Story Outline Template

The Story Outline template contains empty notes for your ideas and scenes, and placeholders for images, video and links. There are many styles of story outlining including Hero's Journey, Save the Cat Beat Sheet but the most widely used are the Three-Act and Five-Act structures.

Start by laying out the major scenes or events you know so far. These might be the key turning points, locations, or plot twists. Don't worry too much about the order or details yet, just get the main parts out of your head. This is a quick flexible way to divide your story into the 5 key centerpieces. The story of Romeo and Juliet is a perfect example of this:

• Act 1: The Setup - The Montagues and Capulets' long-standing feud is established, and Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet's party.
• Act 2: Rising Action - Romeo and Juliet fall deeply in love and secretly marry. The feud between their families intensifies.
• Act 3: Climax - Mercutio and Tybalt are killed in a street fight, leading to Romeo's banishment and Juliet's forced marriage to Paris.
• Act 4: Falling Action - Friar Laurence devises a plan to reunite Romeo and Juliet. Juliet takes a potion to feign death.
• Act 5: Resolution - Miscommunication leads to Romeo's belief that Juliet is dead. Tragically, they both die, and their deaths reconcile their feuding families.

Next, add a sentence or a short paragraph for each scene. There are no rules for how much detail to add, do what works best for you. Think about what's being communicated in this scene, the location, and the characters involved. This will help you consider where characters are introduced and how this scene connects with the next one. Remember that each act in a five-act structure serves a specific purpose in the overall narrative. By strategically adding content to each act, you create a well-paced and engaging story that builds tension, develops characters, and ultimately leads to a satisfying resolution.

Seeing your story at a high level lets you make connections between themes and concepts you might otherwise miss if you went straight into writing. Re-read your outline so far. Look for scenes that feel out of place. Perhaps your transitions need some tweaking or a character appears without a proper introduction. Highlight areas that need more work and move scenes or plot points around to get the sequence just right. It might make sense to introduce a character later so move points around as you need to.

While imagery may not make an appearance in your novel, this is a great technique for visualizing a story as you write and it also helps to kickstart new ideas. Experiment by adding images or movie clips that capture the essence of a character or scene. If you've created a moodboard, now's the time to see if you've already got imagery that suitable. Try saving images from Google Images, Pinterest, or Milanote's built-in image library.