Write a Novel Outline from Scratch (Novel Writing Success)

Welcome to Creative Writing Success: Write a Novel Outline From Scratch, and thank you for joining me on this journey. In this first lecture, I give you a brief overview of the course content, so you know what to expect. Thanks again for joining the course; I'll see you in the next lecture.

In this lecture, I give you a quick tour of the Udemy interface, so that you can get the most of Plan Your Story: How to Outline a Book From Scratch!

In this lecture, I let you know what to expect from me as your lecturer throughout this course and I give you a short description of myself, in case you missed the trailer for this course.

In this lecture, I share two true stories with you to help you realise that anyone can write a book! If you have any concerns about your ability to write a novel, then get stuck into this lecture.

In this lecture, you'll find out where you fall on the plotter-pantser spectrum, and you'll discover the advantages a plotter has and other benefits of plotting a book before writing it.

In this lecture, you'll learn about a writing exercise called 'free writing,' which has helped improve my own writing for years. Also, this practice always gets me through the tough parts of outlining a novel. If this technique is even half as helpful for you as it is for me, then you'll get a lot out of it!

Now it's time to get excited! In this lecture, you'll start generating potential story ideas for the book you'll be outlining in this course. You will learn multiple techniques for coming up with original plot premises, and these techniques can be used again and again, any time you want to generate a new plot.

In this lecture, you'll consider whether to start with characters or plot, and then you'll learn my approach and explore some examples of this approach in action.

In this lecture, you learn the value of note-taking and brainstorming. I show you all my messy, handwritten notes and doodles as an example, and then I provide you with a great method for brainstorming new ideas and working on the story idea you chose in the first lecture of this section.

In this lecture, I give you an awesome BONUS TIP that will help you to capture all your great ideas, so you can use them in your plot outline and never have to worry about forgetting them!

In this lecture, I discuss the order of the upcoming material and recommend ways for you to approach the content to get the most out of this course.

In this lecture, I give you two options for organising the content you'll be creating throughout this course, and I provide you with a FREE template if you decide to take Option 2.

In this lecture, you're going to take your first shot at merging your notes and ideas into one big story synopsis. What you come up with in this lecture will probably be quite rough, so don't worry about its quality for now. We're just aiming to bring your currently disjointed ideas together into one big summary of your story.

In this lecture, you're going to learn how to create extremely detailed, interesting, and believable characters that your readers will love--or love to hate! You'll also be provided with a free Character Bio template and an example of a filled-out one.

A continuation of the first Character Bios lecture.

A continuation of the Character Bios lectures.

In this lecture, you'll learn a fun BONUS TIP which could massively help you when it comes to writing about your characters; you'll be able to jump right inside of their skin! Also, this tip is just plain fun. So, be sure to at least try it out!

In this lecture, you'll consider whether or not your particular story needs a map, and then we'll look at the benefits of having a map for your story world.

In this lecture, you'll learn how to create detailed locations for your story, using a location sheet I have created for you. Filling in this sheet for all your story's major locations will bring your story world to life and transport your readers inside of it! So, press PLAY and start learning how to create highly detailed story locations now.

In this lecture, you get another BONUS TIP, and this one describes the process of adding pictures to your location sheets to help you to get an instant feeling of being there. Often looking at a good picture of a place arouses your senses immediately: you can feel the warm air on your skin, smell the flowers, taste the humidity, hear the birds cheeping. So, by looking at relevant pictures before writing your scene, you can quickly know what your character is going to experience. Being able to describe sights, smells, sounds, tastes, and so on, will put your reader inside that setting. This is what I was talking about when I said my readers tell me they feel like they are there, inside my books, or sometimes even as if they are watching a movie unfold in their head.

In this lecture, you'll learn how to create your most detailed outline yet, as you watch your story unfold in your mind, step by step, and write down the events in separated chapter summaries. If you approach this exercise with the right mindset, then it's exhilarating! And there are some great benefits of doing this exercise, the best one being: If you create chapter summaries for your entire book, you'll write your first draft so much faster than without them!

In this lecture, you'll learn a BONUS TIP that will help you to pace and structure your story a whole lot better. It will ensure that your plot lines are well balanced and your readers stay interested in them. It's also colourful and fun--so dive in!

In this lecture, you'll learn how to create a short 1-3 paragraphs synopsis to help you clarify your plot and to motivate you when it comes to writing the first draft. This exercise also comes in handy later on, as you'll find out in the next BONUS TIP, so make sure to do this exercise!

In this lecture, you'll learn how to separate your short synopsis into story acts. You'll learn about the Classic 3-Act Structure and how using it can give you confidence in your story and help you to analyze and improve the flow of your plot.

In this lecture, you'll learn what a tagline is, and then you'll create some for your story. By looking at your story from different angles, you'll come up with multiple taglines that represent different aspects of your story. Doing this will help you identify your story's most exciting hooks, the hooks that will pull readers in!

In this lecture, you'll learn a BONUS TIP that you'll be really glad to know when it comes to submitting, publishing, and/or marketing your book. So, listen closely and enjoy!

In this lecture, you'll start exploring your story's themes, and then you'll use a technique you learnt in an earlier lecture to sprinkle your themes throughout your book outline and enhance your story.

In this lecture, you'll find out how symbolism can be used to enhance your story and to foreshadow upcoming events in the plot. If you use symbolism well, it can greatly enhance your readers' experience.

In this lecture, you'll find out where to store ideas you have that don't fit into the outline you currently have for your novel. This way, you can return to these ideas later on, when you are able to fit them into your story ... and you don't have to fear your good ideas going to waste or these ideas clogging up your outline by being in the wrong place!

Congratulations! You're ready to write your book. In this lecture, we quickly go over what you've learnt in this course, I let you know about the importance of leaving reviews for courses you enjoyed, and then I send you on your way with some further resources and a massive thank you! I wish you all the success with your writing.

In this lecture, I give you the final BONUS TIP of the course. This tip is my favourite one out of the lot, and if you implement this tip, your readers will love you for it!