Edit like an Editor: A Wattpad Featured Guide ✔

Part iii. Planning Your Plot Timeline

(Yes, the above image is of JK Rowling's timeline notes to the plot of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix).

Time

Your novel's time frame is a basic element of your setting. What you pick—the past, the present, the future, a particular historical time period, an alternative timeline—will affect everything from how your characters speak, to what they wear, to how they behave and interact with one another, to how they get around.

The season matters, too. Spring in Iceland. Winter in Puerto Rico. Fall in Dubai. What you choose will shape and constrain your storytelling.

Another aspect of time is how long your story spans—is it a day, a year, a decade, or several centuries? The duration will determine whether you will be able to tell your story as a continuous timeline or in separate episodes. It will also determine whether you will need to jump ahead or back in time.

Plot Planning Strategies

Some writers need to know before they start writing, scene by scene, the progression of the plot for their entire novel.

Others need to have some idea of what's going to happen in the beginning, in the middle, and at the end but are happy to start writing and discover how parts connect. (This one's me.)

Still, others start with a vague idea of where they're going, a main character, and an opening scene, but they like to be surprised as their characters take over, moving their story along.

There simply is no single method that works for every writer or for every book, so you have to try different approaches until you find one that suits your strengths and style.

Some authors write a detailed outline of every scene in the novel.

Others only feel as if they need to outline the first scene, the major turning points, and the ending.

Others tell the story from start to finish in a detailed synopsis (also what I do).

Still, others are content to just take lots of notes and write character sketches before jumping into writing page one (I'll be developing character sketches more in the next section of characterization).

Writers disagree on whether and how much planning is needed. Interestingly, though authors disagree widely about whether to outline first, most authors agree on the necessity of creating an outline after writing. An outline of what you've written gives you an overview of your story thus far and will provide a perfect starting point for revision.

Scene-by-Scene Outline

Many authors like to write a scene-by-scene outline of their book before they start writing. A basic outline gives a brief description of what happens in each scene.

Here's an example of the outline of the first four scenes in my novel, "When Dreaming Becomes Dangerous."

Scene 1: In a dream, Mira Ackler experiences the same recurring dream she has had since the death of her mother two weeks prior. She's in a snowy meadow surrounded by thick pine trees. A white wicker arch is next to her. She discovers she's in a lace wedding gown and next to her in a black tuxedo is her mystery man with blonde hair and eyes blue as the sky. They lean in to kiss, but she wakes up before it can happen.

Scene 2: Monday morning, Mira wakes up and gets ready for work as a speechwriter for the mayor of Eron city. Sadie, her white terrier pup, greets her, asking for cuddles. She worries over her heart condition that appeared after her mother's passing. She enjoys a cup of coffee while thinking about her current life situation.