Not long ago, I had been pouring over writing texts trying to find commonalities in plot outlines. This is the result. It can work for any length work, but I’ve had best success with novella length and longer.
Using:
The Bestseller Code (available at Amazon, a really useful book)
Raise/Reveal/Reverse (taught at many genre workshops)
The Lester Dent Pulp Fiction Formula (a 1920’s era writer who had this stuff DOWN)
The Three Beat Plot (really, you ought to know this one)
Dan Harmon’s “However/As A Result” (comedy writers have tattooed this on their bodies)
Plot Points During What Page Percentage Of Finished Work
0 – 10% Show Your Hero Doing What They Love Most,
- something basic and primal; Hero loves books, learning, or doing.
- Hero is one or more of these: outsider, independent, restless, self-sufficient, maverick
- The setting or vocation must be new to the reader. Descriptions provide insider knowledge
- in a new world, Hero wants a return to a simple life. They are recovering from a deep loss.
- Setting in social upheaval. Hero is dragged into rebellion.
- Your Hero has a flaw. Hero’s flaw actually comes out of their grand passion. It is a quality taken too far.
HOWEVER….Raise/Reverse
11% – 20% Add a Storm:
- ESTABLISH THE CONFLICT AS AN OFFER YOU CANNOT REFUSE
- Start the Crisis Clock: a countdown to a looming change that cannot be undone
- All characters, resources, and foreshadowing must be introduced by the 20% mark.
21% – 30% Add Insult to Injury
- the Hero suffers loses of a foundation to their life
- The reader is to pity the Hero
AS A RESULT…Raise/Reveal
31 – 40% First Goal: The Hero makes the Unhealthy Choice leading to confrontation
HOWEVER/AS A RESULT…Raise/Reveal
41 – 50% Unhealthy Consequences of the Unhealthy Choice
AS A RESULT…Raise/Reveal
51 – 60% HERO DOUBLES DOWN ON UNHEALTHY CHOICE and another confrontation
HOWEVER…Reveal/Reverse
61 – 70% Achieve First Goal: FINDS IT THE WRONG GOAL
AS A RESULT…Reveal/Reverse
71 – 80% Transformational Intimacy
- The Hero shares their weakness with another character.
- The Hero discovers they are stronger than they had thought, or that the weakness was a misunderstood strength, or that they become stronger/more mature for the experience. Prepares for second goal.
AS A RESULT…Raise/Reveal
81 – 90% Final battle
AS A RESULT (happy ending)/ HOWEVER (downbeat ending)
91% – END
Resolution/Denouement
How to use this? Just read it over then set it aside. Do your first draft as it comes out of your head. After your draft is cleaned up and you send it to your beta readers, discuss where this outline may be useful in making the plot more coherent.
DO NOT USE THIS AS A WORKSHEET. Unless worksheets work for you. At this moment, worksheets tend to get in my way. But if you work well with structure, try it. As long as you’re having fun.
DO YOU HAVE SUGGESTIONS? We can build upon this together.