Stage 2: Plot Outlining – Giving Your Story a Spine
In this article, we will be exploring how to outline a story. Whether you’re writing a novel or a screenplay, the outlining phase is the same.
In the brainstorming phase, we got to work free of rules and boundaries. The focus was merely on letting your imagination flow, fully unbound by the constraints of structure and cohesiveness. Now it’s time to constrain and restrict. Though it may sound harsh, don’t think of it as choking your creativity. You will find that rather than killing your creativity, these structures actually give it direction. Creativity thrives when shaped by clear guidelines, and your story needs the cohesiveness that it brings. Think of it as gathering all of your scattered ideas and organizing them into a cohesive narrative.
Think of your favourite story, and now apply it to the sections below. Could your favourite story have been started by any of the below outlining techniques?
Once you’ve brainstormed freely and gathered your ideas, it’s time to give them shape. Plot outlining is where you take the scattered elements of your story—scenes, characters, conflicts—and begin organizing them into a coherent narrative. It’s the difference between wandering through your story and knowing where you’re headed.
This stage isn’t about locking yourself into a rigid formula. It’s about building a roadmap—a flexible one—that helps you stay focused, motivated, and intentional as you write. Whether you’re outlining a novel, screenplay, or short story, a good outline lets you see the big picture and the beats that get you there.
Why Plot Outlining Matters
Outlining a story matters because it is the difference between scattered ideas and a fulfilling story. It will save you time, and it will make your story feel more cohesive, and here is why:
Consider that you’re free writing a story, and you introduce a great hero with a loyal sidekick by her side. Now as your story progresses, your villain is exposed, and the theme of your story is starting to form. But as we draw closer to the climax of the story, conflicts have grown between your hero and her sidekick. Suddenly, you come to the realization that your story would be so much stronger if it’s revealed the sidekick was actually the hidden villain all along. But then some of his actions early on make no sense. So now you have to go back and change everything. Now consider if you had started by outlining your story. You would have likely come to your realization much earlier, and you wouldn’t have wasted all those pages on a story that was bound to change.
The other example I like to use is the simple example of a joke. We’ve all got that one friend who is incapable of remembering the joke. Now consider this (rather mediocre) joke:
A man eager to learn hunting asks a seasoned huntsman for lessons.
“Meet me tomorrow at 8,” the huntsman says. “Though I might be half an hour late.”
The next morning, they go out together. At the end of the day, the huntsman says again,
“Tomorrow, 8 o’clock. But maybe half an hour late.”
On the second day, the man notices something odd. The first day, the huntsman carried his rifle on his left shoulder. Today, it’s on his right. Curious, he asks,
“Why do you switch shoulders?”
The huntsman replies,
“Every morning I wake up and look at my wife. If she’s lying on her left side, I carry it on my left. If she’s on her right, I carry it on my right.”
The man thinks about this, then asks,
“But… what if she’s on her back?”
The huntsman grins:
“Then I might be half an hour late.”
Now consider if I told it like this:
A man eager to learn hunting asks a seasoned huntsman for lessons. They go out together. On the second day, the man notices something odd. The first day, the huntsman carried his rifle on his left shoulder. Today, it’s on his right. Curious, he asks,
“Why do you switch shoulders?”
The huntsman replies,
“Every morning I wake up and look at my wife. If she’s lying on her left side, I carry it on my left. If she’s on her right, I carry it on my right.”
Also, I forgot to say: On the first day, the huntsman had said that he might be half an hour late. So anyway, the man thinks about this, then asks,
“But… what if she’s on her back?”
The huntsman grins:
“Then I might be half an hour late.”
Now, suddenly, moving that piece of information to the end of the joke completely derails it. The same can happen if you don’t outline your story. A well-built outline:
Helps you avoid plot holes and pacing problems
Allows you to decide what your story is really about before you start writing
Keeps your characters’ actions consistent
Gives you direction and helps prevent writer’s block.
Outlining also lets you experiment early. It is far easier to shuffle bullet points than to rewrite five chapters or twelve scenes because you didn’t see a twist coming. Outlines don’t have to be rigid either. Even a loose outline gives you a sense of momentum.
5 Powerful Techniques for Plot Outlining
There are a few flavours of outlining. I can’t say which is better or worse because it comes down to personal preference. I personally work with The Hero’s Journey, but each of the following methods can help you outline your story from a different angle.
