Planning & structure
There is no correct amount of planning. There is only the amount that gets a particular writer to a finished draft, and it varies enormously between people and between books.
These guides cover the main structural methods, what each is actually good for, and the structural problems that surface once a draft exists.
11 articles
How to Summarise Your Own Novel
Three hundred words about ninety thousand.
How Many Points of View Should a Novel Have?
What does this viewpoint know that no other one does?
How Long Should a Chapter Be?
Chapters have a natural ending, not a natural size.
Novel Word Count by Genre
Being outside the range is a flag, not a fault, and it usually points at structure.
How to Find Plot Holes Before Readers Do
Find plot holes by testing causality, knowledge, rules, time and character choices with a practical method for
How to Improve the Pacing of a Novel
Diagnose slow, rushed and monotonous pacing, then revise scene purpose, tension, information, rhythm and recovery
How to Plan a Novel From First Idea to Finished Outline
Plan a novel by turning an idea into a story promise, characters, conflict, structure, scene map and flexible
How to Research a Novel and Keep Useful Notes
Research a novel without stalling the draft.
Save the Cat, the Three-Act Structure and the Snowflake Method Compared
Compare Save the Cat, three-act structure and the Snowflake Method by purpose, detail, flexibility and the kind of
Pantsing and Plotting Compared for Novelists
Compare pantsing and plotting by discovery, momentum, revision and project complexity, then build a hybrid process
Story Structure Methods for Novelists
Compare useful story structure methods by the questions they answer, then choose a flexible framework for plot
Planning & structure, on your own manuscript.
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