5 Reasons Why you Should Plan your Book Outline

Many people will argue that you don’t need to plan an outline for your book, and I agree. When I first started writing, I thought I knew everything – I didn’t need a plan, right? Okay, so I managed… But when I started writing and following outlines, it made things a hell of a lot easier. I often wondered why I’d made things difficult for myself previously, by refusing to plan. Clearly, I was just a stubborn B*t@h with a lot to learn!

Here are my Top 5 Reasons – FOR THE SERIOUS WRITER ONLY

1. The book outline is basically your framework. It provides structure and allows you to pace yourself. When you’re writing, it’s so easy to go too fast or too slow, and if you have to go back and amend your work, it takes so much more time. Your outline will act as a timeline of events and you can follow the story arc model to create a really engaging story. Do yourself a favour and plan the outline!
2. It allows you to write at a faster pace and it improves the way the book flows because you have a direction – you know exactly what you’re writing in each chapter.
3. You’re less likely to get writer’s block if you have the plan to follow. This is because the plan acts as a prompt for you.
4. It helps you provide clarity and prevents you from going off track or having difficult plot holes to fill. For example, if you’re writing a 60-70k novel, it’s impossible to remember every detail. If you have a plan you can refer back to, it reminds you of what has already happened, which means plot holes are minimal.
5. It saves you time and stress. Basically, all the things mentioned above help reduce the time and stress you spend writing. Writing a book is often a long process and your first copy is always a draft. Once it’s written, your writing needs to be edited and typeset too. If you want to have an enjoyable experience (especially if this is your first book), design a plan.

Plans or outlines aren’t essential, and some people just enjoy winging their writing, BUT…

If you’re serious about your writing and it’s not simply for fun (and you want to be the best you can be) create your outline or plan. EXTRA BENEFIT: It’s also useful if you want to monitor your performance as a writer and your progress in writing the book.

I can’t stress the benefit of planning your outline, enough. Remember writing isn’t for the faint-hearted, so create good writing habits from the beginning as it will keep you motivated. Don’t make things any more difficult than they need to be!

Much love,