1. The Classic Outline – Step-by-Step Story Planning
What It Is
The classic outline is a top down approach. You start by defining the bigger story chunks, like your beginning middle and end. Then you break those chunks down into smaller pieces, which may translate to individual sequences, scenes or chapters. Each line represents a specific moment in the story. It’s clean, linear, and focused.
Why It’s Useful
The Classic Outline is great because it gives you a bird’s eye view of your story before you get too detailed. Details formed at this early stage are often moved or dropped altogether. So instead of creating details at an early stage, you get an overview first. Your story may look a little bland from this point of view, so you will have to add the details later to make it come alive. However, it is so much easier to see which details are needed once you know where you are headed.
What to Do Once You’re Done
Use your outline as a writing roadmap. Each bullet point becomes a scene or chapter you can now write with purpose. If you get stuck while drafting, glance back at the next point to remind yourself where you’re going. And if something isn’t working, it’s easier to adjust a bullet list than rewrite whole pages.
A Classic Outline also makes it easier to track pacing, subplots, and character arcs. You can color-code different threads or add checklists (like emotional turns or reveals) to make sure everything unfolds smoothly.
How to Do It
Start with your story premise or central idea at the top of the page.
Break your story into three main sections:
Beginning, Middle, and End (or Act I, Act II, Act III). For each section, write a very short summary of what happens. No details yet.Under each section, write bullet points for the major scenes or events. For each scene, include:
What happens
Which characters are involved
Why it matters to the overall plot or character arc
Keep your descriptions short—just enough to know what’s happening.
Don’t worry about perfection. You can shuffle or expand your bullet points as your story develops. Some people write on sticky notes because they know the pieces are likely to move.
Example
Here’s a short sample outline for a mystery story:
Beginning (Setup)
Protagonist, Camilla, returns to her childhood town for her aunt’s funeral.
Discovers a photo that suggests her aunt’s death may not have been an accident.
Decides to investigate despite warnings from locals.
Middle (Confrontation)
Interviews neighbors and old family friends.
Learns about a decades-old scandal.
Finds a hidden journal.
Narrowly escapes a staged accident.
End (Resolution)
Confronts the true culprit—her aunt’s business partner.
Exposes the crime to the town.
Reconciles with her estranged brother and decides to stay.
2. The Three-Act Structure – A Time-Tested Story Framework
What It Is
The Three-Act Structure is a classic storytelling model that divides your narrative into three major parts: the beginning (Act I), the middle (Act II), and the end (Act III). Each act has a specific role in guiding the story and shaping the reader’s emotional journey. This framework mirrors the natural rhythm most audiences expect—setup, rising tension, and resolution.
Why It’s Useful
The Three-Act Structure is easy to understand and incredibly effective. It gives you a clear sense of progression, helps maintain strong pacing, and ensures your story doesn’t lose momentum halfway through. Many bestselling novels and blockbuster films use this structure because it creates a satisfying narrative arc with built-in turning points and emotional payoffs.
Example
Let’s say you’re writing a sci-fi thriller:
Act I – Setup:
Dr. Ava Lang discovers a strange signal from deep space.
The government wants to suppress it.
She decides to decode the signal anyway and is fired from her research lab.
Act II – Confrontation:
Ava partners with a rogue tech activist.
They uncover part of the message—it’s a warning.
They’re hunted by a covert agency.
Midpoint: They realize the signal is a countdown.
Low Point: Ava’s partner is captured and she’s forced to give up the research.
Act III – Resolution:
Ava breaks into a secure facility to transmit the warning globally.
She confronts the agency director and exposes the truth.
Earth is saved. Ava returns to a quiet life, now forever changed.
How to Use It When You’re Done
Use the Three-Act outline to structure your draft scene by scene. You can build a list of scenes under each act or write summary paragraphs for each section. When revising, check that each act:
Moves the story forward
Deepens character development
Contains rising tension and emotional stakes
This structure also helps you spot pacing problems. If the middle feels slow, look for a stronger midpoint twist. If the ending feels rushed, make sure the climax is properly set up.
How to Do It
Act I – Setup (Beginning):
Introduce the protagonist, the world, and the status quo.
Present a central problem or challenge (the inciting incident).
End this act with a decision or event that launches the protagonist into a new situation (the first plot point).
Act II – Confrontation (Middle):
The protagonist faces escalating obstacles and complications.
Introduce allies, enemies, twists, and a major turning point in the middle (the midpoint).
