how I brainstorm + outline my books 🧠 (updated)

[@laurenct]

brainstorming is so hard for me lol 😭 because often the ideas i start out with are theme and/or abstract large-scale world conflicts. those ideas are very conceptual so it can be a struggle to ground them to a well-rounded plot. it makes for a lot of self-doubt in my capabilities to draft up a “book-worthy” project 😅 ultimately, i try to envision a beginning, middle, and end. i NEED to know where a story is going to go before i write it! so i get your outlining steps lol. i used to be a pantser and never finished my stories.

[@sincerelyvee]

what would us writers do without our notes app?😩🥰 the mirror board looks so helpful, i've never seen that before! loved this so much

[@AdamFishkin]

Embracing the chaos is wonderful! Roping up ideas until you have enough to turn them into a fleshed-out story is actually the outlining approach that seems to work the best. Maybe because it's less checking boxes and more connecting the dots ... which brings me joy because I get closer to having the plot figured out BEFORE writing it. Beat sheets, on the other hand, have a weird effect on my writing process. I had to break myself from that step because for some reason it would always trigger my procrastination, knowing I could finish a chapter later since all the beats were written down ... then resuming the work and realizing I'd forgotten the nuance and special details I intended to put behind those beats. For me, the regular scene outline suffices. For me the characters always come first. Especially in theatre, you as a playwright have to know you're creating characters that can feasibly be performed by a human being. So you "cast" the roles in your head: figuring out the size of the cast so you're not spreading yourself thin; figuring out how to orchestrate the characters against each other and find relationships that generate top-notch drama and/or comedy. Quote-unquote "likability" is also very dependent on context. As a rule of thumb you're going to place the major characters in a variety of situations, and not all of those situations will cast them in a good light unless you're writing a saint. Just as they won't always be framed as flaming trash unless you're writing Harvey Weinstein.

[@everythingexploration707]

My process for the book I'm writing right now consists of me drafting and brainstorming as I go. I have a revolving outline and as I get more solid ideas on plot events and emotional beats I'll add them to my outline, which is separates into arcs with each arc having a few plot beats that span over a few chapters. Like about 1-4 chapters, although how many chapters I'll actually have by the end I don't really know. But for any plot beats I know will have a lot of chapters I like to start with 4 chapters that follow the 4 act structure (the western and japanese one) this has really help me get a sense of pacing. I'm also editing my book as I'm writing so I actually have two drafts: a 0 draft where I'm writing my ideaa down for the very first time and a Draft 1 where I go over wheat ive written and revise it, fleshing out the ideas and dialogue better. Still a mess but I find going back to edit what ive written helps inform me on what to write next or what to write in between my 'main' scenes in the chapter. I'm still working on the book and your video was defintely helpful in giving me some new ideas on how I want to brainstorm. Great video Kris!

[@diagram_girl]

So far this is the most helpful video I've encountered on the development/pre-writing part of writing a novel. I've been trying to discovery write and ran into so many issues with my stories. Watching this video helped me understand how the planning can expand the creative work of writing rather than constricting it (as I felt when I previously tried to adhere to a strictly structured beat sheet). I replay parts of this video a lot during the planning phase now. Thank you for sharing in such detail!

[@PsychOnlineAldrian]

As a newish/ discovery writer, I'm always looking to try new practices. Of all the good stuff you shared, I'll definitely be making a brain dump document. Thank you, Kris MF for being thorough and gracious about sharing your process!

[@Evybooks]

I love that you're restarting to write ''Nightward'' again!

[@kelleyiswriting]

KRIS I AM SO IMPRESSED. I do NONE of this before I start drafting hahahah oMGGG lmao I'm laughing so hard. I find that I do something *similar* to these steps after the zero draft/first draft! I love hearing you talk about your process!! I can hear you talk about writing all dayyyyy

[@KrisMF]

the zero draft is sooo important for discovery writers!! i wish i could jump head first into my books but so far, im too intimidated hahaha

[@andesears]

Your idea of having a chapter be structured with a beginning, middle, and end is so helpful! This video was so great! I love hearing the process of other writers. With my very first manuscript, I outlined in a ton of detail and it basically flopped because I left no room for my brain to be creative or get to know the characters as I wrote. Whereas with my second manuscript (my current WIP), I outlined a very loose structure of the overall story arch/conflict and have basically pantsed the chapter by chapter movement of the book from there. For some reason, that method has worked wayyyy smoother for me!

[@indigo92099]

Wow, this is perfect timing. I want to plan a book until uni starts again and I'm looking for inspiration how to start!

[@ByJasmineDayton]

Not me clicking this video knowing *full well* I have never properly plotted a book in my life. Big time panser over here but I want to leeeeeeeeearn.

[@KrisMF]

hahaha I hope any of it is helpful! :’) thanks for watching!

[@lynndjung]

Fantastic video as always Kris!! I love your writing craft chats, they refill my creative well so effectively

[@KrisMF]

thanks Lynn 🥰 !! your craft video are my favourite 😭🫶🫶

[@alexlm161]

I just came across your channel and I'm so glad I did! I've been really struggling with sorting through my ideas and deciding which to keep, but this video is really helpful!

[@TrinitysFantasyWriting]

Oh you are so knowledgeable! I literally never comment on KZbin videos like this is my first one EVER lol. I’m so glad I found your channel, you seem like a good person! And I was taking notes this whole video, so excited to put them to use! Thank you.

