How do you outline/plan your (web)novels?

[BubbleC]

Just curious about what methods you all employ to tackle the huge task that is writing a novel.

How much of your story do you plan? How do you plan it/what do you focus on? And what would you recommend newbies to do when starting a web novel?

Any insights, tips, or experiences are appreciated.

 

[Deleted member 45782]

In notebooks (I love the B5 Retaccy ones :D. So glossy smooth numbered pags with tab of contents).

On ScribbleHub Create Mode but in an unpublished series. <-- this one though I should probably do so on Google Docs. Plus logging story ideas on ScribbleHub only makes me distracted and go back to the Forums when I should be focusing less on that instead. Its why I still haven't go on hiatus on SHF but for other things.

 

[Deleted member 52929]

Usually I make a loose plan in a google doc, and then i do a bullet point chapter by chapter overview of what happens...but sometimes when im writing ill find myself deviating once the story kinda takes a life of its own or if i feel like something doesnt work anymore, i get rid of it.

In my experience its all pretty much experimentation.

 

[NotaNuffian]

I just scribble randomly on my google docs, it makes planning so so so fucked up because of the storylines going all over the place.

It is basically; the start and end, then the arcs in the middle for me to achieve, then the summaries of the chapters within each arc.

FYI, I am dragging the story creation for too long cuz I am bummed out by the retarded scale. I estimate at least 300 chapters to be created should I try to finish it. I am barely at 20 chapters.

I stopped using paper and pen because my penmanship is horrid.

 

[EternalSunset0]

Just curious about what methods you all employ to tackle the huge task that is writing a novel.

How much of your story do you plan? How do you plan it/what do you focus on? And what would you recommend newbies to do when starting a web novel?

Any insights, tips, or experiences are appreciated.

For each volume of mine, I make an outline that contains some non-negotiable story points I want for the volume. Basically, I really want this character or that to have experienced something specific by the end, or for something to happen to the world. I'm a bit looser with how to get to those points, and I have a beta reader to consult.

Then, I decide on how I want my characters to interact and probably write down some key lines that I really want them to say.

I think your focus depends on the genre you're writing or what you want your work to be like. It's pretty impossible for me to tell you to say, focus on characters or the plot because I have no idea about your goal for the story and for writing the story.

It's also flexible since even seemingly very similar series actually have differences in execution and focus. See: Chivalry of Failed Knight and Asterisk War. Or Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress, Black Bullet, Seraph of the End, and Attack on Titan.

In my case, I follow the pseudo-episodic fantasy LN style, so the main focuses are the chuuni battles and weapons/skills as well as how the MC can bond with and make a difference in girl-of-the-volume's life, with an overarching plot slowly developing in the background for each volume. Think of it as a modern fantasy JRPG formula.

 

[nosinkarma]

I outline volume/book and chapters both.
I decide on a rough outline on what my main story line would be in any said volume. Then I roughly decide on each and every chapter that I want to include in that vol/book. I give my self full liberty on what I write in my chapters, ofc every chapter have some key points that leads to the progression of the storyline.

Anyway main challenge for me is to fill those chapters.
I have a planned story, but if I simply write it down it would just be a report xd.

 

[skillet]

Two parts!
1. I do the really really streamlining thing usually in notebooks, and I usually plan out the big arcs + oftentimes snippets of what I want to write, side by side. (I've had to overturn several 'big' plans before, though, so lol idk) Without this, I'm usually at a loss of what to do haha
2. With the big arc in place, I then go at it chapter by chapter (I rarely end up following it, since it either runs faster or shorter than I planned it to be lol), planning what will happen on a chapter-by-chapter basis. This I usually do on my phone, when I have the time on like bus rides or something.

But in the end, the story ends up kind of... deciding itself as it goes on. I always say this, but I keep thinking I'm in control.... when I'm not. Ha.

 

[owotrucked]

Just like I draw, I scribble the entirety of the story from beginning to end and then I revise it, each time putting more substance.

I plan out chapter by chapter what content should come up and then I write the first draft.

I'm really bad at writing so as I refine, I realize that some parts dont work or are boring and need twists. Like when you stop your sketch and start to do a lineart and realize the eyes arent on the same level.

I especially am too straightforward like MC starts A, goes through B and finish at C.

So I try to pull the story towards craziness and failures as I go, which impacts the later story. (Adding obstacles and conflict, punish mc mistakes) Bonus points if I manage to make the characters recover the situation in a legit way (providing the right tools). Big bonus if the challenges and solutions are within the story's theme.

I tried to write a story like that, then I put it on hold. Because Ive been asked to participate to a side project, so I've decided fak it and switched to a low commitment work which is my current smut. I've done minimal planning and I'm just freestyling the first draft as I release the chapters. I ended up getting a patron at chapter 3 so I trapped myself into putting all my focus into it lol

But it'll be mediocre no matter what since I dont have the skills to make a good first draft.

Tbh it's funny to make a first draft with the readers. It's like doing a drawing stream and the comments and feedbacks do impact what I'll do ^^

 

[Crazibrains]

My planning always follows this order.

1. I think about the story and plot in my head (pretty much the entire volume)
2. Scribble the ideas down on paper, at least the important parts
3. Brainstorm with someone if possible
4. Refine the idea into sections, parts, arcs etc
5. Write it out on google docs, expanding on some important information that should not be missed in each arc
6. Then I start writing, arc by arc, splitting them into chapters.

