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Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) by [K.M. Weiland]

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K. M. Weiland

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success (Helping Writers Become Authors Book 1) Kindle Edition

by K.M. Weiland (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

1,632 ratings

Book 1 of 9: Helping Writers Become Authors

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Can Outlining Help You Write a Better Story?

Writers often look upon outlines with fear and trembling. But when properly understood and correctly wielded, the outline is one of the most powerful weapons in a writer’s arsenal.

Outlining Your Novel: Map Your Way to Success will:

•Help you choose the right type of outline for you
•Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
•Aid you in discovering your characters
•Show you how to structure your scenes
•Explain how to format your finished outline
•Instruct you in how to use your outline
•Reveal the benefits
•Dispel the misconceptions

Includes exclusive interviews with ten respected authors, answering important questions about outlining.

Outlining can organize your writing and help you take your stories to the next level. Find out how!

Print length

167 pages
Language

English
Publication date

November 28, 2013
File size

1538 KB
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the internationally published author of the Amazon bestsellers Outlining Your Novel and Structuring Your Novel, as well as the western A Man Called Outlaw, the medieval epic Behold the Dawn, and the epic fantasy Dreamlander. When she's not making things up, she's busy mentoring other authors on her site helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com. She makes her home in western Nebraska. Find out more about her fiction at kmweiland.com. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005NAUKAC
Publisher ‏ : ‎ PenForASword Publishing (November 28, 2013)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 28, 2013
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1538 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 167 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #107,781 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #85 in Writing Skill Reference (Kindle Store)
- #250 in Writing Skill Reference (Books)
- #336 in Fiction Writing Reference (Books)

Customer Reviews:
1,632 ratings

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K.M. Weiland

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K.M. Weiland lives in make-believe worlds, talks to imaginary friends, and survives primarily on chocolate truffles and espresso. She is the award-winning and internationally published author of the acclaimed writing guides Outlining Your Novel, Structuring Your Novel, and Creating Character Arcs. Her fiction includes the gaslamp fantasy Wayfarer, the historical/dieselpunk adventure Storming, the portal fantasy Dreamlander, and the medieval epic Behold the Dawn. When she’s not making things up, she’s busy mentoring other authors on her award-winning blog Helping Writers Become Authors.

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5 star		75%
4 star		17%
3 star		6%
2 star		2%
1 star		2%

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Top reviews from the United States

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MystElf

Good but not what I expected from the title

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2018

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This is the 2nd KM Weiland writing book I've read. Structuring your novel was the 1st and it was great. Really walked me through plot structure then explained scene, sequel and mrus in a way that I could grasp how to use, adhere to, them to strengthen my novel.
So when I picked up this book I was expecting to see the logic of how to outline a novel to get that structure sorted for Your what if story idea.
I didn't get that.
Instead I got a regurgitation of this is how to develop your what if into something that can maybe, possibly, work as a novel. So I'd say this book is more about idea development and less about developing a real road map or a how to get from point a to b without falling asleep at the wheel.
The material in the book isn't bad. It's really good and imho something novelists should be aware of so they can work smarter not harder.
But it wasn't what I would describe as a "how to outline" your novel kind of book but more of a... how to brainstorm and develop a plausible idea into something bigger... that you might be able to write smarter not harder.

81 people found this helpful

Helpful

A MUST READ FOR THE STRUGGLING WRITER

Reviewed in the United States on February 5, 2015

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My writing journey has been a slow one. My life is full, and I'm in a busy season of my life. Still, the desire to write is constantly present.

Once I made the outrageous decision to write a novel, I picked up a copy of Stephen King's, On Writing. Though it inspired me to dive in, it failed to give me concrete structure; hence, I became a seat-of-the-pants writer. I've gain knowledge along the way, perfecting my craft as I go from published and unpublished authors, the internet, classes, workshops, books on writing, and from reading others work. If there is one thing that can be said about writers it is that many have a strong opinion of whether one should be a pantser (Seat-of-the-pants-writer) or a plotter (An outliner).

I plunged full force into writing, though a bit unsure, content in my approach. Over time, the words of outliners began to sink in. Then I hit a brick wall. I realized my writing was missing something, and if I were not mistaking, it meant I needed to change my approach to staring a novel. I began to add different methods such as characterization and goal, motivation, and conflict charts. Still my stories lacked.