End the act with a crisis or low point that changes everything (the second plot point).
Act III – Resolution (End):
The protagonist rises to face the final challenge.
The climax resolves the main conflict.
Loose ends are tied up and the protagonist is changed by the journey.
3. The Hero’s Journey – A Blueprint for Character Transformation
What It Is
The Hero’s Journey is a narrative structure that follows a character through a cycle of departure, trials, transformation, and return. Developed from Joseph Campbell’s study of myths and later popularized by writers like Christopher Vogler, it maps out twelve distinct stages that represent internal and external growth. This framework is especially effective for stories centered on personal change.
Why It’s Useful
The Hero’s Journey is more than just a plot tool—it’s a guide to crafting emotionally satisfying arcs. If you want your protagonist to change deeply by the end of the story, this structure helps you plot that evolution step by step. It’s perfect for fantasy, sci-fi, adventure, and coming-of-age stories, but it can work in almost any genre.
How to Do It
Break your outline into these 12 stages. For each, write 1–3 sentences describing what happens to your protagonist.
Ordinary World – Show the character’s normal life and what’s missing or flawed.
Call to Adventure – Something disrupts their world and invites change.
Refusal of the Call – They hesitate or resist.
Meeting the Mentor – Guidance arrives (a teacher, symbol, or inner realization).
Crossing the Threshold – The character commits and enters a new, unfamiliar situation.
Tests, Allies, and Enemies – They face challenges, make friends, and encounter opposition.
Approach to the Inmost Cave – They prepare for a major ordeal.
The Ordeal – A life-altering event; often the emotional or moral climax.
Reward – They gain something (knowledge, an object, a new sense of self).
The Road Back – They begin returning to their ordinary world.
Resurrection – One last, high-stakes test that proves their transformation.
Return with the Elixir – They bring new wisdom or peace back to their world.
Example
Let’s say your story is about a burned-out nurse named Maya who discovers she can absorb other people’s pain:
Ordinary World – Maya works long shifts, emotionally numb and isolated.
Call to Adventure – She heals a dying patient just by touching them.
Refusal – She dismisses it as a fluke and avoids using the power again.
Mentor – An elderly hospice nurse shares a similar gift and warns of its cost.
Crossing the Threshold – Maya agrees to use her power to help a terminal child.
Tests/Allies/Enemies – She juggles growing attention, resentment from coworkers, and physical exhaustion.
Approach – The child is fading fast, and Maya feels helpless.
Ordeal – She transfers too much pain and nearly dies.
Reward – The child recovers and gives Maya a drawing of her with angel wings.
Road Back – Maya resigns from her hospital job.
Resurrection – She’s asked to help during a disaster, but this time sets boundaries.
Return – She opens a clinic for healing, on her own terms, transformed.
How to Use It When You’re Done
Once each stage is mapped out, use it to build your outline. Add scenes under each stage, note emotional beats, and check that each step logically flows into the next. If something feels rushed or unearned, rework the earlier stages that lead to it.
This structure is especially powerful for character development. Use it to track your protagonist’s internal journey alongside your plot—making sure their external choices reflect their evolving beliefs, fears, and desires.
4. The Snowflake Method – Building Complexity One Step at a Time
What It Is
The Snowflake Method is a step-by-step outlining technique created by author and physicist Randy Ingermanson. It’s built around the idea that you can grow a complex, layered story by starting small and expanding gradually—like a snowflake forming around a central crystal. You begin with a single-sentence summary and build outward, adding more detail at each stage.
Why It’s Useful
This method works especially well for writers who like structure and clarity. It helps you avoid getting lost in the weeds or overwhelmed by your story’s scale. It’s excellent for plotting large novels or intricate stories because it creates a strong foundation early on and builds momentum as you go. Each step forces you to think deeper about plot, characters, and theme in manageable chunks.
Example
Let’s apply Steps 1–4 to a thriller about a journalist uncovering government secrets:
Sentence: A jaded journalist uncovers a government program that predicts future crimes.
Paragraph:
A journalist receives a tip about a sealed trial.
She investigates and discovers predictive surveillance tech.
She’s hunted by officials who want her silent.
She allies with a whistleblower.
Together they expose the program in a live broadcast.
Character (Journalist):
Name: Rachel Denton
Motivation: Truth and redemption for past mistakes
Goal: Expose the secret project
Conflict: She’s being watched and manipulated
Epiphany: The truth is only worth it if people are safe enough to hear it
Full Page: You’d now expand this into detailed paragraphs that explain each beat of her journey, from receiving the tip to taking the risk of publishing the truth.