Dunno if it helps, works for me since I write on the go and not in bulk.

 

[ArcadiaBlade]

I actually don't plan my novels and let it take course as it is, if I actually plan my novel, why would I even bother writing when I already know what would happen. Most of my novels usually get discontinued because I know how my work would end and don't bother continue writing since since I don't have any motivation to do so. One reason why I usually read comments and engage with them is that I usually converse how my work would proceed. Like I also am reading the novel blindly and not expect any cliffhangers as well.

 

[PurpleCatGirl]

most of my stories get written as a sort of stream-of-consiousness thing, like i just sit down and write a whole bunch of stuff & it turns into a story. there's next to no planning & i frequently dont know how it's going to end till i get there. sometimes i don't even know what genre i'm writing in till i'm halfway done. (for reference, most of my finished stories are in the 70-80k word range now.)

once a story's finished then i go back & edit & adjust etc to fix any continuity errors that my stream of consiousness churned out. i dont start posting chapters until i'm happy with the finished product, so its not a problem with readers getting early chapters that don't fit later on.

otoh sequels are harder because there's an established world & history & continuity so i do have to do some planning & stuff, so where 'part 1' might take a few days or a couple weeks, 'part 2' can take a month or more. and if i get as far as 'part 3' that's even harder. (i also don't start a story thinking it's going to have a sequel, that usually happens because i get to the end & like the characters so much i want to spend more time with them)

 

[Deleted member 53101]

I don't, I'm a pure pantser. What's come to my mind, I write it down as a premise. If I found a block and stuck on the way, I'll put it off for a moment before I found some inspiration again and write that inspiration. That's why there are a lot of holes and inconsistencies in my story. Though in the first place, it's a smutty shitty story, so I'm fine with the jarring plot holes... don't know about my readers though.

 

[BubbleC]

Tbh it's funny to make a first draft with the readers. It's like doing a drawing stream and the comments and feedbacks do impact what I'll do ^^

This is something especially interesting about web novels/serializations. It seems that those who write their first draft while publishing would need to have a tighter outline to guide them if they want to be successful.

Honestly, the thought of posting chapters online without finishing the entire story stresses me out. Do most authors here finish their first draft and then publish or write as they go?

 

[owotrucked]

Some readers are forgiving and very easily hyped if they like the story. There are good chances that webnovel readers are in that category.

Some are even reading raws with MTL

Make a poll if you wanna spam :p

 

[BubbleC]

Some readers are forgiving and very easily hyped if they like the story. There are good chances that webnovel readers are in that category.

Some are even reading raws with MTL

Make a poll if you wanna spam :p

Lol, not trying to spam, just curious.

I just think outlining a web novel is quite different than a traditional novel due to the audience and medium (serializing chapters online). In general, web novels are also more fast-paced and long-lasting than a traditional novel (1000-3000 words/chapter but over hundreds of chapters in total). Because of this, planning a web novel seems to be less structured and detailed than a traditional novel would be, but also more difficult because of how vast web novel stories can be. You plot out the gist of it, but you don't flesh out an entire book with the snowflake method and then polish your manuscript before publishing the entire thing. With how long some web novels are, it would take a ton of time to do all that.

I suppose the flexibility of the outlining process (if authors even use one) must lend web novels their signature spontaneity, but at the same time, I wonder if that sacrifices any quality. I guess separating your story into volumes/installations of a greater series and outlining those walks that middle ground, but I'm not sure if a lot of authors do that.

Well, I guess I am derailing my own thread at this point though, so I'll elaborate on this in another one lol.

 

[CadmarLegend]

Just curious about what methods you all employ to tackle the huge task that is writing a novel.

How much of your story do you plan? How do you plan it/what do you focus on? And what would you recommend newbies to do when starting a web novel?

Any insights, tips, or experiences are appreciated.

I like to plan, because it makes it easier to write stories, but I also like going with the flow, to add some excitement to my writing!

 

[Deleted member 45782]

I like to plan, because it makes it easier to write stories, but I also like going with the flow, to add some excitement to my writing!

Yup. Its like planning on what river to sail on and then just improvising when the water current takes a turn. It is exciting! :D

 

[Ai-chan]

Ai-chan uses an offline desktop wiki to organize the particulars of Ai-chan's stories. For example, there are categories for characters, plot, locations, important events and miscellanous stuff. And inside those categories, Ai-chan can also add subcategories to further manage various aspects of the story. Ai-chan can even write early drafts in it.

It definitely beats using notepad or word document to plan stories. There has been many times when Ai-chan would open notepad and thought, "Where the heck is the characters section?" and then once Ai-chan got to that part, it would be sensory overload as Ai-chan had to waste time sifting through unneeded information. That slows down the writing process and breaks writing flow, a problem Ai-chan suffered for the past 2 years

 

[Kitsura]

I just vaguely plot it out on a document and then charge ahead with writing.

discovery writer moods

 

[deltanz]

The one story I do it on of my own I do it through Trello as a place to keep all my thoughts as well as my co-writer in this situation, they brought the story to me and I'm the one writing it, and we both have access to keep our ideas down on the site so we don't have to go back in discord chats to find stuff for reference.