1. Start with a good logline.
You must be able to state your story premise in one
sentence.
Try this formula: On the verge of a major life event, a flawed hero
breaks into the major event of Act 2, but when the midpoint
happens, they must learn the theme stated before All is Lost.
This formula has a sense of urgency, delivers on a hook, and
shows why your protagonist is essential to the story.
Example: Upon losing her husband and home, a mentally-fragile
woman returns to her hometown to recuperate, but when the
shadows of her past come back to haunt her, she must learn to be
independent and face her fears before she loses everything she
has regained, including her life.
When you have a clear logline, you’ll be able to stay on target and keep
an internal outline in your head.
2. Introduce your main character in the first chapter and start with explosive action.
You must catch your reader’s attention right away. Try not to start with your
character waking up in the morning. Introduce secondary characters who will be
helpful to the main plot. Show a good “before” image of your MC. What was
his/her life like before the beginning of the story? Make sure the distinction
between your “before” and “after” is clear. Your MC must go through character
development in the course of your novel.
3. If you’re writing a romance, introduce your hero/heroine in the second chapter (if
you haven’t already). Make sure you include hints on how the two of them will
eventually cross each other’s paths. Show a good “before” image of this
character. What was his/her life like before he/she met the hero/heroine? How
will it change once your two main characters meet?
4. By the third chapter, you should have a clear preview of the main plot for your
reader. Introduce the first big conflict and resolve it within the next few chapters.
This conflict must change your character in some way or become a catalyst for
your character’s eventual development.
5. At the end of the first section of your book, your character must be ready to leave
her old world behind (forced into it by circumstances) and about to jump into a
whole new set of problems (these could present themselves as solutions at first).
In the second section of your book, previous bullies could turn out to be allies
and friends could turn out to be traitors.
6. Things may look better for your MC at this point, but in reality, bigger problems
may be brewing underneath. Give your MC a false sense of security. Make her
believe that everything is going to be okay from now on and she has left her ugly
past behind.
7. Introduce a second BIG conflict that may start to shake the foundations of your
MC’s new beginning. This does not have to be resolved until your third and final
act. It must complicate your MC’s new life to the point that things start to break
down. Introduce your villain and start wreaking havoc in your MC’s life.
8. Your MC starts to doubt her new allies, even her love interest. Echoes of her past
will start to haunt her again and she’ll feel like no one understands, so she’s all
alone and tries to push her new connections away.
9. Everything in your MC’s life starts to go REALLY wrong: relationships fail, people
may die, MC might lose her job, and things must look a lot worse than her
previous situation
10. Now alone, your character reflects on everything they’ve done in the past that
might have led to the recent tragic events and realize that a lot of it might have
been her fault because she was unable to let go of her past or the trauma from it.
11. In the third act, your character must be willing to change and endure hardships in
order to restore the new life she’d acquired in the second act. She tries to make
amends with the people she’d hurt and make connections that she feared may
have been impossible in the past.
12. Bring about your third and final conflict that will trigger that climax (the big fight
scene). People may die, villain’s true motive will be revealed, your MC will have
more self-discoveries, and mysteries will be revealed.
13. If your MC doesn’t win the fight, what will she do now? How will she move on
from this? If your MC wins the fight, what are the ramifications and possible
fallout from this? How will it affect the rest of your MC’s life?
14. What did your character learn throughout this story? How did she change from
the person she was in the beginning?
15. Have you tied up all your loose threads? Have you solved all the mysteries?
Does your MC deserve a happy ending? What happens now? Is this the end?
