Table of Contents
An Introduction, a Challenge, and a Warning
PART I: OUTLINING TECHNIQUES & SCENE-WRITING BASICS
CHOOSING YOUR TOOLS: An Outlining Primer
LEARNING TO COMPARTMENTALIZE: Scene by Scene by Scene
PART II: THE 90-DAY NOVEL CHALLENGE
The First Three Weeks: DAYS 1-21 BRAINSTORM, CHART, AND OUTLINE
DAY 1: Ready, Set, Go (With What You Know)
DAY 2: Writing With Your Senses
DAY 3: Letting Your Old Ladies Scream
DAY 6: The Heart of the Heart of Your Novel
DAY 7: Say What?!: Some Tips on Dialogue
DAY 9: POV&V (Point of View and Voice)
DAY 10: Packing Enough Baggage
DAY 12: Making the Most of Minor Characters
DAY 13: Scene or Summary, or, Taking the Dull Parts Out
DAY 14: Act One: The First Cluster of Scenes
DAY 15: Act Two: The Second Cluster of Scenes
DAY 16: Act Three: The Final Cluster of Scenes
DAY 17: Flashing Backward, Looking Forward
DAY 19: Novel Synopsis, the Preblueprint
DAYS 20 & 21: Ladies and Gentlemen … the OUTLINE!
Week Four: DAYS 22-28 FIRST ASSESSMENTS
WEEK 4, ASSIGNMENT 1: Assessing Scene Worth
WEEK 4, ASSIGNMENT 2: Assessing Scene Variety
WEEK 4, ASSIGNMENT 3: Assessing the Narrative Arc
WEEK 4, ASSIGNMENT 4: Researching Your Fictional World
Week Five: DAYS 29-35 WHAT A CHARACTER
WEEK 5, ASSIGNMENT 1: You Are How You Look
WEEK 5, ASSIGNMENT 2: Sharply Particular Characters
WEEK 5, ASSIGNMENT 3: Conducting Background Checks
WEEK 5, ASSIGNMENT 4: Becoming a Mind Reader
WEEK 5, ASSIGNMENT 5: Eyeballing It
Week Six: DAYS 36-42 WHERE IT ALL BEGINS: The First Scene(s)
WEEK 6, ASSIGNMENT 1: The First Lines
WEEK 6, ASSIGNMENT 2: Scene One, Take One
WEEK 6, ASSIGNMENT 3: In the Middle of the Beginning
WEEK 6, ASSIGNMENT 4: The End of the Beginning-or the Start of the End
Week Seven: DAYS 43-49 WELCOME TO THE MIDDLE
WEEK 7, ASSIGNMENT 1: Attention: Minors Served Here
WEEK 7, ASSIGNMENT 2: Set the Mood Lighting
WEEK 7, ASSIGNMENT 3: I Second That Emotion
WEEK 7, ASSIGNMENT 4: A Meditation on Theme
Week Eight: DAYS 50-56 STUCK IN THE MIDDLE WITH YOU
WEEK 8, ASSIGNMENT 1: Lights, Camera, Action!
WEEK 8, ASSIGNMENT 2: Talk It Out
WEEK 8, ASSIGNMENT 3: The Scene Before the Scene
Week Nine: DAYS 57-63 ON THE OTHER SIDE OF A BRIDGE TOO FAR
WEEK 9, ASSIGNMENT 1: Mountaintop Messages
WEEK 9, ASSIGNMENT 2: Adjusting the Picture
Week Ten: DAYS 64-70 SO LONG, FAREWELL
WEEK 10, ASSIGNMENT 1: Bump, Set, Spike … Then What?
WEEK 10, ASSIGNMENT 2: Tying Off Mini-Threads
WEEK 10, ASSIGNMENT 3: Good-Bye Is the Hardest Word
Week Eleven: DAYS 71-77 MIND THE GAPS
WEEK 11, ASSIGNMENT 1: Outline to Novel to Outline
WEEK 11, ASSIGNMENT 2: Between the Scene
Week Twelve: DAYS 78-84 QUICK STARTS, GRAND FINALES, AND UNIVERSAL MESSAGES
WEEK 12, ASSIGNMENT 1: In the Beginning (Again)
WEEK 12, ASSIGNMENT 2: The Riveting Reflective Finale
WEEK 12, ASSIGNMENT 3: Theme Me Up, Scotty
The Homestretch: DAYS 85-90 CLEANING UP YOUR ACTS
THE HOMESTRETCH, ASSIGNMENT 1: Your First Job as Editor: Judging a Book by its Cover
THE HOMESTRETCH, ASSIGNMENT 2: The Final Read-Through and a Self-Editing Checklist
THE HOMESTRETCH, ASSIGNMENT 3: Finding Your Critics, or, “Just Say No” to Relatives as Final Readers