How to Use It When You’re Done
By the time you’ve gone through all ten steps, you’ll have a crystal-clear view of your story’s shape, characters, and pacing. You can now write your draft quickly and with fewer detours. If you get stuck during the writing process, you can zoom back in to any stage of your Snowflake outline to reorient yourself.
The Snowflake Method is modular—you can revisit any step and revise without having to redo everything. It’s also great for pitching your book to agents or editors, since you’ll already have your synopsis, character bios, and summary on hand.
How to Do It
The Snowflake Method involves ten steps. You don’t need to complete all of them before you start writing, but each one sharpens your understanding of the story. Here’s how it works:
One-Sentence Summary – Sum up your entire story in one sentence (no more than 15 words).
Ex: A grieving boy discovers his runaway brother is a magical fugitive from another world.
One-Paragraph Summary – Expand your sentence into a five-sentence paragraph: setup, major events, climax, and ending.
Character Summaries – For each major character, write: name, motivation, goal, conflict, and epiphany. Also note a one-sentence summary of their storyline.
Full Page Synopsis – Take your paragraph from Step 2 and expand it into a full-page summary, breaking down each major plot point into a few sentences.
Character Charts – Write a full-page description for each character: backstory, personality, arc, how they change, and how they contribute to the plot.
Expand Synopsis to Four Pages – Turn your single-page plot summary into a four-page scene-by-scene outline.
List of Scenes – Create a spreadsheet or list of every scene in your story. For each, note POV character, purpose, conflict, and what changes.
Scene Descriptions – Write 1–2 sentences describing each scene in more detail. This becomes your blueprint for drafting.
Character Sketches in First Person – Let each major character “speak” in their voice, explaining who they are and what they want.
Start the First Draft – With your roadmap complete, begin drafting with confidence.
5. Mind Mapping – Visualize Your Story’s Possibilities
What it is:
Mind mapping is a visual brainstorming technique where you start with one central idea and branch out into related concepts. It mirrors how our brains naturally associate thoughts and ideas, making it especially effective for generating interconnected story elements.
Why it’s useful:
A mind map helps you uncover relationships between your characters, settings, conflicts, and themes. It gives you a bird’s-eye view of your developing story world and shows you where there are gaps — or exciting directions to expand in. It’s especially useful for writers who think visually or feel overwhelmed by linear outlining.
How to do it:
Grab a blank sheet of paper (or use a digital tool like MindMeister or Miro).
In the center, write your core idea or a working title for your story.
Draw lines outward and label them with major elements like Characters, Setting, Conflict, Theme, Tone, or Genre.
From each of those, keep branching. Under “Characters,” you might write names, roles, or traits. Under “Conflict,” jot down internal and external struggles.
Allow yourself to explore — even a weird or unrelated idea might spark something valuable later.
Don’t worry about neatness. This is for you.
Example:
Imagine you start with “Space Colony Rebellion” in the center. One branch is “Characters” → “Protagonist” → “Disillusioned engineer” → “Secret past on Earth.” Another branch is “Setting” → “Colony on Mars” → “Resource shortage” → “Corporate control.” Already, you’re seeing potential backstory, stakes, and worldbuilding.
How to use it when you’re done:
When your page starts to fill up, pause and look at what you’ve built. Circle your strongest ideas and see how they connect — this can become the backbone of your plot. You can even turn your mind map into a sequence list or an outline later, but for now, it’s a flexible springboard that reflects your creative thinking.
Wrapping Up: Outlining Gives Shape to Your Story
Outlining isn’t about boxing in your creativity—it’s about building a framework where your ideas can shine. Whether you like a detailed classic outline or prefer something looser like tentpoles or beats, each method helps you make sense of your story before you dive into the first draft.
Whichever approach you choose, what matters most is that it works for you. If one method feels confusing, try another. Many writers even combine elements from multiple approaches. The key is to experiment until you find what helps you think clearly and write confidently.
If you’re just getting started, we recommend the Hero’s Journey method—it’s clear, emotionally resonant, and supported by StorySteps’ basic template. You can build your outline step by step with helpful prompts, all inside a free StorySteps account.
(Psst… StorySteps is free forever for your first story—no deadlines, no pressure. Take as long as you need.)
