You’ve probably got at least a seed of an idea for your novel, maybe even several ideas. Next, we’ll work on putting together an outline.

As I’ve said here before, I tend to not be an outliner. I like writing that way, but the problem is, it leaves the novel in a bit of a mess when you’re finished. This year, I’m hoping to avoid the hefty rewriting process by trying to outline up-front. I’m not at all sure how well I’ll like it, but I know that a lot of (may most) writers swear by outlining.

Since I’m not an outliner in general, I can’t offer a lot of personal advice on how to do it. What I will do is talk about what I’m doing, what’s working (and not), and point out some good resources. If you use outlines for your novels, toss in your ideas below.

Holly Lisle is a great resource in general, and her workshop on story outlines. No, it’s not specific to the novel, but it’s a good start. She also has a workshop on how to finish a novel.

You all know I’m a big fan of Paperback Writer’s site. She has a post on how she outlines that’s very detailed and useful.

In “Outline your novel in 30 minutes,” you’ll answer some questions that will help you put together a plot outline.

If you post your NaNo novel outline on your blog or site, drop a link here in the comments and I’ll put together a post linking to all of them.