To go from 2,000 words to 50,000 words within two-and-a-half months was nothing less than miraculous. When I started my book I had one scene in mind. Just one. I knew the atmosphere, I knew where it took place, and I knew how the interactions between characters would occur. What I didn’t know was the plot. There are many pantsers in this industry and clearly I am not one of them, which is what I believe to have been my downfall during the initial stage of my writing journey.

 

Eventually, I came across an author who stated they wrote a YA novel in nine days. Yes, nine days! Impressed is an understatement. I searched for ways to outline novels and so many options came up. 3 act structure, list of events, et cetera. Also, while researching outlining methods, summarizing chapters popped up which I will get into later. Rather than overwhelming myself I commented on the author’s post in hopes they would respond with the strategy they used to execute their writing journey, that is when I was introduced to Save the Cat Writes a Novel.

Save the Cat Saved My Novel

Any story I ever started I never plotted, which explains why I never got anywhere. This time I was determined to get my feet on the ground and write a full-length novel. I was always skilled at writing academic papers and figured my outlining method could really help me. However, 3 main points and details would not work for a novel. Upon learning about Save the Cat Writes a Novel, my 2,000-word scene turned into a 50,000 words book. I’m not trying to convince you to use Save the Cat Writes a Novel, but I am encouraging you to outline, if you find you cannot get past a certain point any time you try to write. As the saying goes, “To repeat the same act and expect different results is insanity.”

 

And wouldn’t you know, my change in outlining methods took me exactly to where I needed to be. Not because it gave me guidance on my book but it formulated story structure in a way I had not identified just yet. By having something as a reference any time I got stuck I was able to look back to SCWN as a guide on what should be incorporated in said beat.

 

I think if more people viewed outlining as part of their tools they’d embrace so much more because lets be honest, eventually you will have to figure out the plot of your story which is basically an unwritten outline. Just do it now to avoid going backward later. Now that I was able to hit the ground and walk, I needed to run! So, I added a few things that worked for me.

 

Modifying an Already Near Perfect Outline Method

Let’s face it, it’s impossible to see in the dark. Rather than just hitting each beat, I took the SCWN a step further and added my own points to create a more detailed outline. By doing this I had a lot more clarity when writing my scenes.

 

In Save the Cat, there are milestones referred to as beats. Since SCWN provided thorough information on what each beat represents, it helped me to know what my story needed next. This forced me to think about how I would get from one beat to the next. For each beat I added 1-2 minor events that lead to the beat. In addition to the 1-2 minor events, I added 3-4 details of each event. Overkill? Maybe! But it helped me to go from 2,000 words to 50,000, and honestly whatever gets the job done.

 

The goal is not to create the same outline I created. The goal is to create an outline that works for you in order to get from one point to another.

 

Although outlining is believed to be limiting it can also prove to be very beneficial if you understand these factors: What you are doing in the beat and what you are doing with the characters.

 

Limitations come when better circumstances outside of the outline arise. And even then you still are not limited because you do not have to stick to the outline. It is okay to go outside of the outline especially if what you have come up with now is a better outcome for the overall story.

 

Sustaining My Writing Momentum

Now Save the Cat took me from not having a clear thought on where my story would go to having a big picture, I wanted to make sure I was able to sustain my momentum. I had so many scenes and ideas coming at me and I knew I was not going to be able to write them fast enough. So I decided to alter my outline again by summarizing my chapters.

Now here is where summarizing chapters came into play. I felt like this was a way for me to pants my way through and get through the chapter out quicker without having to stop and over think how I would narrate the scene. By summarizing your chapter you at least know what’s going on and fill in the details, mood, and tone later.

Now that I was able to summarize the chapters I made sure to highlight the events that will take place in the beat so that I knew what I needed to focus on in addition to sub details so that I knew how to get there.

 

If one method is not working, try multiple or do what I did and mesh them together. It’s all about what works for you and not what has worked for the masses. Everyone is not the same, especially not creatives. So, enhance your outline based on what fits the operation of your mind and the rhythm of your writing style. That way you’ll have a higher chance of executing your goal because it’s designed specifically for you.

 

You Have Everything You Need, Just Get Organized

 

So, this is everything that I did for myself to get me organized and ready to write. I already had 2000 words once I was able to outline everything I went from 2000 words to 50,000 and it’s probably the best thing that’s happened to me as far as my writing.

Save the Cat gave me exactly what I needed to tackle my manuscript with confidence. I think it’s very easy to overwrite but if you are able to decipher where to begin the scene—not the story, the scene— it makes it easier to just write.

 

So, now that you’re organized. Now that you have everything you need, go ahead and write that book! That scene you wrote two months ago, create an outline that works for you and give it another. Some of us do better when we have a plan. And just remember if that doesn’t work for you, look up other writing methods like summarizing chapters, the 3 Act Method, the five-step method, there are so many ways to get to where you need to be just as long as you have what you need to succeed.