Book Outline Template Generator

Whether you write fiction or nonfiction, using a book outline template generator can speed up your writing process. When learning how to write, a book outline generator gives you something to work from. 

Rather than stare at the imposing blank page, a generator presents you with a template from which you can build your story. From here, you can focus on your plot structure, delve into your various themes, and create character development your readers never saw coming.

But how do you find the right book outline template generator, let alone use it? I cover all of this, and more, in this article.

Book outline template generator: what’s covered 

• What are the 7 steps to outline a novel?
• Is there a template for writing a book?
• How do I create a book outline template?

What are the 7 steps to outline a novel?

Book outline template generators use different steps to create your outline, but the seven key steps to consider are: premise, backstory, inciting incident, rising action, climax, falling action, and ending. Let’s take a brief look at each of these seven steps. 

Premise 

Your premise is, in short, what your book is about. It’s helpful to look up Amazon book categories to see the various premises authors often choose. 

Choosing your premise applies to both fiction and nonfiction because the premise is the central theme of the book. Your premise is what drives the writing. 

While a book outline template generator may not create your premise for you, it’s helpful to have a general idea of what your book is about before you use a template generator. More on this later.

Backstory

Your backstory is everything that happens before you write line one on page one of your story. For fiction, this means everything that shaped the character of your protagonist or villain to why the city is structured the way it is. For memoirists, this is everything that makes you, you. 

Inciting incident 

Your inciting incident is the first main plot point that starts the story, and one a book outline template generator will reveal for you. Inciting incidents are crucial to get right. 

They can either grab a reader’s attention and guarantee they purchase your book, or leave a would-be reader dissatisfied. 

This is one reason why using a book outline template generator can be so helpful. They generate different options for you to choose.

Rising action 

Book outline template generators guide you through your book’s rising action. These are the pulse-pounding events that take place in thrillers, the slow burn of a cozy romance, and the suspense of wondering if the start-up the nonfiction author is writing about will succeed.

Rising action is one reason book outline template generators are so vital, no matter what genre you write. If you take a look at the most popular book genres on Amazon, you’ll see that rising action is a staple, regardless of the type of storytelling used. 

Climax

Writing to the climax of your story can be difficult. After all, what’s the best place for a story to peak? For nonfiction, the answer is usually pretty clear—it’s real life, after all! For fiction, using a book outline template generator can help by presenting you with options.

Your climax is the high point of your book. It’s Frodo dropping the Ring into Mount Doom, Harry Potter fighting He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, and Robert Kiyosaki deciding to act like Rich Dad, in his nonfiction, Rich Dad, Poor Dad.

Falling action 

Everyone has to come down from the heights of success and back to normal, daily life—even characters. Whether you apply this truth to your fictional characters or nonfiction, this aspect is dubbed your falling action. 

Book outline template generators can help you navigate this step for free, and developmental editors can add their expertise to your plot structure as well. 

Ending

Of course, every great book must end. This is where you wrap up your final teaching points or plot points, prepare to upload to Amazon, and wow your readers with your well-crafted book.

Is there a template for writing a book?

As you can see, there are definitive templates for writing a book such as the above, seven-step process, or even the standard Three Act Story Structure. These templates can be great places to start ideating for your story. 

Remember that book outlines often fluctuate as you, the writer, make changes, fine-tune different plot points, and re-imagine your story. 

For example, you may plan the steps leading up to your story’s climax and back down to your ending, often referred to as the denouement. But once you get into the actual writing process and write your plot structure as literal scenes, you may write yourself to an entirely different ending. 

Or, far more time-consuming, you may finish your first draft only to realize you wish you’d followed a bit of a different outline. At this point, you may wish you had various options to choose from before you wrote thousands of words you now have to edit, or even entirely cut out. 

What if I told you there is a simpler way to outline your book and also jump-start the storytelling process? This is where book outline template generators come into play. 

How do I create a book outline template?

A book outline template follows a streamlined path led by a prompt—the genre you write—or several prompts. These prompts ensure you never have to stare at the blank page.

The creative process can be overwhelming. Writers deal with Imposter Syndrome, the feeling that they aren’t good enough and will be found out, all too frequently. Having text to work with can help negate this feeling and writers, and up their chances for author success. 

For example, this book outline template generator guides you through the writing process based on just a few prompts. The prompts this book outline template generator include highlight many of the seven steps discussed above. 

Book genre 

An easy way to differentiate your book’s genre is by asking, is my story real or created? Fiction equals a created story, or a story based on made-up characters set in a real or imagined time period.

Nonfiction is “not fake,” or based on true events and real people. Nonfiction also encompasses academia or other educational materials. 

Book subgenre 

When using a book outline template generator, you may be asked to identify your sub-genre as well. This simply helps you focus on exactly what your story is about and who it is for. Here is an extensive list of sub-genres.

What is the book about?

Asking, what is your book about, is another way to answer the premise question discussed above. If you have an elevator pitch for your book, use it as a starting point for your premise. Typically, your premise will shout at you loud and clear from your elevator pitch. 

What is the purpose of this book?

The purpose of your book highlights why you chose to write this book and what you want your audience to take away from it. 

If you write fiction, your purpose may be to do one or more of the following:

• Entertain
• Inspire 
• Draw attention to a specific time period
• Highlight the character arc of your protagonist 
• Teach a lesson in a non-intrusive way

If you write nonfiction, you may want to: 

• Teach others from your expertise 
• Walk readers through a specific process
• Contribute a new angle to a trending topic 
• Share your story 

The purpose of your book for your readers versus the purpose of your book for yourself may be different. For instance, you may personally just want to become a published author! 

By doing so, you may also want to show your readers that they, too, can be published, start that business, or be entertained by your characters. 

How many chapters should this book be?

The number of chapters you want your book to have partially depends on how many words your book should be (see below). However, keep in mind that your book genre can impact the number of chapters in your book. 

An epic fantasy will likely have fewer, yet lengthier chapters, while a self-help book will tend to be shorter and therefore easier to digest. Keep your genre/sub-genre in mind as you use a book outline template generator to help you quickly dive into your writing process. 

You will also want to keep the age of your target audience in mind. Younger readers will benefit from shorter chapters, while adult readers can wade through lengthier chapters. 

How many words should this book be?

Your word count depends on the genre (surprise!) of your book. If you wonder how many words are in your chosen genre, this blog breaks it down. Of course, you do not have to follow these word count guidelines exactly. 

(J.K Rowling is a prime example of someone writing middle grade books that were tremendous in length but also sold tremendously well.)

Here’s a short overview: 

• Middle grade books will be shorter (20-55k)
• Adult books typically are longer (anywhere from 40-110k)
• A memoir can be roughly the length of a young adult novel
• A biography could be as long as a novel

Book outline template generator: outline your book today

Now that you know how a book outline template generator works and why they are helpful, it’s time to try one out.

Access our free Book Outline Template Generator at the top of this page. Use it to help you quickly get to writing. Your journey to authorship starts now!