as you’re freestyling to your heart’s content.

Once you decide what type of story you’re telling, it’ll make it easy to figure out these next two bare minimum plotting necessities.

A Snapshot of Your Character’s Before World

You need to give the reader a good sense of the protagonist’s world before the catalyst hits so that when change happens, the reader is excited. What is boring or wrong about how their lives are going before everything is turned upside down? The catalyst should be a natural subversion of how the protagonist’s life is going so far. 

A Snapshot of Your Character’s After World

Your next bare bone should answer this question:

What will be the closing image of my book? 

By the end of the story, there should be something in the protagonist’s life that is the complete opposite of how their world was when the book started. Most times, the change should be both external and internal. There are times when the internal change is drastic enough that it makes for a pleasing ending though. For example, a protagonist’s environment itself may not have actually changed much but their way of looking at the world may have been turned on its head in a way that makes them move through the world very differently. 

More often though, both the internal and the external world will have metamorphosed. This will guarantee that the journey is satisfying for both the protagonist and the reader. The main character doesn’t need to have been catapulted into an alternate universe, but maybe they now have a lover in their life or they’ve gathered the courage to start the job they were destined to do. Not all external changes have to be mind-blowing.

A Conflict/Goal

The axis on which your protagonist’s story swings (the conflict) should be almost indestructible to writer’s block. It should be compelling enough to realistically propel your character into action, and unsolvable until your protagonist learns the theme (see first bare bone) underlying their entire character arc. The catalyst of your story should clearly hurtle the protagonist further and further into the struggle of the conflict. Sounds sadistic but it’s just what makes for the best stories. Who wants to hear about a character who only has a slightly troublesome situation?

Could your protagonist solve their problem in one simple step? 

Then that may be a sign your conflict isn’t strong enough. 

There should be either a huge obstacle in the way of your protagonist’s deepest desire/goal or a simple obstacle with a protagonist that is hugely resistant to change. 

For example, many of the conflicts in romances aren’t actually very large. Gale could just let his coworker Esme know he has feelings for her from the start and the story would be done with. But nooooo, Gale doesn’t want to admit he could possibly have feelings for Esme because she’s basically the essence of everything he’s always told his introverted, pretentious self he hates: She’s loud, unbelievably outgoing, and not afraid to use social connections to climb the corporate ladder. 

Voila. Super simple problem made gargantuan by pigheaded protagonist.

Make sure your conflict will have to be solved in a series of steps.

Shore Up the Soggy Middle 

One of the most common issues writers who write first and rely on revisions to institute organization later battle with is the soggy middle. They get pumped about the beginning and know where they want their character to end up but then get stuck on how to get them there. 

This next bare bone goes hand-in-hand with your conflict. Planting a false victory or false defeat somewhere toward the end of the middle will help give you direction on how to make the story interesting and keep your character moving toward their goal. The work you’ve done deciding on a juicy conflict will help you plan at least one of the steps toward a solution. Deciding what false defeat or victory act two is building up to will give you the steam to reach the climax of the story in an organic way. 

And that is pretty much the barest of plot bones I recommend starting the endeavor of novel-writing with. 

Now for us planning maniacs who’d like to set out with a detailed plot blueprint. . . . 

How to Plan Your Novel’s Plot In More Detail

Have you got your sticky notes, binder labels, and assortment of colored pens ready? 

Good. Now, put them down for a second. 

Honestly, I recommend you just check out the Save the Cat formula at the source in order for you to start planning your outline. In addition to her well-loved book, Jessica Brody wrote an amazing article on the matter of plotting called “How to Write Your Novel Using the Save the Cat Beat Sheet.” Go read that.

BUT before you go explore this wonderful resource, a few words to the wise: 

Don’t Let the Planning Phase Paralyze Your Writing Phase

Avoid planner’s paralysis at all costs! 

How lame would it be to have heaps of wonderful outlines for books but no actual manuscripts? You’d be surprised how many people this is a reality for. It may even be you!

In order to prevent planner’s paralysis you have to recognize that although outlining is a legitimate part of the writing process, you can’t keep convincing yourself you’re writing your novel when all you’ve been doing is planning for it. 

Take the pressure off writing the perfect first draft so your imagination (you know, that thing that inspired you to write this book in the first place) feels free to spread its wings. No matter what, you’re going to have to make revisions. Outlining isn’t about formulating the perfect plan so your first draft will turn out flawless. That’s not going to happen. 

Outlining is about giving yourself a roadmap you can have confidence in so you can have fun while going on the writing journey. Get out of perfectionist mode and remind yourself there’s no right or wrong way to write this book. Don’t wring the enjoyment out of writing. Sometimes “wrong turns” will even lead you to a more exciting story than you ever imagined, which brings me to my next point. . . .  

Recognize You Don’t Have to Stick to the Plan

“But Bianca, if I wanted to fly carelessly off course then I wouldn’t have bothered planning at all!” 

I know, I know. You put hard work, foresight, and endless strategy into your writing gameplan, so it can seem frustrating to have to offroad it in the end, but you wouldn’t want to stifle an amazing work of art just because you wanted the safety of a plan. 

Think of it this way, do you prefer a rigid, potentially boring story or an engaging, dynamic one?

I’m not saying to throw all your hard work out the window. I’m just saying to be open to changes of course. If an off-course idea hits you in the middle of writing, you can even pause to plan out that new course so you don’t feel like you’re flying blind if that suits you. The main thing is to be open to spontaneity so you don’t stifle a great story. 

Have you already written one or two novel drafts and feel like it’s too late to save your tangled plot? 

Don’t give up on your book baby.

Have a professional manuscript critique conducted on your draft to get your plot back on track. 

I’d be happy to help.