Did you outline/plan your novel?

by Adrian Sroka
14th January 2014

How did you devise your storyline and plot? Did you work to a template with ready-made characters and working chapter titles, or did you just write.

Replies

Because my stories are based around historical battles (so far) I try to find an unusual angle on events and work on that. Sometimes they might end up as sub-plots but occasionally I can get them into a workable thread to run right through the story. They I have to write a plan, chapter by chapter, because the narrative has to tie in with the historical timeline, which can be awkward.

Interesting point about beginnings and endings from Damien. In both novels I've completed so far I've moved sections around because they worked better, so the original start and finish points ended up in slightly different places. In the second story the last but one chapter ended up as a prologue: I know it sounds weird but it worked fine.

The odd thing is I think I know how the final story in the series ends, which is a bit sad, actually. I'll just have to take a long time getting there :)

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Jonathan
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Jonathan Hopkins
15/01/2014

I always knew the beginning and the ending of my novel. I was sitting in a coffee shop when the end of the book come to me. Funny it was such an emotional release knowing how it was going to end yet I hadn't even started writing the beginning.

Like Umer, I too thought they were real in the end. I even remembered thinking and must get Jacob up for school. It's quite amusing when you talk about your characters like they really exist.

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damien
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damien Isaak
15/01/2014

I just start with some pin points, but usually I develop things as I go on! :D

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