Types of Outlines

I've mentioned before about the importance of outlining in a previous post. This is going to go into a little more depth about the different types of outlines that I've heard of or tried out myself. It will be a general list with a few examples.

• Sequence Boards. I call them Sequence Boards because you lay out your novel in a sequence of how the scenes go. You write one scene on an index card until you've plotted out your entire novel. This is my go-to method. It's nice because you can rearrange scenes to see what works better.You could also do this in a notebook, the only thing you wouldn't be able to do is rearrange the scenes to see how they fit.

• A General Outline. This is the generic outline you'd use for taking notes for class. For example: 1.) Chapter One a)character introduced b.) plot starts i.) something else goes here. Things like that. It's not a method I use anymore but it works for some people. 

• The Snowflake Method. I've never used this method before but I know several writers who have and found it very helpful. Here is a link if you'd like to take a look at it. 

• Storyboards. It's similar to a Sequence Board but a little more creative. Sometimes when I need to do something artsy for my writing, I make a Sequence Board. It has all kinds of arrows and pictures. It's fun.

• Beginning-Middle-End. There is an actual name for it but I don't know what it's called. This is basically the least amount of planning I do and it's usually for short stories. I need to know my beginning, my middle, and my end. It helps me stay on track. Sometimes I use this method with another method because it helps me understand my plot better. 

• Mind Map Method. I've only ever used this once and it was a general guide of how certain things happened in my novels. It's not the best method but at least you can have parts of your story planned out. For example, in my novel, my character meets a lot of people and these people become important to the plot. I had laid out when, where, and how he met them. Then added a little bit about them that I needed to know. If you ever used a mind map before, it was kind of hard to get everything down in one word or small phrase but I managed it...somehow.

There are tons of ways to plan your novels. You can look up a ton of them online but it's something that every writer should do to stay on track with their writing. Keep away from those filler scenes! Noted, we all write them from time to time but that doesn't make it okay. I end up deleting them during the revision stage (which you should). Outlines will help when it comes to writer's block. You know what comes next and push ahead. Even if it does suck. You can polish that up during the revision process.