Planning Your Novel, Your Way
This post is part of Week 3 in Prose in Progress 2025, a three-month series of writing encouragement and gentle guidance for your creative season.
Let’s explore outlines, discovery writing, and everything in between!
There’s No One Right Way to Plan
Writers love to talk about process, especially when it comes to planning.
Some can’t write a word until they’ve mapped out every beat and backstory. Others open a blank document, follow a spark of inspiration, and see where it leads.
Even more—myself included—land somewhere in the messy middle, figuring it out one project, one idea, one page at a time.
Here’s the truth: there’s no one “right” way to plan a novel. Your process can be as structured or spontaneous as you need it to be. And it might even change from one project to the next. What matters most isn’t how you plan. It’s that your planning style helps you stay connected to the story you’re telling.
So whether you’re a meticulous outliner, an adventurous discovery writer, or a bit of both, here’s how to plan your novel your way.
The Planner’s Mindset
Plotters (or planners) thrive on structure. They like seeing the big picture before they dive into drafting. Outlines, beat sheets, and story templates give them direction and help keep the story on course.
If you love lists, spreadsheets, or the satisfaction of checking off story beats, this might be your zone. Plotters often find comfort in knowing, in having a clear map of their story world before they start exploring it. The structure can be energizing, freeing up creative energy for things like dialogue, character voice, pacing, or emotional resonance.
Some writers follow their outlines to the letter and wouldn’t have it any other way. If that approach helps you stay organized and confident in your story’s shape, that’s a strength, not a limitation. A solid outline can be a creative anchor, a framework that keeps the story steady even when inspiration ebbs.
Others prefer to keep their outlines a little looser. A well-built outline can bend without breaking; it should grow with your story, not against it.
Personally? I like a good outline—even if I don’t always start with one.
A little structure is always helpful, after all.
But I like to think of outlines as more guidelines than rules—thank you, Captain Barbossa.
Stories grow in unexpected ways.
Characters take detours. Themes deepen. New ideas show up.
So sometimes your original map needs to shift.
Your outline moves like a compass:
it’s there to help you find your way back when you wander,
not to stop you from exploring.
The Discovery Writer’s Flow
Discovery writing is powered by curiosity. You might not know how the book ends when you begin, and that’s okay. The thrill of uncovering each piece of the story as you go can be one of the most rewarding parts of the process.
The challenge, of course, is coherence, making sure all those discoveries add up to a consistent world. A few simple tools can help keep your ideas ground while you explore:
- Keep a story journal or running document to capture details as they appear.
- Jot down quick reminders of character traits and motivations, settings, turning points, or timeline shifts.
- If you like more organization, build a book bible (a living reference that can include character sheets, timelines, setting details, key symbols, worldbuilding notes, or anything else that shapes your story’s continuity).
Discovery writing doesn’t mean chaos. It means exploration. You’re uncovering the story as you go, one layer at a time, and learning just as much about the story as your characters do along the way.
Sidebar: I’ve never loved the term “pantser.”
It implies chaos or a lack of control—but that’s not really what’s happening.
Pantsers, or discovery writers, aren’t reckless; they’re responsive.
They build the story from the inside out.
Plantsers Unite!
Most writers live somewhere in the middle of planning and discovering. You might outline a few key plot points, then let the rest unfold naturally. Or you might start writing by instinct and pause to plan when things feel fuzzy.
This hybrid style (or “plantsing”) gives you the best of both worlds. You get the clarity of a framework and the creative surprise of discovery.
But being in the middle can sometimes feel confusing. You might start out with a full outline, then realize halfway through that your story wants to go another way. Or you might write freely for a few chapters and suddenly wish you’d mapped things out a little more. That push-and-pull isn’t failure; it’s feedback. It’s your story showing you want it needs next.
If you’re a plantser, try building gentle checkpoints instead of rigid outlines. Sketch out your next two or three scenes rather than the entire story. Or keep a story map where you jot down what’s already happened and what you think might happen next. That small bit of structure can keep you oriented without closing off discovery.
The goal isn’t to fit into a label. It’s to find a rhythm that keeps you writing. If your process changes mid-book, that’s not inconsistency. That’s adaptability. Structure enough to guide you, freedom enough to breathe.
Planning Through Life’s Chaos
Even the best-laid plans can fall apart when life gets messy. Maybe your day job gets busier, your energy dips, or your family needs more of your time. That doesn’t mean your writing dreams are on hold; it just means your process needs to bend with you.
When your schedule’s unpredictable, the most important part of planning isn’t how much you write, it’s how you prepare to write.
If you’re short on time, try one of these:
- Keep your outline or notes open in a document or notebook so it’s easy to jump back in.
- End each writing session with a quick note about what happens next. You’ll spend less time trying to remember where you left off.
- Schedule micro planning sessions instead of full writing days. Ten minutes spent reconnecting with your story world still counts.
Progress isn’t about perfection. It’s about staying connected to your story, however you can.
Tools That Can Help You Plan
Every writer has tools that make planning easier—or at least less overwhelming. Experiment until you find what supports your creativity, not what weighs it down.
Try these:
- Outlining tools: Plottr, Scrivener’s corkboard view, Notion templates, or a classic notebook.
- Focus helpers: Lo-fi playlists, Pomodoro timers, or short sprint sessions with friends.
- Organization tools: color-coded index cards, sticky notes, or story-mapping templates.
And if you’d like something structured yet flexible to experiment with,
I’ve created a free Outlining Resource for Prose in Progress subscribers.
It’s a gentle guide to brainstorming your story structure
in a way that fits you and your season of writing.
Subscribe to the newsletter here to get your copy.
Final Thoughts: Your Story, Your Process
The way you plan—or don’t—doesn’t make you more or less of a writer. It just makes you you.
Some stories need a map. Others need a compass. And some simply need time to unfold.
So whether your outline looks like a color-coded spreadsheet or a handful of sticky notes, whether you’re deep in discovery or piecing together structure, remember: there’s no wrong way to build a story.
Grab your coffee, revisit your notes, and give your story the space to grow into what it’s meant to be.
