Every novel writer walks their own path towards developing their craft. Some submit themselves to sharp criticism in writing groups while others undergo in-depth workshops on plot and character development. Many more read established works until their eyes bleed. As for me, I don’t do any of that…though I probably should!

That’s not to say I’ve been lazy. If you’ve read my blog then you’ve noticed the greatest changes I’ve incorporated into my stories revolve around the outline. From the premise line I first used in Book 3 to the beat sheet I began to employ in Book 4, I’m constantly trying to reflect upon and improve my approach: the stuff that happens before the first page even gets written.

For Book 5, I’ve implemented what may well be the final piece of the outlining process. It’s also the hardest, most un-fun and unfulfilling part of making a novel. That’s right: I’ve discovered the worst part of writing and gave it a name!

The ‘Detailed Outline’
I didn’t say it was a good name, but at least it reminds you where the Devil is: in the details. No matter how interesting or emotionally impactful your scenes are, they can’t stand on their own: they need to be ‘built up’ and ‘moved on from’ with transitions. The detailed outline answers the most important questions at every page so that your readers never have to.

“Where do I gotta go? How am I gonna get there? Why am I going there in the first place?”

All About Chapters
To put it simply, the detailed outline is a chapter outline extended from out of the beat sheet. Each chapter is split into its own beginning, middle and end. While an individual chapter isn’t a self-contained story, it needs to have build-ups and pay-offs all its own. These pay-offs I’m talking about are what keep readers engaged and interested between the peaks of your story.

This is especially important in the “Middling Middle” of the story, where writers get stuck, disinterested and disheartened. Working these chapters down by hammering out each ‘shot location’ and ‘camera angle’ your actors will be performing in are crucial details that are by no means easy to figure out.

In fact, hammering out these details is the hardest part of writing a story–but doing so makes a world of difference when it’s finally time for your characters to give their lines.

The Good Kind of Surprises
Just like in life, in writing there are both good and bad surprises. The good ones come out in the spur of the moment–new scenes or character exchanges that burst into your brain so quickly that it’s all you can do to write them down. Then there’s bad surprises: like when you realize the scene you’ve invested so much time and energy on is going nowhere, or that you’ve been writing yourself into a hole that’s only getting deeper. Put away your shovel and enjoy the happy surprises that greet you while writing within a detailed outline.

Creativity breeds itself in comfort, not fear (I hear that’s the mind-killer) and so why not take the extra effort to ensure your words are written in the comfiest way possible? All this outlining can seem cold and dull to more romantically-minded authors, but the truth is, it allows you the freedom within to explore and expand the concepts in your head without worrying about how and where you’re going to take the narrative next.

Trying to do both at the same time creates sub-par work at best and a complete disaster at worst.

An Example
The following is a template for the detailed outline (counter-intuitively stripped of details) for the first story of Book 5. It begins and ends in seven chapters. Because of the way the narrative is going and because I’m a budding masochist, I plan to have a four-story structure in Book 5.

I might write a blog post about that in the future, but for now, please feel free to copy and adapt this template for your own work!

• Chapter 1:
  • (SET-UP)
  • Recall the events of the last book, establish the MC’s “here and now”.
  • (CATALYST)
  • Cliffhanger once the MC’s entire world is thrown into chaos!
• Chapter 2:
  • Explore the emotional/physical immediate aftermath of the catalyst.
  • (BIG DECISION)
  • Cliffhanger once the big decision is made!
• Chapter 3:
  • Take steps following the big decision that was made.
  • (B-STORY)
  • Cliffhanger as an outside force brings upon a sidequest to the main one.
• Chapter 4:
  • (FUN AND GAMES)
  • Let MC be MC! Undertake + complete the fun (and main story relevant) sidequest!
• Chapter 5:
  • Reunion after victory, momentary slowdown in pace.
  • (MIDPOINT: FALSE VICTORY)
  • ■■■■
  • (BAD GUYS CLOSE IN)
  • An aside where the bad guys rally and prepare to strike.
  • ■■■■
  • (REFLECT MIDPOINT: FALSE DEFEAT)
  • Cliffhanger when the bad guys strike and something terrible happens!
• Chapter 6:
  • Dealing with the aftermath of the defeat, where all hope seems lost.
  • (DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL)
  • Cliffhanger when something even more terrible happens!
• Chapter 7:
  • Lowest point of the story, where the ‘whiff of death’ smells the strongest.
  • (B-STORY MEETS A-STORY)
  • Unexpected aid from prior allies, MC’s lessons for growth are realized.
  • (FINALE)
  • MC’s lessons are applied. Victory! Haha, just kidding…unless?

Conclusion
The detailed outline for Samurai of Hyuga Book 5 is 53,000 words. That’s over a third as long as the entirety of Book 1! It took months of hard, un-fun and unfulfilling work that lacked any sort of immediate payoff. Every time I struggled to puzzle out a fuzzy spot in a scene, the temptation to just “write page one” grew. But I resisted because I knew the work I put in then was going to pay dividends later, and it has!

Because while it was a steep climb at the start, it’s now a gentle jog downhill. I’ve still got a long hike ahead of me, but now–more than ever–I can enjoy the journey forward!