Should I write an outline for my book?

If you’re having trouble keeping timelines straight, thinking of small things to fill the chapters, or your story seems directionless, you might want to give outlining a try. “In order to write something big, it really helps me to think of the constituent parts.

What is the first thing to do before writing a book?

Write the first draft. Once you’ve figured out your book idea, the hardest thing is to just start writing. Filling up a blank page can be daunting, but you’ll need to get something down in the first place—you can always edit later. Remember that even the best books started off as rough drafts.

Does Stephen King use an outline?

Depending on who you talk to* it may or may not be a surprise that Stephen King doesn’t outline the plots of his books, and instead just jumps in and writes. Maybe that’s the key to having such a prolific writing career (King is the author of over 60 books), just putting words on the page.

How long should my first novel be?

If you’re writing your first novel, the general rule of thumb for novel writing is a word count in the 80,000 to 100,000 range. While anything over 40,000 words can fall into the novel category, 50,000 is considered the minimum novel length. Anything over 110,000 words is considered too long for a fiction novel.

How do you outline a novel quickly?

6 Ways to Outline Your Novel Faster

1. Start With Your Character’s GMC–Goal, Motivation, and Conflict.
2. Research Your Characters.
3. Pin Down Your Plot Points.
4. Do the Math and Build the Scene Outline.
5. Populate the Scenes, Starting With Plot Points.
6. Check for GMCD (Goal, Motivation, Conflict, Disaster)

Can a book have both a prologue and an introduction?

You absolutely can have both an introduction and a prologue. Both are concepts which are well-familiar to readers; they will not be confused by it. If you do have both, the Introduction comes first, before any of the fiction begins.