Creating a plot outline before you start writing can help you get a better idea of your story.As you write about your setting, your characters, and describe the major events in the story, it can act as a road map.A plot outline can be useful if you hit a wall while writing and want to know where to go next.
Step 1: A plot diagram has sections that you can identify.
The triangle plot diagram, also known as Freytag's Pyramid, is one of the more traditional ways to structure a story.The set up, inciting incident, rising action, climax, and the resolution are part of the Pyramid.The diagram looks like a triangle or pyramid, with the set up at the bottom of the triangle followed by the inciting incident and the rising action.The end of the story is the tip of a triangle, which is followed by a downward slant of falling action and a resolution to the tale.In novels, this type of plot diagram is used to structure the action of the story.It's a good way to make sure you have all the necessary elements of a story in your novel, and many readers will respond positively to a text that is structured based on a plot diagram that has a rise and fall.Each section or plot point can be written out directly from the plot diagram you draw.It can be helpful to have a visual reference for your story.
Step 2: A strong set up is needed.
It is possible to write down your set up during the planning stages of your story if you fold it into the inciting incident.It is possible to identify the set up of your story as well as the themes or main ideas in it.The setting of the story should be included in your set up.A few lines may address these elements or an actual scene where your main character is speaking to other characters and moving around in the setting.The set up for the first book in the Harry Potter series focuses on introducing the reader to the main character.It introduces the reader to the world of Muggles and wizards.
Step 3: Mention the inciting incident.
Your main character's life will be changed by the inciting incident in your story.It should feel risky to the main character.Right after the set up is introduced in a novel, there is an inciting incident.In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the inciting incident is when Hagrid the Giant tells Harry that he is a wizard and has been accepted into Hogwarts.Harry's life and trajectory as a character have been changed by this information.He leaves his unhappy situation with the Dursleys and goes to Hogwarts with Hagrid.This incident starts a chain of events in Harry's life.
Step 4: Make rising action.
The rising action, or the upward slope from the inciting incident to the climax, is often the longest section of a novel or a story.In the rising action section, you will develop your characters, explore their relationships to each other and pace out all the important events that will allow you to get to the climax.The closer you get to the climax, the higher the action should get.You can outline each event in your plot diagram because the rising action section is often made of a series of events.The closer you get to the climax, the more you need to up the stakes.The series of events in the rising action of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone could be described as follows.On the 9 34 platform, Harry leaves the Dursley home and takes the train to Hogwarts.The three main characters in the series are Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, and Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy.The Invisibility Cloak was given to Harry.Harry tells Ron and Hermione about the Philosopher's stone.
Step 5: Write the end of the story down.
The climax of your story should be the most important moment for the main character.It could be a challenge that the main character has to deal with or a big decision that they have to make.The climax will often be an external event that the main character has to survive to get to the end of the story.The climax of the story in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone occurs when Harry learns there is a plot to steal the stone.He is trying to protect it with Ron and Hermione.
Step 6: Look at the falling action.
The roller coaster action is the most action-packed part of the story, where your story is speeding down the tracks to reach the resolution.The reader should learn how the main character deals with the end of the story during the falling action.If the main character is dealing with a big climax, your falling action may occur over several chapters.The characters get to the resolution of the story when the falling action feels like a journey.In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry has to make a series of life or death decisions to save the Stone.The quest is spread out over several chapters so that Harry can get to his goal.
Step 7: You can create a resolution to the story.
The very end of a novel is when the resolution to a story is called a conclusion.It should let the reader know if your hero succeeds or fails.The resolution shows how the main character has been changed over the course of the book.A gradual change could be physical, mental, psychological, or all of the above.At the end of the novel, your hero should view their world differently than they did at the beginning.In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the resolution occurs when Harry confronts Professor Quirrell in the final room.Harry is trying to get the Stone but he is being possessed by Lord Voldemort.During the struggle, Harry passed out and woke up in the hospital surrounded by his friends.The power of Harry's mother was the reason he survived.Harry returns to the Dursley's for summer break after the Stone is destroyed.
Step 8: Move around the parts of your plot diagram.
The standard plot diagram can be useful in the drafting stages, but you should consider adjusting the sections and moving them around in subsequent drafts of your story.If you want the climax to appear at the very end of the story, you should start with the inciting incident right away.The plot diagram can be used to make your story more unique.
Step 9: You can write a summary.
The Snowflake method can be used to structure short stories as well.This method allows you to structure the scenes of your story in a spreadsheet.The method requires you to come up with a one sentence summary of your story.It is important to highlight the big picture and sell your story.The summary should be short and sweet.To tie a larger theme with character actions, try to use 15 words or less.A seemingly perfect marriage is disrupted when the wife disappears.
