How Do I Plot My Novels?

I know many writers who are able to open up a word processor and start typing up chapter one of a new book without significant plotting ahead of time. I’m not one of those writers. 

For me, plotting is an essential part of the writing process. I think of it like a map. If I don’t know where my destination is, how will I know where to begin my journey?

Here are the questions I ask myself while plotting my books:

1. Overall story
   • Is the story a standalone (i.e., single book)? Does it connect to other stories (i.e., interconnected standalones)? Is it part of a series?
   • What are the big themes of the story?
   • Is there a moral to the story or an important message?
2. Important story points
   • Where do I want the story to end?
   • What are the important scenes I want to include?
   • Where do I want the story to begin?
   • What are the scenes that will help move the plot from the beginning to the end?
   • Who are the main characters’ allies? Who are their enemies? Who is the “big bad” of the story?
     1. Do these change over the course of the story?
3. Characters
   • Who are the main characters?
     1. What are their names?
        1. Do their names hold significance or metaphor?
     2. What do they look like?
     3. What are their personalities?
     4. What are their goals and motivations at the beginning of the story?
        1. Do those motivations change as the story progresses? If so, how?
     5. What are their histories (i.e., what important events occurred in their lives to make them who they are at the beginning of the story)?
     6. What are their development arcs (i.e., how do they grow and change throughout the story)?
     7. Who are they at the end of the story? 
4. Setting
   • Where do the main plot points take place?
   • What are the important locations within the story?
     1. Research similar locations for fictional places or actual locations for real places
     2. What does the setting look like?
5. Imagery and Symbolism
   • What important imagery should be included in the story?
     1. Are there colors or seasons that represent important themes? 
   • Are there important metaphors within the story that require related imagery?
   • What symbols represent important themes in the story and how will they be incorporated?

These questions help me to draft an overall plot, which allows me to write a more specific outline of all chapters in the book. While answering these questions helps me, nothing is set in stone. Sometimes as I write, these story points change. Afterall, storytelling isn’t a science, but an art. There’s no right or wrong way to tell a story and every author has their own methods.