Welcome!

Overview and What To Expect

Why Outline?

Goals and Deliverables

Bonus: What Is A [Insert Your Genre]?

Workbook and Slides

Introduction

The Plan (Slides)

Anatomy of a Book

Ideas: Where Are They?

The Plot: Finding Your Formula

Structure: The "Shape" of Your Novel

Pacing: The "Speed" of Your Novel

Characters: The People of Your World

Act I: The Plan

The Plot (Slides)

Everything Comes Back to Plot

Plot Points (And Why We Need Them)

The Main Plot Points

The 3-Act Play (...is Really 4 Acts)

Act I: The Hook

Act I: Theme Stated

Act I: Inciting Incident

Act I: Worksheet

Act II (Part I): The 'B' Story

Act II (Part I): Fun and Games

Act II (Part I): Midpoint

Act II (Part I): Worksheet

Act II (Part II): Bad Guys Close In!

Act II (Part II): All Is Lost

Act II (Part II): Woe Is Me

Act II (Part II): Worksheet

Act III: The Finale

Act III: The Climax

Act III: Denouement

Act III: Worksheet

Act II (Part I): The Plot

The People (Slides)

Crafting Story Characters

3 Core Components of Character

Cast for Contrast... Tag for Tension

Designing Characters

Traits and Tags

Main Character(s)

Character Worksheets

Building Setting

Adding Dialogue

Act II (Part II): The People

The Pieces

Putting It All Together

Act I - Part I Scenes

Act II - Part II Scenes

Act II - Part III Scenes

Act III - Part IV Scenes

Adding Nuance to Your Outline

Tips and Tricks

The End!

Act III: The Pieces

<h2 class="PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2">Don't just write a book... Sell it.</h2> Outlining isn't about&nbsp;just&nbsp;writing, it's about&nbsp;selling&nbsp;that book. Whether we like it or not, readers expect certain things in the books they read.&nbsp; Learn what those things are, and how to get them right,&nbsp;before&nbsp;you start writing. <h2 class="PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2">One course. Unlimited books.</h2><h2 class="PlaygroundEditorTheme__h2"></h2>Bold words, I know. But I believe it's true.&nbsp; I've studied (and practiced) just about every outlining methodology under the sun — I've made my own, trashed my own, tweaked, altered, and practiced some more.&nbsp; Everything I've learned about outlining is here. No fluff, no BS. Just hard-earned lessons about outlining novels for speed, efficiency, and — of course — ensuring readers&nbsp;love&nbsp;them.&nbsp; This is the ultimate course on outlining fiction, designed to take the mystery out of the writing process and turn your ideas into a well-structured, compelling story. Guaranteed. If you don't write better AND faster after working through this course, I'll give you your money back.

Save the Cat. Romancing the Beat. Plotting. Pantsing.

You know the formulas, the blueprints, the beat sheets.

Now, learn how to build your own outline.

Outlining for Authors

Nick Thacker

Course Details

Course content