In a new post, C.S. Lakin offers advice on outlining. “Having done dozens (perhaps hundreds) of scene outline critiques, I can attest that every novel outline, regardless of how carefully crafted, needs tweaking,” Lakin writes. “Even if you know what scenes might make up a strong story, it’s still not easy to tell if you have all the ‘right ones’ and in the right places.”
Writers often get stuck on scenes that work in their heads but not on paper. They lack structure, don’t support the story, or are boring or repetitive. Lakin suggests some checklist items that can help you decide whether a scene is worthy of your novel:
- My scene is important to the plot (and I can explain exactly why it is)
- My scene helps reveal something new about the characters or plot
- My scene starts in the middle of action in present time and moves forward
- My scene gives a brief nod to setting through the character’s POV
- My scene stays in one POV the whole time and makes clear who the POV character is right away (preferably in the first two lines)
- My scene evokes a rich setting to which my POV character reacts and responds
- My scene’s high moment advances the plot in an important way
Even if you’re not a plotter, Lakin says outlining your scenes is a major step for success. “It may make the difference between a story that drags and seems to wander aimlessly and one that has riveting, tight pacing and high tension on every page,” she says.
