Outline my novel chapter by chapter
A chapter-by-chapter outline with clear turning points, rising stakes, and character change, flexible enough to change while drafting.
The prompt
Help me outline my novel. This is step 2 of writing my novel.
Premise (from step 1, if I have it): [PASTE]
Main characters: [names, what they want, what they fear]
Ending: [what I know, or "not sure"]
Scenes I already have in mind: [LIST]
How I like to plan: [detailed outline / loose signposts]
Target length: [WORD COUNT or number of chapters]
Do this:
1. Map the big turning points first: opening image, inciting incident, the point of no return around 25%, a midpoint shift, a low point around 75%, climax, and resolution. Use my genre's expectations, but don't force a formula if my story works differently.
2. Then break it into chapters. For each: Chapter | Point of view | What happens | What the character wants in this chapter | What changes by the end | How it raises the stakes or creates a question.
3. Track the protagonist's inner change across the book alongside the plot.
4. Track subplots and make sure each one connects to the main story and is resolved.
5. Flag weak spots: a sagging middle, chapters where nothing changes, a climax the protagonist doesn't drive, or coincidences that solve problems.
Return: the turning points, the chapter table, a subplot tracker, and the weak spots with fixes. Keep it - next I'll build a story bible so the details stay consistent while I draft.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Creative Writing prompts
What to fill in
- PASTE
- names, what they want, what they fear
- what I know, or "not sure"
- LIST
- detailed outline / loose signposts
- WORD COUNT or number of chapters
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the RTF structure (Role, Task, Format). RTF tells the model who to be, what to do and what shape the answer should take. It is the quickest structure that still gives noticeably better results than a bare request.
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