If you didn’t outline your manuscript pre-writing chances are you’ve realized that it needs a lot of work.

I’m currently in a similar position-dusting off a manuscript I wrote as a teenager which means a lot of revisions are coming my way!

Well, my friend, if you didn’t do any outlining before writing your novel, then… don’t hate me… I’m gonna suggest that you take the time to outline your manuscript now before jumping into the revision stage. 

Don’t worry!

I’m gonna walk you through how I’m outlining my current revision project so that you can do the same.

I’ll even leave you with a freebie to make the process easy-breezy!

You’re lucky!

You’ve got the bones of your story written.

But, if you’re reading this, you’ve probably noticed that your story has some weak points. 

Maybe, the characters just seem to be moving from event to event with no real motivation behind any of their decisions.

Or, perhaps the resolution seems unrealistic or arrives too quickly.

That’s what outlining your manuscript is for! 

Even though you’ve already written your first draft, you can still benefit from reflecting upon your plot and refining your character development.

All of this and more can be determined during the outlining stage (and there’s no shame in moving this process to after you’ve written draft one). 

Once you’ve got your handy outline, you’ll be able to revise your novel with confidence!

Time for a little reflection!

First, you’re going to analyze your manuscript as a whole.

Grab a pen and paper so that you can jot down your thoughts and refer back to them.

For now, this reflection is based on what easily comes to mind.

No need to reread your entire manuscript just yet.

Consider the elements of your story that work well.

Ask yourself: what are the strongest scenes, characters or themes?

Identify areas that need improvement.

Ask yourself: What are the weak points in my story? Consider pacing, plot holes, character development etc. 

Finally, consider character arc.

Ask yourself: What character growth do I want readers to experience along the character(s)’s journey? Do I currently feel that this has been accomplished? If yes, how? If not, why not?

It’s time to organize yourself and your tools so that outlining your manuscript can be as painless as possible.

First off, I don’t recommend engaging with your manuscript digitally.

A digital manuscript is so easy to revise in the moment. I can copy and paste, delete and rewrite to my heart’s content. 

But here’s the thing, revising and rewriting are two different tasks.

While it may seem like a good idea to make changes as you encounter problem areas, doing so provides little time to reflect, ask questions and let solutions percolate as we go about our days.

Plus, spending hours looking at our computer screens while revising can strain our eyes! We all know this!

So, this is the simplest of steps. Here it is.

Number 1: Print out your manuscript and place it in a three-ringed binder.

Number 2: Gather a pen, highlighters and post-it notes or cue cards.

Got all of your supplies?

Great! Let’s move on!

Now, you probably have an overarching idea of all the events that occur in your story.

But, are you certain that the overall flow of your plot is logical?

Does each scene or chapter make the next one inevitable? 

For each decision that your character makes, are the outcomes realistic? 

Or, will readers wonder how events relate from moment to moment?

To determine the cohesiveness of your story, it’s time to reread your manuscript!

As you reread, write down the major plot points for each chapter on your Post-it notes or cue cards.

One major plot point per card. Keep it organized!

Once you’ve gone through this process with your entire manuscript, spread out all of your post-it notes.

Read them over and visualize your story arc. 

You may begin to recognize areas where the flow is inconsistent, the link between events irrelevant or even scenes whose order needs to be swapped.

For any thoughts that occur to you-fixes, questions, confusions-write them in your notebook near those reflection questions we started with.

Check out these 10 questions to ask yourself for an airtight plot if you are wondering what to look for.

I’ve put this step after reviewing major plot points because as our manuscript has already been written, we need to start with what we’ve got.

So, with a fresh understanding of our story arc, it’s time to be honest with ourselves.

Below, you’ll answer a series of questions that will help you develop a truly character-driven story.

Keep your notebook handy. 

1. Protagonist’s Goals and Motivations

Ask Yourself: 

What does your protagonist want and why?

How does their fear influence their actions/decisions, keeping them from achieving their goal?

2. Cause and Effect in the Plot

Ask Yourself: 

How do my character’s actions or decisions influence what happens in the next chapter? (Look back at your major plot points for this question)

Note: You can use these questions to reflect on any major character within your story- protagonists, antagonists, crucial side characters- anyone who makes decisions that affect the plot.

Once you’ve answered these questions, check if your plot has stayed aligned with your character’s decisions and fears throughout the story.

If you’ve veered off course, you now know where you’ll be focusing on reworking the plot!

I know this sounds tedious. Didn’t we just write out the major plot points of each chapter?

Yes, we did.

But, remember that we didn’t do any outlining before writing our first draft and we’re here because we want to refine our manuscript for the better.

So, we need to put in the hard work.

Now, you could just plot out your 3 Act story- the inciting incident, climax, resolution etc.

You could quickly plot it out with bullet points, and if you’re a pantser, this may seem right.

But, if you want to ensure that every chapter and scene has a significant purpose within your story then I’d suggest digging deeper.

And, that’s where scene cards come in! 

You’re going to use your first draft as a guide while writing scene cards that ensure every scene is focused on your main plot and your character’s motivation and fears.

How do you write scene cards? 

I’m going to send you over to this amazing YouTube video by Abbie Emmons who sums up scene cards perfectly and even has a template for you to get started. Thanks, Abbie!

As you go through this process, you’ll have the opportunity to cut unnecessary scenes and add new ones based on your reflection during steps 1 and 4. 

These scene cards will strengthen the weak points you identified earlier, ensuring that your readers are engaged and curious from start to finish.

Once your scene cards are complete… you’ve outlined your manuscript!

Use this outline to revise your novel, transforming your rough draft into a story that leaves readers turning pages late into the night.

The revision process is lengthy!

But, there is no better feeling than stepping back to reread your final manuscript refined into its best version. 

Congratulations on all the hard work!

If you didn’t outline your manuscript before writing, do you think it’s necessary to outline before revising? 

Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Talk soon!

Julia