I've been working with a new method of novel plotting. It takes more time, but overall allows me to develop my novel fully before starting the actual writing. The advantages include: being able to see where minor conflicts can be added, where I need to do world building, and what plotlines are left unclosed or need more development, among other benefits. When I say benefits, I mean benefits to the novel itself. The novel becomes more complex, more three dimensional, tends to stay on track better, and more consistent.

The down side to this method is that it will take longer, but I believe that the extra time and effort are worth it. The method is more of a process and can be applied to any genre of writing. It seems particularly useful for trilogies and similar series, but may be too much work for short stories. Personally, I still favor the more intuitive writing for shorts.

One thing to note: don’t let this process become a straightjacket for your writing. Changes are inevitable. Need to change a name or event? Then feel free to do so. Need to add or subtract? Then do it. Use this process as a way to guide your writing, not limit it.

The first part of the process is a very general synopses of your novel, no more than three or four sentences. State the basic plotline. If you have a trilogy or series planned, list each novel separately and each novel’s basic plotline so you can see the continuity from one book to the next.

Next, expand this to include the main character, the main conflict, the antagonist, and how you see the novel ending. Again, keep it somewhat general and do it for each novel in the trilogy. Don’t worry about making adjustments yet.

Stage two of the process is a bit more involved and focuses solely on one novel. With the expanded summary at the top of the page as your main story/plot, now begin to develop the subplots, character plots, character interactions, and any developments you want to start for the next novel. You can expand your basic plotline again, if you wish, but hopefully you hit on the main points in the last expansion.

Subplots are larger plots that will be interwoven in your narrative but not be the main plot. For example, my main plot in Assassin’s Choice is about Jerusha and her responsibilities, which she is trying to avoid. My first subplot is one of the things she uses to avoid it: a quest to locate some items for a local lord who’s town is under siege by hostile neighbors. My second subplot involves the motives of the antagonist, what her goals are, and what she hopes to achieve. My third subplot is based on a character sent to remove Jerusha as an obstacle from the antagonist’s plans and what happens to change his willingness to do that. These are very basic summaries of the plotlines; my actual plots on paper are far more detailed. Write a full paragraph for each plotline.

Character plots involve the motives of your supporting cast. Each plot is devoted to one character, the character’s reason for being in the story, his or her motives and objectives, and any history that immediately affects the story. Write one character plot for each character in the story, again with details.

Next are the bits – character interactions, developments (if working on a series of some sort), and ending character movements. In character interactions, explore how each character will react to the other characters, especially other characters who will show up throughout the novel. One of the things you will be looking for is conflicts or alliances that can be used in your novel to spice things up a bit without taking over your plot. Developments are those things that will happen later in your novel to link the current book with the next. Ending character movements are where you foresee characters being and what they are doing as the novel closes. And, once again, use details where possible. This stage of development for Assassin’s Choice ended up being 3 pages long.

Now develop the plot outline using the result from the work done in stage two. This is not a standard outline with Roman numerals and it expands the work already done in the previous stage. Don’t worry about chapters either, although there will be sections. This is just a way to set up each step of the way in your novel.

Open with the main story and list all those things that will need to be handled at the beginning of the novel: who, where, what they are doing, any immediately applicable history. Each item should be a brief sentence on its own line. Below all that, make a note of which characters need profiles and what world building needs to be done before this can be written. Then note the main events that will occur from the main plot. Next, list the subplots and anything that will occur from them. Then list each character and anything that will happen that comes from their plots.

Now go back to the main plot and list the next major event. Go through each of the subplots and character plots doing the same. List any world building that’s needed. If new characters are introduced, make a note of which ones need profiles. Continue through the novel in this manner from beginning to end. Make sure to add development notes and, at the very end, include character ending movements as they come into the novel.

This is the hardest part of the process. Don’t list an entire plot in one section – make sure each plot has a series of events. Use the notes created in stage two but break up the plots enough to stretch out through the novel. Not all plots have to start or end at the exact same time. Events from subplots and character plots that will complicate your main plot should occur when they will have the strongest impact on your main plot if at all possible. And don’t be afraid to add things that are not listed in the stage two notes. As long as the addition won’t stray too far away from your main plot, take it over, and can add to the overall depth and complexity of the narrative, additions are a very good thing.

Once the outline is finished, the next task is to make sure every plot opened closes before the end of the novel. Now, not every plot has to close, but if a character has to make a decision, the decision should be made by the end. Relationships can be left open. Starting at the beginning of the outline, give each plot a number, note where it begins, where it shows up throughout the outline, and where it ends. If there’s no distinct ending, figure out where and how it can end and add it to the outline. If the plot shows up only once or twice throughout the entire outline, consider the following: Is the plot necessary to the story? Will the story suffer if it’s removed? If it’s necessary, consider how to strengthen it and make is show up more frequently through the novel. If it can be removed without damaging the storyline, then seriously consider doing so. Look over the characters and if their actions don’t have an impact or can easily be shifted to another character, then consider removing them and giving other character any of their important actions or increasing the importance of their role. Don’t hesitate to play with the outline: strengthen weak points in the story, remove elements that won’t work, add things that will complicate it, and so on. The final outline for Assassin’s Choice ended up being 4 pages long, but there is no real length minimum.

The final stage is expansion. This begins with taking the outline just created and initially turning your notes into paragraphs. Since not everything in the outline will be used in the story, I use two different colors: one for the actual novel and another for world building notes, character profile reminders, and background info that I as the author need to remember. The second color ends up being dispersed throughout the paragraph draft. Work through the entire outline, write general paragraphs for each set of events in the outline, listing details as they come. My first paragraph draft for Assassin’s Choice ended up about 5 pages long.

With the first paragraph outline done, now you can gradually build upon the foundation created in the plot building process. For the next draft, add more detail, more specifics, entwine the details and plots a bit more, and add more notes of things to work into the story. After this draft is done, start at the beginning again and expand again. And again, and again. Eventually you will get to the point where you can see chapter breaks and will be able to write through the story.

This is a general overview of the process. While I won't be posting specific lessons for each stage of the process, more information will be posted to help clarify it a little. the plan is to eventually publish a book that covers the entire process once it's been refined.