How To Write A Story Outline In 6 Steps [Simple Visual Guide]

As an experienced writer, I often encourage aspiring authors to create a novel outline. It’s a simple and flexible technique that helps to keep your story on track and makes writing the first draft easier.

There are different ways of outlining a story but this one is good if you like to see how everything fits together. It’s like having a big board with lots of notes, but much easier to use.

Learning how to write a story outline doesn’t have to be complicated or time-consuming. Unlike most other outlining methods, this simple visual method is easy to follow along and modify if you decide to change direction.

So without further ado, let’s get started.

An effective story outline is a crucial step in the writing process. It helps save you time and makes sure your book is the best it can be.

How to Outline A Story

There are several methods to outline your story, including the three-act structure, Hero’s journey, but here’s a simple visual guide that is easy to understand and follow.

1. Summarize Your Story.

Start by writing a summary of your story. This is the Synopsis. A synopsis is a brief summary of your story, including the beginning, middle, and end. Think of it as an elevator pitch that summarizes what your story is about. The aim of the synopsis in outlining your story is to let you know where your story begins, how it progresses, and what the ending will be.

It could be in one sentence like below:

Or several sentences long like this:

No matter the length, make sure your synopsis is concise and captures the essence of your story. A synopsis is incredibly helpful when you start outlining your story as it will provide you with a guide and vision as to what you want your story to be.

 2. Lay out the chapters of your story.

Begin by listing out all the possible chapters of your story. This should be a rough list that outlines the major events and plot points of your story.

Note that this is not necessarily the same as your book’s final chapter sequence, but rather a way for you to organize individual scenes that will eventually form the bigger picture of your story.

In Anabella’s story, for example, the chapters could be something like this:

Chapter 1 – Anabella embarks on her quest

Chapter 2 – Anabella discovers Relic

Chapter 3 – The Fierce Battle for The Relic

Chapter 4 – Anabella Goes on A New Adventure

3. Map out the key scenes.

All stories have defining moments, and the best way to capture them is by plotting out the main scenes. Do not worry about adding so many details as much yet.

For example, you might have scenes such as:

Just try to focus on key events that will move your story forward. And they don’t have to be in order either. This is a very simplified approach that works all the time.

You should also try to identify and add potential obstacles. Every hero needs an obstacle to overcome before achieving the goal. It could be a personal struggle, external forces such as villains, or anything else that stands in the way of success.

After you’ve finished mapping your scenes, take a look at it and make sure that everything has been captured correctly.

This is the time to add, remove, or rearrange scenes if needed. You can also make notes on how you want each scene to play out, but don’t dive too deep into details just yet.

4. Fill in the details.

Once you’ve got a few scenes sketched out, fill in an outline with all of the details that need to happen between each scene.

Include dialogue, descriptions, and other details to help bring the story to life. You can even use dialogue to help reveal character traits. For example, when Anabella faces off against her enemy, you could add in a bit of dialogue to better showcase her courage and strength.

Dialogues help to really make scenes come alive and give readers a better understanding of the characters’ traits.

That said, think of scene building as the “flesh on the bones” that will ultimately become your story. This can be as detailed or as simple as you need it to be. Being detailed, however, can help you visualize the story better and understand how each scene builds upon the last.

Writing from the bones and adding details as you go along can also help the story feel organic and alive. This method is referred to as the Snowflake method. The snowflake method starts with a broad overview of the story, and then adds more detail as each scene is written.

As you’re filling in the details, think about how each event will move the story forward and keep your characters on track to reach their ultimate goal.

Once you’ve finished adding the details, review it one more time. Make sure that all of the pieces are in place and that your characters’ arcs make sense.

5. Create Transitions.

Now you can start connecting all of the pieces together. Create transitions between scenes to make sure that the story flows and makes sense. This is where you can get creative with your storytelling and use plot twists, flashbacks, or other techniques to keep readers engaged. If possible, you can flesh them out with more details.

Think about how your story’s events, characters’ reactions, and decisions, as well as any potential conflicts, will help move your story forward. These transitions between scenes will help ensure that your story arc is consistent and logical. And it will help keep track of where your story is going next.

By taking the time to plan out your transitions, you’ll be able to bring your story together into something that is greater than the sum of its parts.

6. Add Images (Optional).

Although this is an optional step, it can be helpful to add images and/or sketches of your characters or the world in which your story takes place.

This will help you visualize the story and make sure that everything makes sense. Besides, images can also help you come up with new ideas for your story that might have never occurred to you.

I always like to use images as I’m a visual kind of writer. I also find that it’s great for worldbuilding. It helps me keep track of my characters, motivations, and backstories.

7. Write your story.

Once you’ve got all the pieces in place, it’s time to write the first draft of your story. Start with your opening scene and start crafting your story. Keep focusing on the key scenes and transitions that you outlined earlier as a guide for what needs to happen next.

This will give you a structure to work with and help keep your story focused. It will also ensure that you don’t get stuck on any particular scene or plot point.

As you write, don’t be afraid to make changes if something isn’t working. You can always go back and edit later. The important thing is to keep going until you complete your story.

Bonus: Use Software to Outline Your Story.

If you want an even easier way to visualize your story, there are plenty of great software programs that can help. For example, Plottr and Scrivener both offer templates for outlining and keeping track of events in a story.

These tools will provide a ready-made structure that you can use to quickly layout your story and get a better sense of what needs to happen next. They also make it easy to move parts of your story around if you need to make changes later.

So, if you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed with the task of outlining your story, these tools can definitely help.

FAQs on Story Outline

What Is The Purpose Of Outlining A Story?

Outlining a story helps writers organize their thoughts and ideas into a cohesive narrative. It allows writers to see the big picture and make sure that all elements of their story are connected in a meaningful way. By outlining, writers can create clear plot points, characters, and themes that will drive the story forward.

What Should Be Included In An Outline?

An outline should include all of the major plot points, characters, and themes in a story. Depending on the type of story, it may also be helpful to include subplots, settings, and other elements that will contribute to the narrative. The outline should provide an overall structure for how the story will unfold.

How Long Does It Take To Outline A Story?

The amount of time it takes to outline a story will vary depending on the complexity of the narrative. Generally speaking, it should not take more than an hour or two for most stories. For longer stories, it may be necessary to break down the outlining process into several smaller steps.

How Detailed Should An Outline Be?

An outline should be as detailed as necessary to provide a strong foundation for the story. This could include character bios, scene descriptions, and other details. However, it is important not to get too bogged down in the details at this stage; instead, focus on the main plot points and themes that will drive the story.

Final Notes On How to Write a Story Outline

Now that you’ve learned how to write a story outline, you should be able to create an effective outline for your story. Outlining can seem daunting at first, but with a clear plan of attack and some practice, you will quickly become an outlining pro.

Recommended Reading:

• How to Write A Story In 9 Steps [With Examples & Pictures]
• Writing The First Draft Of A Book: 12 Tips For A Quick Process
• How To Outline A Book: 6 Simple Steps with Templates & Examples
• Outlining In Writing: 6 Easy Steps For Success [With Formats]
• How to Overcome Writer’s Block: 7+ Tips That Work [Exercises]
• How To Find Your Writing Voice (Expert Tips For Signature Style)