Step 10: A one paragraph summary is what you should do.
When you have your one line summary, you should expand it to a full paragraph that describes the story set up, major events, the climax, and the ending.Three disasters plus an ending is a structure where bad things happen in the story and build up to the climax.Things get worse and worse for the main character until they reach the end of the story.There will be five sentences in your paragraph.The story should be described in one sentence.Each of the disasters should have a single sentence.The last sentence describes the ending.Nick and Amy have a seemingly perfect marriage and appear happy to those who know them.Foul play is suspected when Amy disappears one night.Nick will have to defend himself in court.Amy faked her own murder, but Nick is determined to put her in prison.Nick confronted Amy and she blackmailed him into staying in the marriage.
Step 11: Character synopses should be created.
You should flesh out your characters after you have your summary.To create a storyline for each of your main characters, note important characteristics such as the character's name, motivation, goal, and conflict.Each character's story should last about one paragraph.Character synopses do not need to be perfect.When you start writing scenes of the novel, you will most likely change them back and forth.synopses will help you get a better sense of your characters and where they fit in your story.Nick is a thirty five year old reporter who was laid off from his job after ten years in the business.He has been married to Amy for ten years and considers her his ideal wife and partner.He is struggling with his lack of employment because Amy is from a wealthy family.He thinks he needs to be the provider in the marriage because of Amy's financial independence and success in her career.He is torn between his need to find Amy and his unhappiness in his marriage to her.He realized that Amy was trying to frame him for her disappearance.
Step 12: There are scenes in a spreadsheet.
Once you have written character synopses for each of your main characters, you should try to expand your summary into scenes using your characters.The list of scenes will give you a better idea of what's happening in the story.It is easy to write out each scene in order with the help of a spreadsheet program.Depending on the length of your story, you may have over 100 scenes.One column is for the POV character in the scene and the other is to explain what happened.Use your summary as a guide and list the scenes one by one.One entry might say, "Nick discovers Amy is missing."Nick is a POV character.Nick came home after a long night working at the bar to find the front door had been kicked open.There was a pool of blood in the hallway and there were scratches on the walls of the living room.Continue to do this, creating scenes that correspond to your plot summary, because he searches the rest of the house but finds no sign of Amy.You should have an outline of your plot and a list of scenes that correspond to it.It will be easier to put the scenes together and make a cohesive story.
Step 13: The outline should be divided into three acts.
Divide your outline into three acts to create a plot for a text that you were assigned in a class.The three act structure can be used to break most novels and books down.A piece of paper or a word processing document can be used to create Act 1, Act 2, and Act 3.Depending on the length of the book, plot outlines can be as long as two pages.To focus on the key points of the plot is to be concise.
Step 14: The inciting incident and the opening scene should be summarized.
Act 1 begins with a description of the book's opening scene.The opening scene establishes the setting and the characters.The opening scene of the book has the main character in it.The summary should be 100-150 words.The names of the characters, any physical details or personality traits mentioned, and the setting are the key details to note in the opening scene.The inciting incident should be included in the beginning of your plot outline for Act 1.The main conflict in the novel may be caused by the inciting incident.The inciting incident of the book occurs when Atticus agrees to defend a black man who is accused of raping a white woman.
Step 15: The main problem should be described.
The novel's main problem will be the focus of the final section.The main problem or conflict will be the most difficult to deal with.It will cause the main character to act in a certain way in order to raise the stakes of the story.The main problem or conflict is usually caused by the inciting incident.InHarper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird, the main conflict occurs as a result of the inciting incident, as Atticus' decision to defend Tom Robinson leads to the abuse of Jem and Scout by the other children in the community.
Step 16: Give a description of the major disaster or climax.
The major disaster or climax of the novel is usually built up in Act 2.Most of the way into a book or a story there is a disaster or climax.There are several smaller incidents that occur as rising action leading up to the climax.The rising action occurs as the trial for Tom Robinson begins and then plays out over a series of chapters.Tom Robinson was acquitted of the charges, but the white woman's father still wants revenge.Ewell attacks Jem and Scout at the end of the novel.Boo Radley saved Jem and Scout.
Step 17: Discuss the resolution or wrap up.
The resolution of the novel will be contained in Act 3.The end of the journey will be indicated by the resolution or wrap up.The main character usually gets a new understanding of what she didn't know at the beginning of the novel.Scout comes to sympathize with Boo as a person after realizing that she misunderstood Boo.She embraces her father's advice to show sympathy and understanding for others.