PreWriting Checklist¶
Before I start writing the first draft of a new novel project, I always complete the following list first to make sure I am completely prepared before I start writing.
Novel Writing Preparation To-Do List: 1. Initial Idea 2. Inspiration Boards 3. World Building 4. Create a Map 5. Character Outlines 6. Interpersonal Relations Chart 7. Character Development Outlines 8. Emotional Journey Line Graph 9. Theme Work (Make it Matter) 10. Story Outline 11. Chapter Outlines
1. Initial Idea¶
You have an idea! Build that idea into an elevator pitch, a brief summary, or a "what if" question.
I like to keep all of my story ideas in an idea notebook. Then, I can always go back to old ideas when I'm ready to start working on a new project.
2. Inspiration Boards¶
Gather inspiration and brainstorm lots of ideas by making Pinterest boards, Canva collages, mood playlists, and more.
I love to make a Pinterest Board for a new story idea and start by finding pictures that remind me of my main characters and settings.
3. World Building¶
Outline the major groups of people and their cultures present in your story.
World building might also include things like outlining how magic or other physics work in the world. There might also be politics involved to write out.
4. Create a Map¶
Take pen to paper or use a map generator to map out the world, the kingdoms, the towns, etc.
One way to do this is by using software like Inkarnate. But you don't have to worry about getting too detailed. You mainly want to make sure you don't accidentally create a logistic, geographical plot hole.
5. Character Outlines¶
Make a spreadsheet of all your characters and start outlining character details like physical features and personality types.
You want a character sheet or character outline to simply outline details you need quick access to about your character. This will help you remember when a character has brown vs green eyes and more.
But a detailed character outline should also teach you a lot about your character, what motivates them, and how they make decisions.
6. Interpersonal Relations Chart¶
Make a giant table to outline how all of your characters feel about each other and make note of family, friends, and enemies.
Make a table and list the names of your characters on the top horizontal row and also on the left-most vertical column. All of the boxes in between are then a place where you can write down how Character A feels about Character B, and so on.
This is another great way to learn about your characters and how they would interact with one another.
7. Character Development Outline¶
Outline individual character arcs for your most important characters. How do they start out? What changes their beliefs? How do they end up different by the end?
Each character is a mini-story within your larger story. Take some time to outline those mini stories for each character. Think about each character's arch, what kind of person are they when the reader first meets them, how do they change throughout the course of the story, and how are they different by the end of it all?
8. Emotional Journey Line Graph¶
Start outlining the plot by brainstorming your main plot points. What are the main things that happen?
Keep your list of the main plot points small and make a simple line graph to show the emotional rise and fall of the story with just these main plot points.
This will give you a better idea of where the ascending and descending action points in the story are.
9. Theme Work (Make it Matter)¶
Make your story matter by taking time to think about themes, symbolism, motifs, beliefs, lessons, morals, change, etc.
What is the story trying to say? What will readers come away thinking and feeling? I find that theme work is easiest to do after outlining character arcs because how characters change throughout the story often leads to some really good themes.
10. Story Outline¶
There are many story outline ideas out there. Personally, I like the 8-Point Arc. There is also the classic 3-Act Story Arc, the snowflake method, and more.
Pick a story outlining method that resonates with you, and start filling out the spaces between your main plot points. I've even started to make my own story outline, including outlines for each chapter.
11. Chapter Story Outline¶
Once I have a general outline of the main events, I like to take things a step further by planning out every chapter.
You want each chapter to be a purposeful and interesting part of your overall story. I brainstorm out my chapters by thinking about what the chapter introduces and what it resolves.
Then I try to brainstorm how the end of the chapter can hook the reader and give that I want to keep reading! feeling.