When it comes to writing, I’m not a plotter, and despite my love of organization, I don’t plan.

When starting a WIP, I usually have little knowledge of how things will end. I may have a few ideas for the start, some characters who are louder than others, a few sentences of dialogue, or a scene in my head that needs to be translated to the page.

I’m also usually still working this out when I sit down to start the first draft, and that’s fine. I am a pantser/discovery writer and thrive on piecing together a few notes to craft something.

That was until I started my current work in progress.

This is my first new manuscript in almost two years, and my first attempt at a standalone book. When I sat down to create it, all I did for weeks at a time was start, stop, start.

My go-to trick of writing my way into the story was only leading to random paragraphs that I’d abandon the next day to try something else. For the first time, I was a non-plotter who needed some semblance of a plot to get things moving.

That meant planning an actual outline first and not going with my usual routine of reverse outlining after the first draft.

Because I didn’t know how to do that, I started asking myself questions about the plot and characters to see what shook loose. Now, I have a better idea of what I’m going to write, so if you’re in a similar situation and would like the same help, read on…

Questions to Create a Non-Plotter’s First Draft OutlineGrab a pen and notebook or create a new digital file.Write/type these questions out.Answer them.Use the answers to help create your first draft outline.What Is the Kicker?

The kicker—or exciting incident—is what starts the story off. You may know this already; you may not. You might start it in a certain place for your initial draft, and then realize it has to change, or it’s not working.

For my WIP, one of the start, stop, start moments was the kicker. Six months ago, my exciting incident was a paragraph of the main character talking about another character. Recently, it was a note about the opening chapter being set at the scene of a fire. It may be neither of these options once the final draft rolls around, but I know there needs to be an exciting incident to kick off the story, and by asking the question and brainstorming the ideas, I have the first part of my outline.

Try it yourself and see what kickers you can come up with in your answers, and what ideas they may spark for your manuscript.

Who Are the Characters?

These can be strictly your main/core characters or every character you want to include if you already know enough detail.

Add their names (if you know them) to an individual note page/file and whatever else about them you’d like.

Ask if you know their hair color? If they’re rich? Poor? Do they have a family? What’s their job? Are they in school? Are they smart, stupid, or a liar? How do they know the other characters? Are any of them family, friends, or romantically involved?

You might know the answers to your questions and more. You might know nothing past a first name. Create the files anyway and then add to them as you go. This not only gets your brain thinking about who these characters are, but the notes will help you shape them as you write.

A file like this can even serve as the start of your story bible, so keep track of those character details, and they’ll serve you beyond the outline and through every stage of the writing process.

Whose Point of View?

All books need to come from the POV of someone, and you may already know whose POV you’d like to tell this specific WIP from. If you do, pop it under this heading. If it’s just one character, your job is done.

If, like me, you thought it would be at least two characters, then you can write those two names down. If also, like me, when filling in these outline questions, you realize the story would be better served involving a third POV, make that note.

If you then change your mind again (still me) and decide a combo of two different characters is the right way to go, write that down too.

What Happens at the Start, Middle, End?

When I created the document for my WIP, I added one sentence that had been repeating in my head for several years, expanded it into a couple of paragraphs of internal character monologuing, and then got stuck.

I didn’t know the start of the story or the middle, and I had an end that I’m half convinced is actually for another story altogether (the joys of writing, right?). Still, asking myself these questions for the outline helped focus the ideas that were floating around in my head, and dismiss and settle on others.

It’s okay if you don’t know your own yet, just ask yourself the questions, rule things in and out, and update the start, middle, and end as they come to you.

What Are the Character Arcs?

Character arcs are usually something that evolves as the story evolves. Surprisingly, for my WIP, I had two characters with an arc I could see after answering these outline questions.

If you can also answer how a character changes from start to finish, use this section of your outline to fill in those details. If you don’t yet, leave a space to brainstorm or map it out once you do know.

What Are the Feels?

What emotions do you want your readers to feel, and what emotions do you want your characters to express? If you know the answers, put them here. If you don’t, have a think about it.

Even though I’ve written virtually nothing for my WIP, as it involves a murder, I do know grief will be part of it. I also know from outlining my core characters that one has pressure from outside sources, another is lonely, and another is extremely ambitious. These will all involve certain emotions being a part of the characters, and working out the best way to get those feelings to translate to the readers. It’s another layer to add to your book, and another thing to outline before you write.

Now, with the questions asked and brainstormed/answered, finish your outline with a notes section.

The Notes Section

This is where you will put any scene ideas or notes that you have that don’t fit in with the questions asked and answered.

Create a file/page titled…

Scene ideas.Notes.

And put down those very things.

If/when you have enough scene ideas, you can also split them into their own files/pages. At the start, those files may only contain a vague note or a sentence, but eventually, they’ll become the scenes that make up your chapters. Before that, they’ll be the skeleton of your outline and help you get the story out of your head so it can be written.

And just like that, we non-plotters can create a first draft outline with a few questions. Hopefully, the answers will unleash your creativity and give you clarity. Think of it like a roadmap where you don’t have to know the exact way to the destination, but you now have some direction to find it.

— K.M. Allan

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