Novel Creation Process: Plotting Phase
By Cody Leet
Once you know your idea, it's time to develop the plot.
▢ Write outline
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There is supposedly two types of writers: plotters and pantsters. Plotters make outlines of everything that is going to happen. Pantesters just sit down and start writing "by the seat of their pants," A very well know pantster is Stephen King. But this is up for debate. Many feel a pantster merely has done the outline in their head, and has a general idea of how things will develop,. Whatever your style, it's my opinion that you cannot have a complex set of plot continuity without building a plot.
The simplest way to build the plot is to write an outline. I use Scrivener for this, since it has nice cork board and table formats and allow easy rearranging of chapters. |
▢ Perform Research
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This is also where you perform any research required to back up concepts or statements you will make, or facts or technologies you will use in the story.
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▢ Developmental Edit
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I did not do this on my first novel, but wish I had. Get a person called a "Developmental Editor" to review the plot and suggest any issues with character arc and plot progression. I think in hindsight this is the time to do it instead of when you have begun producing pages and pages of content.
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