Convinced that I needed to make some serious changes, I gave in to the idea that I needed to do some major legwork before beginning a story. When I spotted OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL: MAP YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS by K.M. WEILAND, I read the reviews and pondered the thought of purchasing it. Did I really want to become an outliner? Could I even do it?

Something I have learned over time is the variations of the words pantsers and plotters. It is not an all or nothing approach, or one-size-fits-all. One of the things that drew me to MS WEILAND'S book on outlining is her attitude of the two approaches. She neither overly praised one or badmouthed the other. It was all about finding the unique formula fit for you.

My copy of OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL: MAP YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS is packed with handwritten notes, highlights and dog-eared pages. It is truly a wealth of information and an eye-opening experience. You know a book is worth every penny when you have a light bulb moment.

With too many examples to list, I will note the simplicity and examples MS WEILAND chose in OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL: MAP YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS was instrumental in creating a book on the craft that will influence my writing forever. The book is written in a way that will have you looking forward to reading it each day, completing it from cover to cover.

To be honest, I was on the fence whether to purchase this book, having several books I've read on the craft of writing, as well as waiting to be read on my shelf. I am certainly glad I listened to the five star and not one star, reviews. I would not label this book for "new writers", but for struggling writers, which can be at any point of one's journey.

So impressed was I with MS WEILAND'S knowledge on writing and her style in OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL: MAP YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS , I purchased a couple of her novels.

Information on OUTLINING YOUR NOVEL: MAP YOUR WAY TO SUCCESS:

* Help you choose the right type of outline for you
* Guide you in brainstorming plot ideas
* Aid you in discovering your characters
* Show you how to structure your scenes
* Explain how to format your finished outline
* Instruct you in how to use your outline

Reveal the benefits:

* Ensures cohesion and balance
* Prevents dead-end ideas
* Provides foreshadowing
* Offers assurance and motivation

Dispel misconceptions:

* Requires formal formatting
* Limits creativity
* Robs the joy of discovery
* Takes too much time

87 people found this helpful

Helpful

T. Youngjohn

Inspirational, street savvy, get ahold of a copy

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2015

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I tried writing a review before, and Amazon wouldn't publish it because it was too short. I had simply called the book inspirational and had commanded BUY IT! Clearly I was remiss. I should have indicated why it was inspirational and why it should be purchased. You see, I wrote a novel, once, finished the second draft some ten years ago. I had written the first 75 odd pages, and I do mean odd, by "pantsing" a term you'll learn if you do yourself a favor and purchase this profound little bit of wisdom. But I had never had an ending planned. I had probably written over 50 pages, maybe 60, before I realized my dilemma. I started churning out endings, one after another in my mind, but none of them stuck. Then discovering this setback, I made a decision any decent author has probably avoided making many times, I decided to set it aside. Years went by. Then an art teacher from Georgia got a hold of the first 70 or so pages and told me something she probably should not have. She said I should finish it. She implied that she liked it. And so did another online friend, Anyway, to make a long story short, I came up with an ending that stuck, and I wrote my way out of a corner. I finished the second draft ten years ago. Problem was, I hadn't had K.M. Weiland's book. Now I do. Thank G-d. You should too. Maybe one day I'll get to a third draft of that original "work in progress," but, for now, I've got K.M. Weiland and a dream for another novel. Nothing will make you feel more fully human than outlining your own novel. Take my advice. Buy the book.

24 people found this helpful

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ItChanges

Most Useful of the Bunch

Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2012

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I taught line-of-action writing (for playwrights and screenwriters) on campus for twenty-seven years. When I moved from scripts to novels, I continued to use that line-of-action process. But scriptwriting just isn't the same, so I started reading about novel writing. I've read them all, from James Scott Bell's excellent books to ninety-nine cent ebooks full of hints and tips. But with my current project, I was still stuck. Things weren't fitting together.

