The Bullet Point Method

I call my outlining technique the “bullet point method” because, well, I use bullet points to outline.

If you try to outline using numbers, you’re likely to get stuck. Maybe you get caught in details, or maybe you get caught up in having a certain number of points. Regardless, I highly recommend that you do not use numbers.

Now, you could try to outline freestyle, but I recommend bullet points. It helps to keep you organized.

Steps

1. Write it all down, but don’t get caught up in the details.

This is the most important of the rules. When you sit down to outline, pour out all the ideas for the story that have gathered in your head. But you need not detangle them yet. Just throw the whole ball of yarn on the page. This is basically the brainstorming stage of outlining.

Whatever you do, keep your momentum going. If you haven’t worked something out yet, jot down a random idea with a question mark.

Here’s an example of what an outline might look like at this stage:

John and Julia have a confrontation about the disappearing money
It ends badly
Julia determines to start her own investigation
She spies on John (at his house?)
But he spots her

You could add more detail than this, but I wouldn’t do a lot more.

2. Detangle the threads.

So, congratulations! You now have a fabulous mess with an awful lot of potential.

Your next step is to break it down into scenes.

You probably already have a pretty natural flow of scenes. All you need to do is chop it up!

I like K.M. Weiland’s method of scene structure, which says that the two parts of the scene are the action and reaction. So, this is how I would break down our example:

John and Julia have a confrontation about the disappearing money (Action)
It ends badly (Disaster)
Julia determines to start her own investigation (Reaction)
/
She spies on John (at his house?) (Action)
But he spots her (Disaster)

Now, the disaster is a piece of the action scene, but I like to include it in my outline. You can completely personalize what you write and how you identify it.

3. Fill in the gaps.

As you can see, I have no reaction in my second scene yet. I now know, before I’ve even started, that I’ll get stuck here writing! So it’s time to fill that in. This is also the time to answer any questions you had while writing.

John and Julia have a confrontation about the disappearing money (Action)
It ends badly (Disaster)
Julia determines to start her own investigation (Reaction)
/
She spies on John (at his house?) at work (Action)
But he spots her (Disaster)
She runs away and decides to try again the next day (Reaction)

The action is the meat of the scene. Then you have the disaster and reaction to keep things moving.

4. Edit.

This is the last step, and it’s not strictly necessary. If you’re more of a pantser, completing this step might cause you to lose your motivation. So only complete this step if you think it would be beneficial to you.

That said, here are a few questions to ask yourself when you’re editing your outline:

Does each scene flow directly into the next?
Is every scene necessary?
Can you think of a way to improve the story?

The last question is rather broad. It encompasses realizations like this:

Your original P.O.V. might not be the best one for the story.
You aren’t using that many settings.
Your theme and plot aren’t very connected.

I recommend reading through your outline carefully, with an open mind. You might consider these seven things: Plot holes, theme, characters, character relationships, point of view, clichés, and setting/world.

Personalizing This Method

Depending on your personality, you can make this process less detailed or even more detailed. Remove steps, add steps, change the font, write your own questions. Ultimately, make this process the most fun it can be for you.

And that’s it! I hope you find this helpful on your writing journey. Outlining doesn’t have to be complicated or take a lot of time. Go forth and release the beast of ideas inside of you!

~*~

Catherine is one of my dear friends and such an encouragement to me! Catherine is one of the sweetest girls you’ll ever meet. She’s always happy to pray for you and spread joy and love. She’s working to grow as a writer as a member of the YWW <3 So happy to call you friend! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your outlining method with us!

Catherine Roche is a 16-year-old girl from Texas who writes poetry, fanfiction, articles, and short stories–and has big dreams of more. She loves to sing loudly, act on stage, play with little children, and, at the end of the day, curl up with a good book.

Guest Post: The Bullet Point Method