One Page Plot Outline
A how-to for this outlining method. All links to Eva Deverall and more on this method will be down below!
set-up: this outlining method requires one piece of paper and a pen/pencil, and some scissors if you want to turn your page into a little booklet!
you want to divide your page into 8 sections. fold your paper in half down the middle then fold it into quarters horizontally. you should get 2 columns running vertically down your page, with 4 sections on each half.
on the left side of the paper, going from left to right, title the four boxes:
resolution
stasis
trigger
quest
now flip your paper around. going left to right (so starting with the box opposite your quest box), title the other four boxes:
bolt
shift
defeat
power
if you want to check your set-up, i have a picture of mine in my bujo which you can see here for reference!
the stages:
the stages will be explained in the order that you should plan in. examples of what to write in each stage will be included in the links down below, they can be used as a general template to fill out each stage!
resolution: - the final state of your story! a ceremonious stage, but can be bittersweet, or a cliffhanger if you’re planning for a book in a series (or for a chaotic standalone.) imagine how you want your world and character/s to be once all this is over. write down two ideas for this stage. the resolution is so important for the story! (and if you’re worried about planning your ending first, don’t be! you can always come change it later)
stasis: - the start! the beginning state of your book! you want this to be the opposite of your resolution. really, just invert the ideas you wrote down for you resolution. again, write down one or two ideas for this state.
shift: - this is the next state in your story after the stasis, where your character/world starts to change somewhat. this is a bad state, where problems arise that your characters/world will have to solve or fix in some way to then get to the resolution state. write one or two ideas down for this as well. it’s important to note that this is usually when an internal shift happens with your main character, where they change, so make sure to write an idea around that down.
trigger: - the inciting incident! the event that gets the story going! your character meets that one person, or finds that one object, or finds themselves in a situation that will change them and lead them to start taking actions. write down one idea for this, two if there needs to be.
quest: - this is the main chunk of action in your book! after the inciting incident, plans are made and things start happening, your character sets out on their journey for love, money, fame, achieving their goals, restoring balance to the world, whatever! write down a few ideas for this one, as many ideas as you feel necessary!
power: - the ‘inverse’ of the quest of sorts. this is again more of an internal state, but this is when/how your character finds it within themselves (and/or the world around them) to complete the quest. this is a good shift, a change that will allow your story to reach the resolution. write down a few ideas for this stage.
bolt: - this is the setback in the plans. this stage comes after the quest, so take the ideas you wrote for that stage, and think of how the plans are going to be stalled, set-back or stopped. write a few ideas down for each point you wrote in your quest stage.
defeat: - when all hope is lost. the lowest point of your book. a sacrifice of some kind is usually made at this point, whether it be internal or external or large or small. the worst happens and your characters aren’t sure how to move on... write one or two ideas for this.
scene order:
with the ideas in your stages, you can go ahead and start planning scenes out! this time in a more straightforward order
stasis
trigger
quest
bolt
shift
defeat
power
resolution
this is the order your story will go in! if you’re writing on a loose piece of paper, at the end of the video linked below Eva shows how you can make your paper into an easy to follow booklet!
i think this is such a great approach to outlining and getting ideas flowing! you can make it as simple or as detailed as you like, and you can use any sized paper you wish. definitely look at the links below to get more ideas of how to utilise this method. Eva Deverall also has a one page character planning course, which could be interesting to check out as well! She also has genre-specific plot ideas that fit this outlining method i believe! she definitely has a lot of resources that could be worth checking out. all credit to her for this technique!
@nerdygirl-0 i hope this helps somewhat!
links: one page outline blogpost stage examples spreadsheet one page outline video
