How to Write a Story Outline in 6 Steps

Most writers know the feeling of staring at a blank page, whether it’s a feeling of exhilaration, fear, or both. You ask yourself: Where do I start? What happens next? How do all of these threads connect? Outlining your story can feel like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be.

In reality, a well-crafted story outline is one of the most valuable investments you can make in your writing process. Then, instead of wandering aimlessly through the unfamiliar land of plot, you can use your outline as a map to actually enjoy the journey. 

Ready to find out how it’s done? Let’s dive in.

1. Summarize Your Core Idea

Every good story starts with a spark: a compelling premise that makes the reader desperate to know what happens next. When outlining, your first task is to capture that spark in a powerful sentence. This should include:

• Your protagonist

• Your setting 

• The central conflict in your story

• Any twist(s) that make it extra compelling 

This sentence will become your north star—a guide to help you make important decisions throughout the writing process. 

As an example, let’s consider the premise of Romeo and Juliet. It’s not enough to say “It’s a story about two people falling in love.” That’s too generic and not particularly enticing. 

What makes a premise stand out is its specificity: Two teens from feuding families in Verona fall in love and fight to stay together—despite their doomed fate. It’s safe to say that this version is far more likely to grab the reader’s attention.

It also immediately introduces our protagonists (Romeo and Juliet), the setting (Verona), the central conflict (feuding families), and finally, the twist that makes it compelling (their doomed fate).

Finally, this premise prompts even more interesting questions: How do they meet? Why are they doomed? Can true love conquer hate? A strong premise will create irresistible tension that propels your story forward.

💡Writing tip: Remember that your premise will likely evolve over time. In fact, I’d encourage you to write several versions and choose the one that excites you most—one that makes you the most eager to discover the twists and turns of the journey ahead. However, you can still keep the other versions in reserve, in case things change.

2. Choose Your Structure

With your core premise established, your next step is to find the structure that will suit your narrative.

If we view the outline of your story as a map, then a well-chosen structure will act as the compass keeping you on track. Choosing the right one can make all the difference—ensuring your writing process goes smoothly rather than leaving you feeling lost and disoriented. 

There are many structures to choose from, each one working better for some stories than others. Some common story structures include:

• Three Act Structure: This remains one of the most popular blueprints for storytelling. Act one sets up your world and characters while introducing the main conflict; act two escalates things with rising action and complications; and finally, act three wraps everything up with the climax and resolution. This formula is great for both plot and character-driven stories across most genres of fiction.

• Save the Cat: This structure was originally used for screenplays but can also be applied to novels. With fifteen story beats like the opening image, catalyst, debate, and “fun and games” section, this structure ensures that every scene maintains momentum. This makes it perfect for high-concept stories, thrillers, and tales of adventure.

• The Hero’s Journey: The Hero’s Journey is a timeless pattern, involving stages such as: establishing the ordinary world, the call to adventure, refusal of the call, meeting the mentor, tests and allies, ordeal, reward, and return. This structure works well for fantasy, adventure, and coming-of-age stories where the protagonist undergoes significant transformation through trials and challenges.

• Freytag’s Pyramid: Inspired by Greek and Shakespearean tragedies, this classical structure focuses on internal character growth (and character degradation) through stages such as exposition, rising action, and climax—followed by a swift descent into the main character’s “fall” and “catastrophe,” often ending in death. It works beautifully for character-driven narratives with deep emotional arcs, as we see in Shakespeare’s classic tragedy, Hamlet.

For shorter works, like short stories or novellas, a simple beginning-middle-end outline might suffice. The key thing is to match your story’s natural rhythm to the right structure rather than trying to shoehorn it into a rigid frame.

Before you commit to a structure, ask yourself: Am I looking for a slow burn or a fast-paced narrative? Is the focus on character transformation, or is it more about external conflict? You can use these answers as a guide to find the perfect fit.

3. Understand Your Characters

With your chosen structure as the compass of your story, now it’s time to add a little color and detail to your map—in the form of characters. Specifically, exploring your main characters’ motivations, backstories, and transformative arcs will add emotional resonance to your outline. 

Start by creating detailed character profiles that go beyond physical appearance. These profiles should answer questions such as:

• What drives your character?

• What are they afraid of?

• What events from their past influence their current decisions?

Gaining a deeper understanding of your characters’ psyche will help you pinpoint which scenes feel the most necessary and/or natural in your outline—where your characters’ choices feel truly authentic rather than just convenient for the plot.

Another useful technique to use when outlining is creating character-based “bookend scenes.” This is where similar scenes appear at the beginning and end of the story to show just how far the protagonist has come—a technique famously used in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. 

In the opening of that novel, we’re introduced to Scrooge: a grumpy old man who refuses charity, is rude to his nephew, and lives an all-round lonely life. However, by the final scene (after his eye-opening encounters with the three spirits), he becomes generous, embraces his nephew’s friendship, and begins to connect with others. 

The bookend technique shows how character transformation can give the story its emotional power. Even if you’re not writing a primarily character-driven story, consider incorporating it into your outline.

