So you’ve decided to write a book and are ready to take on this exciting challenge! Yet when you sit in front of a blank screen, you feel lost, disoriented, and struggle to string your ideas together. These feelings are a sign that you should consider writing a book outline.
Table of contents
Let’s look at exactly what is needed when it comes to writing a book outline and how to create a book outline in 7 simple steps
But first, we’ll discuss why having one is so necessary.
Why having a book outline is important
As a first-time author, a book outline helps you to organize and write out the different parts of your book. Outlining consists of listing out the number of chapters and different elements that act as a guide for your writing.
It lets you know what you will write about before you start writing. In addition, here are some other benefits of having an outline:
Writing a book outline helps you to organize your thoughts and create order
The challenge with being a creative thinker is that you often have so many ideas in your head that your fingers can’t type as fast as you think. As a result, your ideas come out inconsistent or incoherent.
However, writing an outline of a book helps slow your brain down, and you can think of your ideas in a sequential and comprehensive order.
An outline of a book creates continuity and flow
When writing a book outline, you need to make sure your story flows. Think of the water pipes. The pipes must be connected for the water to flow smoothly from your sink and down the drain.
Same with your storyline, all the pieces of your story need to be connected for the message to flow and come across clearly to readers.
If you’re wondering how to write a book outline that flows, think about having a clear start and finish to your story. This way, your outline will be clear and help you avoid fluff in your writing.
Helps you create context and stick to the original context
Many writers fall victim to thinking that the audience or their readers know everything they know. With this misconception, your writing can turn out unclear. For instance, writing a story with missing character details, forgetting different resources, or not providing the right context.
In order to avoid this, you can write an outline and make notes and references to help you include the correct original context.
Having a book outline will prevent writer’s block
Writer’s block can happen at the beginning, middle, or end of your book writing. No matter if you’ve written paragraph after paragraph, suddenly, you can run out of words. Yet, writing a book outline can help you avoid these challenges.
With an outline, you don’t have to think about what to write next. Instead, your book outline will tell you the order in which to write.
An outline helps you write faster
An outline can supercharge your writing. Not only will it give you a strong place to start writing, but it saves you time on having to go back and erase parts of your writing that aren’t necessary.
Imagine your outline as your navigation system. Yes, you can get to your destination by figuring it out on your own, but that’ll probably lead to going down the wrong streets or backtracking. Instead, relying on your outline gives you a clear and direct path to writing.
What to include in your book outline
Now that you’ve learned the importance of a book outline, here’s how to create a book outline, along with templates to help you get started.
1. Decide on an overarching theme and the reader take away
The theme of your book is the overarching message, idea, and why of your book. It’s the thread that ties your story together.
When deciding on a theme, reflect on themes commonly used in literature. Here are some examples according to Writers.com:
- Good vs Evil
- Man vs Nature
- Coming of age
- Justice
- Pursuit of love
You can brainstorm your unique storyline from these common themes and decide what impression you want to leave your readers with.
For instance, do you want them to feel empowered and informed or create a story that readers can relate to? Once you have come up with a topic to write about, you may move on to the next step of the outline.
2. Ask yourself questions about what you want to accomplish with the book
With this next step, you want to think about your why. Why are you writing this book? Understanding this can help you decide how to outline a book.
Do you want to make readers laugh, tell an epic story, or teach a lesson? Once you have a clear why, think about the characters and context of your story.
How does the interaction between the characters and the background of your story work together to achieve your goal?
For instance, if you wish to write a book telling the story of a heroine with unbeatable courage, how will the time and place of the story communicate this message?
Jot down simple answers to the why, who, and when in relation to your book. These notes will help guide you on how to create your book outline.
3. Choose a book structure/genre
When it comes to how to create a book outline, writing the structure helps bring things together, and your book becomes more than just an idea.
The structure will consist of the components of your book, such as the type of book, how many chapters, and any additional parts you want to add to your book.
Writing a fiction book
There are several major categories under the fiction umbrella, and some of these categories include:
- Sci-fi
- Fantasy
- Action and Adventure
- Romance
- Humor and Satire
Writing a non-fiction book
Non-fiction books tend to fall under the category of:
- Self-help
- Cookbooks
- True stories
- Biographies and Autobiographies
- Memoirs
4. Lay out the chapters in an outline of a book
With the book’s theme, the next step in writing a book outline is to lay out your chapters.
Start writing the numbers of how many chapters you want in your book. You don’t have to title each chapter; rather, write the focus of each chapter or what you hope to achieve in that chapter next to each number. Think of this as writing mini-goals for your book.
Next, write key details of the chapter, such as conflict and resolutions, characters, plot, and how long you want the chapter to be.
Once you’ve laid out the chapters and have an idea of what each chapter will contain, ensure there is flow. That way, each chapter contributes to your theme and occurs in a way that is easy for readers to understand.
For example, you want to save the chapters of major resolutions and problem-solving for the end.
5. Fill in the details and description of what each chapter will be about
When your chapters are laid out, you can add crucial details to your outline. It can be tempting to start writing in this part, but writing out the details in bullet points will be more helpful.
