How to Outline Your Book Before Writing it

  To outline or not to outline that is the question, right? This is something that most writers don't really want to do.  I have to admit I am one of those types of writers.  I will admit here that when I outline I just do the basic type.  What I mean is I will outline the beginning, the middle and how I want the book to end.  The in-between parts I sort of write by the seat of my pants.
 

     Let's face it, most writers get an idea for a story and they just want to write their book. They don't want to stop and think about everything under the sun by doing an outline. They just want to get on with the story, right?  Of course, I realize that can cause a problem for some writers.  Why, because when you get an idea most of the time writers generally don't know where to begin a story.  They just want to get to the part of their idea.  This can cause a writer to abandon their story more often than to complete it. This is one of the reasons why writing a book and completing it is so hard.

     The video below will discuss the subject of the outline process and why it is important to do this before writing your book.  And, even if you've already started a book and haven't outlined it, you can still outline what is ahead in your story.

     Here is another video that gives you some more ways to outline your book:

     

     So to outline or not to outline is totally up to you.  There really is no right or wrong on whether to do this or not.  I always say do what is best for you on getting your book done. If during your writing process you hit writer's block, outlining just might help you get unstuck.

     In my next blog entry, I am going to talk about whether your book should have an Epilogue.

     So stay tuned!