[@Lara_Ameen]

I am a pantser for novels, novellas, and short stories, but I outline my screenplays (pilots)-well, some of them! 😂 But this is such an interesting process! I also have a brain dump document. For my current fantasy novel I’m revising and the horror novel I’m drafting, I’ve adapted the story from two pilots I’ve written, so I guess you can say the pilot is a partial outline and that really helps. Then I just write some ideas of where I think the plot should go next (past the pilot). I love learning about other writers’ processes, though! Thank you, Kris! 💜

[@ruthmorgan2098]

Loved this video, especially since i'm planning to jump back into a wip i'd put on hiatus❤

[@curiositystoryer]

I love your process!

[@astoldbydiamond]

I'm currently outlining a fantasy book, and this video makes me feel good about the steps I've taken so far! I've been questioning if I'm "doing it right" even though I know there truly is no right/wrong way. Still feels good to have my brain process validated lol Loooooove your videos 🖤Would love to see any advice you have on worldbuilding for fantasy!

[@girlypopgay]

As a writer, and about the process of writing, there is so much I cannot explain. Personally. I can’t even begin to explain it at all. 😅

[@mettabel8097]

Wow perfect timing. Thank you so much for the video, I really needed it ❤

[@wordcharm2649]

Can you do a video on how you transfer your notes to a mirror board? I was trying to visualize it but really couldn't. I understand what you mean about notes always feeling very linear, and I have my own ways of trying to overcome this but I never considered using a story map of some kind. Would be very interested to learn more about this method.

[@yasmin-uk4gt]

thank you for sharing your process, it definitely makes me want to refine mine ❤

[@readingwritingrhayne]

Great video, we do a lot of the same things. I would be nowhere without my notes app. I have no less than 10 working outlines/brain dumps going right now.

[@punkrockghostie]

your lawful plotting is to my chaotic "just go for it"

[@punkrockghostie]

no but i use to be a plotter like you and turns out that didn't work out for me, so doing the whole pants-ing thing really helped as it felt like i was 'unearthening' the story the further i went along

[@nessa8071]

Can you make a video on how you find the theme for a story? I want to try digging deeper and fleshing out my characters with it but don’t know where to start

[@carolinesromancereads]

I was wondering if I could ask your advice about something. So, I'm currently writing an adult fantasy romance enemies to lovers story and I am SO stuck, I haven't written anything for it in months. It's 88,000 words and I already know I need to cut things out before I start writing anything new for it again. I also really want to send it to my friend who's really excited to read it. I just don't know what to do with the story, I thought about maybe revising it but I really like a lot of the banter and specific lines I already have in the story, and I'm pretty satisfied with the whole plot, but I just don't know where to go from here. I don't outline and I write out of order, so almost the whole book has gaps in between scenes. This is definitely my favorite story I have ever written and I absolutely love these characters, I can't forget about the story altogether and I really hope to get it finished and published one day. What should I do?

[@KrisMF]

It’s tough to diagnose a roadblock without the full context so not sure I can offer anything too specific unfortunately! I do think that if a writer loves a story enough, any book is salvageable with enough patience and effort. that said, there’s a phrase a lot of writers learn called “kill your darlings.” it basically means that a lot of writers get attached to specific lines or scenes and will hold onto those lines even if the wider story isn’t working. this can really hinder revision if you aren’t able to look at the “big picture” of your narrative and are instead bending the story to accommodate your “darlings.” not saying that’s your issue here since I don’t know your work! but just something to think about. if you’re keen on actually finishing the project, it might help to step back and brainstorm a full plot so that you can fill in those gaps. if you’re not sure where to start on a plot level, you can think about it from a character perspective-what do you like about your characters, who are they at the start of the book and how do you want them to change by the end of it? it might help with kickstarting your brainstorming process. but overall I’d say don’t be afraid of revision-it’s super tough, but a necessary writing skill and once you get comfortable with it, your stories will come out better than you thought possible!

[@girlypopgay]

I did not know she was on KZbin but I was subscribed so good job past me ☺️

[@anandavalle6378]

I really enjoy your videos ❤

[@nicolesrose821]

Hey Kris! I’m writing my first book right now and I have a pretty solid plot but I have no idea what to do for the chuck of time in the mid-plot. Do you have any recommendations on how to fill it?

[@mightypensword]

Hi, can you tell me what web method program you like? thanks!

[@graysonsbookmark]

this made me want to start a new book and i don't even have a new idea yet lol

[@aislingmp333]

im confused. what is the web method? does it use a certain writing software? i dont get it :((

[@girlypopgay]

As a pantser, I guess, I assume, I have one massive brain dump. Beginning to end, then get onto a new document and start chapter one, never once looking back at the brain dump. And that’s…a process. A part of the process. I think it works. For me.

[@EmmaBennetAuthor]

Your brainstorming is much more organised than mine lol

[@girlypopgay]

Does anyone else, working on wips, ever suddenly realize you haven’t had a real fat thick fully-developed idea in like four years (since major wips/books began)??? Cos sometimes I think about that.

[@BIPPITYYIPYIP]

Stephen King's "Thinner" is a good example of a 'one idea' book. Careful, though; some real occult in there.