I admit I bought Outlining Your Novel on Kindle, read a couple of chapters, and returned it. Why did I need an outline when I already used a line-of-action? But bits of what I'd read kept sneaking back into my mind, so I re-Kindled the book and read it all the way through. Things are so much clearer now; I actually know what I'm doing for the first time in a couple of months. And the book proved so useful, I ordered a hard copy so I could brightline and circle key points.

Please trust that I've got two shelves and a Kindle packed with books on how to write a novel, and that this one is the one I keep beside me, open, when I'm writing. It's the most profoundly useful of all those I've read. My thanks to the author.

80 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

The Reading Room

An Introduction to Outlining

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2018

Verified Purchase

An interesting introduction to one method of outlining, but didn’t work well for me in the kindle format – 3 stars

Firstly, I’ll get the negatives I found out of the way: In the main, this was due to the Kindle format just not lending this book to easy reference usage. There are no page numbers, and this led to me using multiple bookmarks. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this a satisfactory way of skipping to various sections to assimilate salient points.

I also have to say that I didn’t find the overall structure of the book particularly helpful. Interspersed throughout were comments from various authors on their approach to outlining, and, while these did offer-up fresh ideas, I felt they interrupted the flow of the main content.

There are plenty of positives though: This book is ideal for anyone looking to get started on novel writing for the first time. The content is presented gradually, in very simple language, and has plenty of examples of how Weiland uses the techniques she discusses in her own books.

It also explained the basic requirements of character arcs, time-frames, the importance of location, and provided some useful hints on how to keep track of and balance content. In addition, it makes suggestions for writing programs that any budding author might find useful.

Overall, this was a book that I wanted to get the most from, and I have since purchased a paperback copy. This I find much more useful as I can make notations in the margins which help me tie-up with other sections/pages. Plus, it’s a lot easier to navigate to a particular section that I might want to review.

12 people found this helpful

Annie

A gem of inspiration

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2019

Verified Purchase

I've been a pantser through three novels; I loved getting lost in the writing, but they are not finished. So I decided to bite on the bullet and turn my mind to outlining first which I have found very difficult in the past.
Working through Outlining Your Novel, in conjunction with its companion workbook, gave me an excited, stimulated mental environment, asked me all the best questions as if I had a coach at my elbow, and I conjured a structure for a trilogy from an initially very misty idea.

Onward with filling them out with the research and words I love, and perhaps I've learnt enough to finish the other three, too??

6 people found this helpful

Andrew

A must-read for any writer

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 20, 2020

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I loved reading this book! It was jam-packed with insightful information, tips and exercises, all of which were brilliantly explained in a light, not-too-serious way. I would highly recommend it to any writer, whether you're just starting your first novel or you've already published half a dozen. I'm just about to use all I've learnt to write my new novel — hopefully it'll be a successful journey and the car won't end up abandoned and upside down on the side of the road!

4 people found this helpful

Colin Braidford

A must have for writers

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 15, 2019

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As a confirmed 'pantser' for many years, and with many unfinished novels as a result, I thought it was time to give outlining a go and I couldn't have picked a better book. It's clear and concise while still being an entertaining read. I read it through in one sitting to start with and have now followed it through step by step. K M Weiland is a great guide and her encouragement and expertise shine through. Thoroughly recommended to writers of all levels of experience.

3 people found this helpful

daisycow

An outline for outlining and then you can start writing!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 13, 2012

Verified Purchase

I had rather reluctantly come round to the idea that outlining was a necessity, having previously held the view that the rather more glamorous seat of the pants style of writing seemed more fun and less work. But I just seemed to be going round in circles and not making any progress.
I had read several outlining books, none of which had inspired me, but the price and the blurb on this one did, adn did the Kindle format. But once downloaded the Table of Contents rather dismayed me by its comprehensivenes, as did the author's forecast of at least three month's of planning the outline. Three months just outlining?
However once I got stuck into it the book is quite easy reading, broken down into logical chapters and sections.
There is good advice on every section of the book and on such areas as characterization and plot.
There is room for you to plot as tightly as you wish - or to leave some room for characters to develop as you write.
It is all clearly laid out, along with clear arguments as to why you should outline rather than not.
There are many interviews from authors with their reasons for plotting.
I would stroingly recommend the book and the author's model for outlining, and I am currently using it myself to re-write my old manuscript in outline form.

25 people found this helpful

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