In order to maximise the leap forward in the next draft, you will need to step back to see the work as a whole. The more you understand what you need to do in the next draft, and what needs to happen at a chapter and scene level, the fewer drafts you will need to do in the long run. This is where mapping – creating an outline – comes in.
Scene outlines (also called scene breakdowns) are a key strategy in developing work for publication. It is detailed and intensive work, but highly recommended! Such outlines are widely encouraged in publisher mentorship programs, and creative writing courses at university level.
A scene outline will help you recognise scenes or sections that don’t offer new information, scenes that repeat earlier ideas, or those that distract the reader from the story essence [https://laurelcohn.com.au/vital-organs-part-1-story-essence/ ] and from the major dramatic question [https://laurelcohn.com.au/vital-organs-part-2-the-major-dramatic-question/]. You may
A scene is a discrete piece of the story puzzle that unfolds in real time. It puts the reader directly into a specific place and time and uses dialogue, action, internal thoughts and description. A scene is a point at which things turn; an episode of conflict; a moment where the direction changes.
What to put in a scene outline
Here are some ideas of what to include for each scene in your outline. Not all these may be relevant, and you may want to change it up as you go along to suit your story.
- Chapter number, scene number and page number.
- Setting (place, time – date, season).
- POV character (if this changes), tense used (if this changes).
- Key event. What does the scene shows the reader? Why do you want to take the reader there? How does it operate to push your story or argument forward?
- Narrative arc. Which plotline is progressed in the scene – main? subplot? none? What changes in this plotline because of this scene?
- What new plot points are revealed?
- Which characters feature? Any new characters introduced?
- Character arc. How do the featured characters change or grow? What is revealed about the characters in the scene through what happens?
- What new information/exposition is revealed?
- What backstory bits are included?
You only need a sentence or two for each point. The briefer the better; you are not writing a precis of the whole scene, you are wanting to track what exactly is happening in the scene in relation to specific story elements. If you can’t find a key event, or new plot point, for example, note its absence – that can help you work out if the scene is needed at all, or if something needs to be added to warrant the close focus of a scene.
You can use stickie notes, draw up a spreadsheet, write dot points on cards. There’s no right or wrong way to do it. Think about how you can use colour, such as coloured writing, coloured highlighting, coloured stickies to differentiate plotlines or characters or bits of backstory. Be creative. There are some interesting examples of outlines online from J.K. Rowling, Joseph Heller, Normal Mailer and more.
Now, mapping your story at a scene level may take a day, it may take a week or it may take longer. If you’re a ‘planner’ you may already have an outline of sorts – your job is to adjust the outline where necessary to accurately reflect what is on the page. If there is a gap between what you have planned and what you have executed on the page, that’s very helpful in terms of determining what needs attention in the next draft.
If you are more of a ‘pantser’, and find the idea of a scene outline a little overwhelming, I would suggest you try it out on a your first three chapters, or on a chapter that you are finding particularly problematic. You are likely to find the exercise illuminating.
All the writers I know who have undertaken such outlines, even those who have done so through gritted teeth, have found the exercise enormously beneficial. Outlines enable you to more clearly see what you need to do in the next draft. It may feel like a time-consuming diversion if you are itching to fix up those errant sentences, but it’s a sure-fire way of maximizing the leap forward in the next draft.
See also:
Mapping Your Story Part 1: Chapter Outlines
Vital Organs Part 1: Story Essence