Remember as well that starting an outline does not mean that you are committed to its contents 100 %. As you write and as you move along you will find that your style will change, and with those changes in style and content your outline will also be modified. Part of creating anything is realizing that until it is sent to press it is a Work In Progress, and that means that it can be modified at any time.
Chapter III: Fiction vs. Non Fiction Navigating the Waters with Precision
So now there is a skeleton for the body which is about to be built, the outline for your book. Before you begin fleshing out the idea it is very important to begin firstly by understanding what the difference is between fiction and non-fiction.
As simple as that sounds there are sometimes places where there can be a lot of grey area. For example, you are writing a historical novel where the people in the book are drawn on inspiration from true people. Or maybe you are writing a book that is a true crime story, how do you categorize a book that is based on true events and you need to change the names to protect the innocent? These are a few examples of grey that need to be covered and addressed as well as making certain that you have the write elements for your book.
When you are writing fiction, the world is more or less your oyster as you are able to create any elements you would like without the constraints of reality, time and space. However, it is important when you are creating to make certain that you are not plagiarizing someone else’s work unintentionally.
Maybe, you are utilizing a character that you like from another book as your own without introducing enough new elements of development to make that character your own. Are you possibly using someone else’s setting without developing it to make it your own? As valuable as money in the bank is to people, ideas are the same for writers’. For this reason make sure you develop your own ideas, and your own characters, if they are loosely based on someone else’s you must invest more time in planning.
There are basic elements which must be utilized when writing a fiction manuscript:
Plot: This is the story and what you are planning to have happen. As you are thinking about the plot and the story line, imagine your book as a movie. What elements would make your book more intriguing here? Plan the entire plot out ahead if possible, as an outline of the chapters. Within your total book outline form a basic list of what will happen in each chapter.
Example: Jack and Jill
Chapter 1: Jack and Jill Go Up a Hill For Water
Chapter 2: Jack Falls Down
Chapter 3: Jack Breaks His Crown
Chapter 4: Jill Comes Tumbling After
Chapter 5: No One Got Water….
Chapter 6: What Happens Next?
Setting: Where is the story happening? This element is one of the most important parts of a book. The reader must be able to picture themselves in this location, for this reason it is important that the author write about a location which they have knowledge of or have experienced.
If it is a completely fictional location the author must imagine that they are in fact an artist painting every scene for the reader. The reader needs to know about the weather, how sunrises look, and the noises which are present in the atmosphere at night. It is important that the reader is able to imagine every element of the place. If it is completely a new universe the author must also explain the laws of reality as they apply to the new location.
Character: Who is the main character? What is their background specifically? If your readers know everything about the main characters you are writing about then they will be able to identify with aspects of the character’s personality. Each reader must see themselves through the eyes of the main character, this way they are able to identify with the character and form a sense of identification with the character.
Describe the way a character thinks, walks, and make certain to allow the reader to see the interior monologue of the character. If possible give the character an accent, or a catchphrase which will make the reader know more about the character. If the story takes place in the south, study the dialogue and the attributes of southern dialect. Deploy small little pieces of information about the character at key points in the manuscript, give away just enough information that the reader is dying for more.
Conflict: Every good book has a driving conflict. As in what is being solved by reading this book for the character? Has the main character become a vampire, is trying to overcome cancer, is learning how to speak Spanish while living in the country?
Whatever the main conflict is in the story it must be developed in great detail for the characters. The route that the main character is going to take should also be clear to the reader from the intonations internally that the character is making. Will this be an internal struggle or an external struggle and what are the elements which can be added to make the struggle greater?
Is it a familial conflict which is causing stress for all parties involved as they try to find their way through the situation, a battle between dueling lovers maybe? The reader must be so involved in the conflict that they think about it when walking away from the book. Also if you are thinking about having this made into a television show or a movie everything will be about conflict.
Symboclass="underline" A symbol is something which will represent other items in the book. If this is a vampire novel the color red could be used throughout to give the color of blood. Small elements like a red rose, or a particular reference to feathers. The idea is to pick one overarching image which can be used and can become a theme throughout the rest of the text. The next time your reader encounters a red rose if that is your symbol, while shopping at the local market the first thing which will come to mind will in fact be the book and the plot.
Point of View: How are you going to tell the story? Are you telling it in the third person like you are writing a text book, from the second person using you? Or are you telling the story from the first person with the utilization of the word I? It is important to decide this from the beginning of the story as you do not want to swap perspectives throughout the course of the text. You will drive editors and readers crazy.
Theme: This is the main thought and the main feeling you are leaving behind at the conclusion of the story. When the reader thinks back on the story that you told, this will in fact be the last statement that the reader is left. It is important to make certain that the theme of the work is clear in your mind from the beginning. In this way as the content is developed with the theme in mind instead of realizing that something was done off track and having to return and rewrite a section.
Now that you have a diagram for the beginning there is a rough outline, sit down and write up a blue print for your fiction book. Again this is the beginning roadmap that will continue to grow and develop as different elements are added to the plot and story. But this is a good place to start. Room is being left between the paragraphs to add your thoughts. Ask yourself:
What is my plotline? What is going to happen in the story?