A simple way to keep your novel on track while outlining and writing…or after your first draft
If you’re a discovery writer (pantster), go ahead and write without restraint! You can always go back and use this structure to find plot holes and pacing issues . . . and optimize the size and order of your scenes and chapters. If you’re a plotter, this structure will help you build a cohesive outline before you begin to write.
This template was developed by CM Torres. It combines the elements of story beats with screenplay sequences, based on rising and falling action, and pacing.
This structure:
· Provides prompts for developing an outline.
· Guides the writer through the type of exposition objectives expected at each stage of the story, and the corresponding scene sequences.
· Helps the writer maintain an optimal plot pace.
· When a chapter or section of the novel “isn’t working”, it provides guidance to search for possible causes (Are there 3 mini-acts in each sequence? Are the beat/sequence combinations in the right order? Is the pacing too slow or too fast at certain parts of the novel? Is it missing any of the essential dramatic devises described…
