My Book Outlining Process
Every author has their process for outlining their books. This is mine.
As Oath: A Star Folk Saga Book 3 wraps up and prepares for publication I want to go over how I outline my books.
Every author does it differently. The way I do it now is very organized.
It was not this way with book 1.
I first learned about this specific way to outline books from Brandon Sanderson’s videos on writing. Below is the video with timestamp where he discusses his method of outlining his books which I’ve borrowed and been relatively successful with.
I take this one step further (maybe he does, too?) and simply use the same excel spreadsheet with different tabs for plot, characters, setting, and anything else required.
Below is an example from Retribution. (WARNING: Spoilers.)
As you see I have the tabs at the bottom for “Overall Plot”, “Characters”, and “Setting”.
In “Overall Plot” I have separate columns for each story arc. The first box is for the general description of that arc, while subsequent boxes are for (generally) chronological things that occur within that plot arc to its conclusion. As I went and added those plot points into my manuscript I crossed them out in the spreadsheet.
Next is the “Characters” tab.
I list my main and supporting characters in the first column. In the second, I write out a general statement of the story “promise” for that character. I follow up with a little longer description of what the character is seeking in the book, and the arcs they deal with.
Book 2 was less developed. Book 3 I completely filled out everything for almost every character, main and supporting.
Finally, the “Setting” Tab.
First I cover technology, and provide as detailed a description as I can. This was especially important as my primary beta read, Lucen Dacier (on X) continued to question what exactly were the abilities of Navigators and their implants. I had been hopping around adding abilities here and there and really needed to pin it down.
Brandon Sanderson discusses “Technology” just like magic systems. If your magic system is going to have rules you need to spell it out so it’s “believable” within your universe. I had to do the same thing with my tech.
Next is physical locations. In this case it centered on locations in the Star Folk Community Fleet and the moons of Jupiter.
You could add more description to this, such as specific locations and detailed descriptions. I did not.
Finally are the cultural aspects of your setting. In Book 2 the primary cultures encountered were normal Star Folk and Navigators. I covered everything from their descent, religion, the people themselves, religions, relationships, taboos, and militaries. I did this in depth for book 3 as well, and book 4 is shaping up to be hefty in the spreadsheet.
This whole process is about a day of work. I say a day because I keep dorking with it, removing and adding plot points or characters. There are usually breaks where I go do something else (generally work) before I come back and add elements.
As I write I continuously reference this spreadsheet to check off plot points, ensure I’m in line with the personal arcs of the characters, and maintain the setting of the universe itself.
What are your thoughts on this method of outlining? If you write, what method(s) do you use to outline your book(s)?