Thirty chapters

This part of the planning contains both the easiest part of the book and the most difficult.

The first job is to open up your chosen word processor and write the numbers one to thirty down the left hand side leaving generous spacing between each one. I’ve chosen thirty chapters as my ideal arrangement for my first draft, but I’m flexible where necessary. It might be better to add a chapter later if it suits the need as I’m writing and I find I need an extra chapter to deal with additional thoughts. Conversely, I might need to delete a chapter if I find I cover its content either earlier or later or it just shapes down to not being required – extra waffle is not a good reading signal for any bookworm. Include them at your peril.

The second task is now to briefly write down what will happen in each chapter. This part of the planning can be achieved in minutes by some people and over the course of months by others. Personally I like to go head long into it and have a first idea in an hour or so and then spend the following three or four days actually testing if the plan for the novel:

• Sounds good
• Looks good
• Makes sense
• Includes everything

I also need to give thought to the following:

• Introducing the hero
• Setting the background to the story
• Showing the problem that the central character has to overcome
• Keeping the time-line intact
• Introducing any ‘B’ story
• The point of no return
• How will the antagonist react?
• What stumbling blocks will be in the way?
• Two steps forward, one step back
• Major crisis
• Fight to the end
• Heighten the demand for the hero/antagonist clashes
• Resolution of the ‘B’ story
• Resolution of the main story

Then everything needs to put into the right order. It wouldn’t be right to confuse the reader although including a few ‘red herrings’ are wonderful fun.

Now I need to define the exact details of each character so they can interact well. Then I’ll work on the locations where events unfold.