Part 2 How to Prepare The Outline?
1062 Words
Function of outline
a) Direction: give an idea of how the story will develop.
b) Continuity: present the transformation and connection between plots.
c) Show coherence and variation: aspects of a character’s personality may remain the same, or they may alter with the development of the story. This is shown by their feelings and motivations.
1.Confirm the background
1) What is background?
The background of your story is simple but important, mainly referring to the time and location that it is set in, which must correspond with and support your characters and the plot.
2) Two kinds of background
① Non-fiction
a) Benefit
There is no doubt that the background in non-fiction makes it easier for readers to relate to, also easier for writers to create.
Telling a story set in the past can be interesting but requires knowledge of life in that period.
b) Difficulty
Your content must obey the rules and common sense of real life, which may limit your imagination. Arranging and searching for sources to make your work more authentic may cost your time and hold back your progress.
② Fiction
a) Benefit
Creating a fantasy background not based on facts, you become the undisputed ruler of your story’s world. You can dictate who/what species are involved (for example vampires, werewolves, witches), their abilities and weaknesses, the location… everything. Nothing has to correspond to reality and you are limited only by your imagination.
b) Difficulty
The things within fantasy novels that are distinct from reality must be well developed and explained to the readers. Should you fail to make a good case for your setting, it may cause misunderstanding and questioning of the content.
3)Tips:
a) Make the background close to your life, to your career or something else that you are familiar with.
b) You may get some ideas of how to do things from movies and TV shows, with many general rules existing between the different formats.
c) A fantasy novel that is not totally divorced from reality, and associated with a historical event or news is also desirable.
2. Characterization
1) Importance of character
Novels are based principally on showing the personality of characters, and how this affects the story.
Everything that happens has a cause and an effect. Experience is the cause of personality, and personality is the cause of characters’ actions.
A fully developed character should demonstrate the personality and experience that defines their relationships with others. You should remember to make this fit your main story line.
2) Function of a fully developed character
a)External features like appearance can help the readers, especially when describing a protagonist. It helps create an image for the character that the readers can use to relate to them.
E.g.:
His eyes are so beautiful and he has a lot of muscle. He has high cheek bones and towers over me since he's a foot taller. He's so strong. He smells amazing. Like green apples and strawberries. I love it. --- A Mute Rejected Mate, character 2
b)Inner aspects to the character like their experience and personality don’t always need to be explained. But as the motive of their behaviour, this must be in your mind as you are writing.
E.g.:
Emily is that girl who snatched happiness away from my family six months back. The girl due to whom I left everything behind running to London. The reason of complete turn in my life.
The way she is holding his hand clears all my doubt. She is the girl whom I have been searching for the last six months.
Now I will not leave this Emily at any cost. I will make her life hell. ----- His Purchased Wife, chapter 3
3) Tips
a) Character list: You can list the hobbies, interests, motivations, goals, conflicts and developments of all your characters.
b) Relationship diagram: The treelike visualization scheme of "Mind mapping" is useful for organising the connections between characters.
c) Make some differences: The protagonists should also have shortcomings or weaknesses to make them real. And these things should drive the plot or the emotional conflict between the protagonists.
3. Arrange the plot
1) What is plot?
Plots are a series of connected incidents that form the story.
A complete plot generally consists of a beginning, development, turn, climax and ending.
2) How to arrange plots?
a)Cause and effect
Each incident must be well linked with some cause and effect because everything happens for a reason, or for many reasons.
E.g.:
Incident: I meet my ex-boyfriend again
Incident with cause and effect that can be called plot: I move back to New York for a new job, and find that my ex-boyfriend is my colleague.
b) Dramatic conflict
General outline of a novel: have a goal, meet difficulty, make some effort, get the result.
The protagonist should have a strong desire to do something but meet some difficulties, which they make great efforts to overcome, before finally succeeding or failing. This is dramatic conflict.
E.g.:
Her father has lung cancer that needs totally unaffordable medical costs to cure. So she takes risks at work but attract her boss’ attention. After getting to know her, the boss lends her money and her father recovers.
c） Providing hints of future developments in the story
To help the protagonist overcome their difficulties, things must come together in a reasonable, believable way. During the course of the story you can give clues as to what might happen later.
3）Tips
①Clarify the chronological sequence of incidents in a proper order. This is helpful for connecting the plots and showing the relationship between characters in a vivid way. Normal narration can give ideas as to what will happen next, which can be interspersed with flashbacks to provide more context.
②Plots full of happiness are dull for readers, you should make some tense situations to generate their interest.
a) Add some conflicts like family hatred, misunderstandings between couples etc. There must be something that causes the protagonist to not get what they want, at least temporarily.
b) Make a well-matched adversary to the protagonist.
c) Dramatic plot lines, like the death of an important supporting actor, help arouse readers’ emotions. But remember that such a death must be useful to push the development of the plot.
BY Blair
- Writer