For example, you can list characters in the chapters, the general plot of the scene, and the overall problem and resolution.
This will make writing easier when it comes time to pull everything together.
6. Outline the conclusion
Congratulations, you’ve finally gotten to the end of writing a book outline. Now, all that is left is the conclusion, which can be one of the hardest parts to write.
It’s where everything comes to an end, questions are answered, and it’s the last words you’ll leave your readers with.
It’s crucial not to skip out on outlining your conclusion, even though this can be tempting when learning how to outline a book. Here are some tips, according to Scribe Media, on how to do so.
Write a few sentences to summarize your book
Ensure you aren’t introducing any new content and reflecting on the content you’ve already written.
Insert a call to action if needed
These are great for self-help books or to help you connect with your audience by having them visit your author website or connect to your social media.
List any additional resources
If applicable, list additional resources the reader may utilize after reading your book.
7. Ask for feedback
You may be eager to write your first draft with your outline in place. Before you start typing away, getting feedback on your outline can save you time and make the writing process easier.
When asking for feedback, you don’t need a professional editor yet; however, consider someone who will give you honest, gentle, and helpful critiques. Think of someone in a professional setting who would have the time to review your outline.
Once you know who you will ask, have specific questions to help your reviewer give you intentional feedback. Some questions you can ask include: Does the sequence of events flow? Is my outline easy to flow? Do you understand the characters? What do you like so far? What do you think is missing?
Having outside eyes on your outline will help you write with more detail and clarity.
Expert tip: Leverage outline templates
The outline process can seem long and overwhelming. You may think it’s easier to start writing. However, an outline helps you to organize your ideas in a way that’ll help you write faster and clearer. Take your time and try different outline templates to see which works best for you.
Outline templates
Now that you know the components of an outline and what to include, you’re probably thinking about how to write a book outline through a template.
Luckily, some templates make creating an outline of a book simple. To help you do so, here are some outline templates to get you started.
Simple two-column template
The simple two-column method is straightforward. You can draw it out or use the computer to make two columns. One column is where you write the components of your book, and in the following column, you write a description for each section.
This is a great method for you if you want to create something simple and easy to organize your thoughts.
| Introduction | Description |
| Chapter 1 | Description |
| Chapter 2 | Description |
| Conclusion | Description |
Snowflake method
Writing a book outline with the snowflake method is great if you don’t have a lot of ideas for your book, but you have the general concept. Here is how to write a book outline using this method.
Start by writing one sentence for the following parts.
- What is the main concept in my book?
- Who are the characters of my book?
- What are the surroundings and environment of my story?
- What is the introduction to my book about?
- What is the first chapter of my book about?
Template example:
| What is the main concept in my book? | Who are the characters of my book? | What are the surroundings and environment of my story? | What is the introduction to my book about? | What is the first chapter of my book about? |
| 1. | ||||
| 2. | ||||
| 3. | ||||
| 4. |
After you have written one sentence for each part, you will go back and add three to five more sentences for each part. You can make a small goal for yourself to add five sentences a day for the next three days.
The bubble method
If you are looking for a visual technique on how to outline a book, then you can try the bubble method. You can draw this outline by hand or by using a graphic tool.
You start by writing the topic or theme of your book in the middle of the page and then drawing a circle around it.
From that circle, draw lines coming out of the circle that represents different parts of your book. For example, you can draw lines representing different chapters or lines for different characters.
In the end, you’ll have a visual representation of the contents of your book.
If you need additional help, we’ve also outlined some of the best books on writing for new authors!
What are the 7 steps to writing a book?
The seven steps for writing a book include:
- Creating an idea and purpose for your book
- Writing a book outline (A crucial step we detail in this article)
- Filling in the details of the outline
- Writing a draft of the book based on the outline
- Reviewing and editing your draft
- Finalize your book draft
- Asking for feedback
Is there a template for writing a book outline?
Many different templates are available depending on the type of book you want to write and your writing style. Many templates are available on common platforms such as the Microsoft Word book template, Google Docs, and other online resources like Grammarly.
What is a basic story outline?
A basic story outline can be similar to a two-column template where you have in one column the introduction, chapters, and conclusion and in the next column a description of each of the sections. A simple outline includes your book’s beginning, middle, and end.
How do you start writing a book for beginners?
For beginner writers, it’s crucial to get clear on the type of book you want to write and what type of audience you are writing the book for, also known as your reader persona.
Once your idea is solid, you can create an outline and decide on your outline template e.g. a simple two-column template, the snowflake template or the bubble template. You can also check out our free Clever Girl Author book outline template.
After you’ve finished your outline, you can begin drafting your book based on the information in your outline.
Related articles on book writing
Are you writing a book? Check out these articles for additional resources!
Choose the best outline template for you!
With this new information on how to write a book outline, it’s important to remember this. Find what works for you.
If you feel stuck or too restricted with one format, you can always try another. When writing a book outline, the most important thing is to explore the templates that work for you and help you turn your brilliant idea into a book outline that will help you start writing.
Want to know more about book writing? Check out our awesome articles on becoming an author and good questions to ask an author.