How To Plot A Novel: 4 Best Tips For Success

Learning how to plot a novel was a huge part of my writing journey. In fact, it still is. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to writing a novel, and because plotting is often one of the most difficult parts, it’s crucial to have some help along the way.

The first book I ever wrote took me twelve months to write, and one of those months was me trying to figure out how to keep writing. I was stuck, with no way out, except to keep thinking about different ways to move forward.

My second fiction manuscript took nine months to write (ironic, since authors often call their books their babies), and I did not get stuck for an entire month. What was the change? I had a writing mentor who taught me the nuts and bolts of how to plot a novel.

He also guided me out of writer’s block and even helped me budget time for writer’s block. Because he’s written more than 200 books, he knew that how to plot a novel is the starting point of successfully finishing a novel . . . but he also knew that writers can still feel stuck.

Due to his expertise, I learned how to plot a novel, how to write on deadline, and even received a full request from a traditional publisher before I’d completed the first draft.

All of this to say, learning how to plot a novel is crucial. Over the last decade, we’ve taught over 8,000 authors how to write, publish, and market their books. Now it’s time to teach you how to write your book so you can join the ranks of success stories. Let’s learn how to plot a novel in Part 1 of this 5 Part book writing series.

How to plot a novel: what’s covered

• How to plot your first novel?
• What are the 5 elements of a plot?
• What is the snowflake method in novels?
• Bonus tips for how to plot a novel

How to plot your first novel?

Learning how to plot your novel starts with knowing your inciting incident (what sparks the story), your climax (what carries you through the middle), and your resolution (or ending).

If you know these three plot points, you’re already well on your way to learning how to plot a novel. New York Times bestselling author, Alex Aster, says that these are the three plot points she makes sure she knows before diving into the writing process. With this in mind, let’s talk the details of how to write a novel.

1. Identify your key plot points

You may identify as a plotter (someone who plots everything out before writing), a pantser (someone who writes as a process of discovery), or a mix of both. Regardless, I’ve found that it’s vital to have some form of outline to make the drafting process as seamless as possible.

Your book outline doesn’t need to have every subplot on it, but articulating your key plot points is how you build yourself a safety net. A rough outline ensures you know where you’re going even if you write to discover how you’ll get there. Here are a few ways to help you learn how to plot a novel’s rough outline.

Brainstorm  

If you don’t like to outline, a good brainstorm session might replace the outline altogether! You can also consider using a bookmap to get your ideas out.

Brainstorming gives you the chance to get all your ideas out on paper. Writing everything out lets us see it, and if we can see it, we can work with it and improve it.

This also helps you find your various character motivations and have fun with worldbuilding. In brainstorming, every idea is a possibility and no idea is bad. Have fun with it.

Map out your best ideas

For writers who prefer a little extra structure, it might help to map your plot points. Look at your brainstorming notes and ask, which scenes will create my rising action? My climax? My resolution?

You can even move these scene ideas into these specific categories. Especially for writers who love to see their ideas and move them around visually, using index cards or sticky notes can really help here. It has certainly helped me!

Know your destination

Not to downplay the nearly six hours of the 1995 Pride and Prejudice, I love it, but compared to the tight, two-hour 2005 version, it feels a bit chaotic. Think about the difference between the two.

The 1995 has long-winded dialogue, scenes that go on and on, and feels a bit more like a meandering plot. The 2005 version is pretty much complete with one-liners, tight scenes, and strong, forward movement in a specific direction.

In the era of YouTube shorts, Instagram reels, and TikTok, keeping attention can be hard. Knowing where our story is going helps us drive the plot forward.

How to plot a novel can be as simple as knowing your protagonist will end up in X place with a happy ending or that they’ll succeed in their quest or mission.

2. Look for plot holes

How to plot a novel needs to include a detailed look at the scenes you put together. If you’re anything like me, there may be some plot holes in your first draft, especially if you’re more of a pantser.

It’s helpful to ask the following questions when looking for plot holes:

• Is this the most logical next step? Why?
• Does my timeline align with the plot?
• What would my characters do in real life?
• Do my seasons, time of day, etc., flow smoothly?

There’s nothing worse than saying “three months passed” and then continuing to dress your character for summer when it should be winter by now.

It’s also important to track your hours. Particularly for books that center around a quest, part of learning how to plot a novel is tracking the passing of time and the flow of day into night.

