If you prefer to outline scene by scene(a compromise with pantsing), scenes and sequels provide one way to organize your story. In Techniques of the Selling Writer, Dwight Sw… See more

If you’re a visual planner or prefer a more physical planning activity, writing out summary index cards for scenes (like Vladimir Nabokov did) or using post-its and corkboard… See more

If a novel planning approach using Swain’s scenes and sequels sounds too complex, try simple units of ‘action’ and ‘reaction’. Example: Action: Evacuation order pamphlets … See more

Three-act structure is an approach to story structurederiving from Aristotle’s theories on dramatic structure in Greek antiquity. The simple premise that a story should have a begi… See more