4. Build Your Plot, Beat by Beat

Now comes the best part—breaking down your plot into individual chapters and scenes. From beginning to end, each chapter or section within your story should feel like a mini story, complete with its own internal structure. 

To achieve this, there are three elements to consider: 

• What your character(s) wants in each scene

• The obstacle(s) standing in their way (perhaps even each other)

• How each of these small conflicts/battles feeds into the next—ultimately building to the climax and conclusion

Start with your story’s major plot points: your inciting incident (the event that launches your main conflict), the midpoint (where everything changes and stakes escalate), and your climax (the final confrontation).

If your story includes any big plot twists or revelations, follow the same process with them. All these scenes will function as checkpoints to which you can refer as you begin writing your draft.

In any case, once your checkpoints are established, you can start to add in the “connective tissue” between each one. Remember that not every scene needs to include earth-shattering levels of drama—in order to control your pace, there also need to be some lighter moments where characters get a breather and the reader has time to reflect. 

That said, each scene does need to either move the plot forward in some way or deepen our understanding of the world or characters (as per Vonnegut’s famous advice). 

💡Writing tip: Use index cards, sticky notes, or digital tools to write brief descriptions for each major scene. This will create a kind of “visual storyboard” for your reference. Remember; the more specific these descriptions are, the easier the writing process will (hopefully) be.

5. Integrate Your Themes

Your outline should really be starting to take shape by now. It’s time to shift your attention from the scene-level details to focus on broader elements, such as themes. 

Themes are the “big ideas” that connect your story to real life, making it feel more universal. They can transform a straightforward tale into one that stays with the reader long after they’ve turned the last page.

Although some authors would rather find their story’s themes along the way, purposefully including them in your plan will help you maximize and maintain their impact.

The best themes will come from the conflicts and character arcs you’ve already developed. For example, in Normal People by Sally Rooney, the theme of love vs personal growth is central to Connell and Marianne’s rocky relationship. Their respective journeys of self-discovery shape their emotional arcs while also highlighting how love can affect personal growth positively and negatively.

Here are some more common themes that you’ve probably encountered before: 

• Good vs evil: Can someone ever be only good or evil? What is your definition of either one?

• Redemption: Can people really change? Furthermore, can they be forgiven for their mistakes?

• Power and corruption: How does power impact those who have it and those who don’t?

• Love vs duty: How might personal desires clash with social or professional obligations?

• The price of freedom: What would you sacrifice for independence or justice?

Keep in mind that certain themes crop up in some genres more than others. Where science fiction is concerned with progress and consequences, mysteries seek truth and justice, romance explores emotional vulnerability, and fantasy wrestles with power and fate.

After you’ve chosen one (or several), consider how your theme(s) should manifest in your outline. While a redemption arc might progress from isolation to connection, for example, a story about corruption might counteract the protagonist’s rise to power with their moral decline. 

You’ll find that your story will have a much greater impact if your theme is thoughtfully woven into your outline. Fortunately, if you’ve followed all the advice above about structure, characters, etc., you’ll probably have some baked-in themes before you even reach this step. 

Now for the final outlining stage, which is to simply… 

6. Assemble Your Outline

It’s time to take your premise, structure, characters, main beats, and themes, and put together an outline that covers all bases. Check out this handy checklist to make sure that you really don’t miss a thing:

• Organize scenes in a way that makes sense to you: Select the method that best fits your organizational style. This might mean using beat sheets for a more chronological view, index cards for reshuffling key scenes, or mind maps to make clearer connections between plot and character.

The most crucial thing to remember during this process is that your outline will change as you write. It’s merely a guide, not a set of rules. Characters may make unexpected decisions, or entirely new themes might arise. No matter what, stay open to adjusting your plan when these discoveries pop up—but try to keep the overall direction intact.

• Check for logical progression: Scenes should flow from one to another and have cause-and-effect relationships for clarity’s sake.

• Be mindful of pacing: In addition to logic, arrange chapters in a way that strikes a balance between tense scenes and quieter moments of reflection. Look for places where the flow feels off or where tension dissipates too suddenly.

• Reassess character motivations: Your characters’ actions should always be consistent with their goals and characteristics. Even if they do behave in a way that’s inconsistent with their usual character, there should be a rational explanation that somehow ties in with their arc. Additionally, make sure that any supporting characters don’t feel like distractions and instead contribute to driving the plot.

• Ensure that plot threads connect: Foreshadowing should feel inevitable in retrospect, and subplots should intertwine organically with the main storyline. Watch out for weak points or plot holes that need fixing; it’s far better to address these in the outlining process than halfway through your draft.

Since outlining is a skill that improves with experience, it’s likely that your first outline won’t be flawless. With every new story that you outline, you’ll learn something new about structure, character development, pacing, and your own creative process. Accepting the learning curve will help your skills grow with each new project.

So take out your preferred tools—be it a digital document, index cards, or sticky notes—and begin creating the framework for your next tale. Your future self, scribbling (or typing) away, will thank you for the valuable outline you’re creating today.