Finally, even in fantasy, don’t forget the power of logic. If your character makes a choice that feels unnatural just because you need to move the plot forward, it will read as forced and lack integrity to the character you created.

3. Request feedback

Sometimes it’s difficult to tell what’s missing simply because you are so close to the work. This is where beta readers come in handy.

If you really want to make it as a writer, it’s important to write to your readers. My writing mentor always says to “put the reader first.” It’s difficult to do so when we’re the only ones reading our story. Of course we love it. It’s our creation.

But requesting real feedback from readers in your target audience can speed up your editing process and ensure you put your reader first. While not often included in tips on how to plot a novel, beta readers are invaluable.

4. Step away from the work

Now that you’ve found your key plot points, looked for plot holes, and taken it through beta reads, it’s time to take a break. My writing mentor stresses this step as well. Why?

Spending too long on revisions makes us blind to obvious problems. Because it’s a world we know, and because we understand the character motivations, we don’t really see the ways the story we’ve written doesn’t exactly convey the information we intended. 

A few days or weeks can help us see issues we would otherwise miss.

What are the 5 elements of a plot?

The five standard elements of plot are exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and resolution. We discussed three of these above (rising action, climax, resolution), but if you really want to dive deep into how to plot a novel, you can add in these other two elements.

Depending on how heavy handed you want to be with plotting, you can plot your subplots, the action leading to them, and every small interaction. Doing this up front can save you time later. You already know what you need to include.

Don’t forget that part of learning how to plot a novel is understanding that plotting is synonymous with testing. If your plot doesn’t work in one area, plot another point. Plot points are like puzzle pieces. You know what you want to happen and you can arrange the pieces until they fit together cohesively.

Sometimes, you have that random scene that just doesn’t fit. It may be a puzzle piece from another puzzle. Just save that scene. You never know. You may use it for your next novel!

What is the Snowflake Method in novels?

The Snowflake Method, created by Randy Ingermanson, is a plotting system that helps you focus on the core of your story first. What is the main theme that drives your novel? What is the number one quest? What is the very heart of your story? Try to answer this in just once sentence. Ingermanson recommends you do so in fifteen words or less.

Once you articulate this core, you can move on to writing a paragraph about your story. Next, spend an hour writing about each of your primary characters. This process “snowflakes” from here, piling up like a snowball until you have everything you need to write a standout story.

This method is how many people learn how to plot a novel, and it may or may not work for you. Consider giving it a go. You can always use your ideas later, or throw them out. The important part is, you’re growing as a writer.

Bonus tips for how to plot a novel

To really make sure you know how to plot a novel, below are a few bonus tips. These are tips I’ve learned over nearly a decade in the publishing world.

I’ve written five books, edited a number of titles for a New-York based publisher, taught at writing conferences, led a writing cohort, and coached writers. These tips may seem simple, but they are the backbone of great writing.

Know your genre

What genre are you writing? Great writers are great readers. Read widely and get a feel for recurring genre conventions. Do this not to copy content, but to learn what audiences expect and what sells. For example, romances require a happy ending, and high fantasy novels often call for fight sequences. 

Know your tropes 

What are your favorite tropes in movies, books, and TV shows? Are they specific to your genre, or can you work with them across the board? Find a way to incorporate these tropes with the plot points in your story.

Tip: This will help you plot as well. If you love enemies to lovers, then you already know the beginning and end of the story: They start out as enemies and they end up as lovers. 

Know your formula

A good story isn’t too predictable, but it’s important to know the formula of your genre. Thrillers follow a different plot structure than romance does.

Find a story arc that works for you and find subtle ways to subvert it. Maybe the meet cute is an anti-meet-cute (in the example of enemies to lovers). Maybe the wise old sage character in a high fantasy novel is a young, quirky scientist.

This is a great way to give your reader the tropes and story beats they expect from your genre, while also giving them a new, interesting, memorable story. 

How to plot a novel: take your next step

Learning how to plot a novel is no small task, but we’re here to help you every step of the way. Now that you know these plotting tips, you can go from a full month of feeling stuck (like I did) to actually writing and publishing your novel. Get started by using our free resource below.

Ready to read Part 2? Find your next step for how to start writing a novel here!

This blog was rewritten from the original version published by Gloria Russell.