The 60 Index Card Method: How To Outline Your Novel In 3 Simple Steps

Hey there!

Most writers who sit down to write a book for the first time try to write it linearly.

They start with the very first word, and then try to write a second word, and then a third word. And before they’ve even finished writing a complete first sentence, they start critiquing themselves, editing, deleting, “No, no, no, that’s not right,” and starting over.

This is a giant waste of time

It’s sort of like trying to find your way through a forest, in the middle of the night, with nothing but a flashlight. You have no idea where you’re going!

The most prolific writers approach things in reverse.

They start with a birds-eye view, and then each layer takes them deeper and deeper “into the weeds.”

Here’s how it works:

Step 1: Spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about the big idea.

If you don’t know what exactly you’re writing about, you aren’t going to have clarity in your book. Said another way: if you can’t say it in 10 words, you aren’t going to be able to say it in 100, and you certainly won’t be able to say it in 1,000 or 10,000 words.

And in fiction the winning combination to writing compelling a story is to Name your category, then Claim the transformation you are going to reveal to the reader, and write your Logline.

When people say, “You should read Harry Potter,” they aren’t saying, “You should read J.K. Rowling” or “You should read this physical object printed by Bloomsbury Publishing.” What they’re saying is: “You should read this transformation from muggle to wizard.”

If, from the very beginning, you don’t have clarity as to which type of book you’re writing, then what’s going to happen is you’re going to write an entire first chapter, only to get halfway through writing chapter two and realize, “Wait, actually I really want to write about the transformation from cowardice to courage, being a wizard is irrelevant.” and start over. Then, after convincing yourself to start over, you’re going to get halfway through your second write and decide, “Wait, actually I think I want to write about a descent in darkness.”

And on and on this vicious cycle will continue.

Until eventually, you decide “writing a book is hard” and give up altogether.

(But of course it’s hard! You took the hard road!)

So, spend a disproportionate amount of time thinking about the big idea you want to write about, why, and how you will bring your big idea to life.

Step 2: Build a 3-Act structure & generate an outline.

Once you know “what kind” of story you are writing and the transformation journey you are taking on the reader on, then it’s time to generate an outline!

When in doubt, default to using the 3-Act Structure to outline your novel.

3-Act Structure Template

Act 1 – The Setup

• Beat 1: Exposition

• Beat 2: Inciting Incident

• Beat 3: Plot Point 1

Act 2 – Confrontation

• Beat 4: Rising Action

• Beat 5: Midpoint

• Beat 6: Plot Point 2

Act 3 – Resolution

• Beat 7: Pre-Climax

• Beat 8: Climax

• Beat 9: Denouement

You can train ChatGPT to auto-generate the outline based on your Sub-Genre & Plot Archetype for you!

ChatGPT Prompt: 3-Act Outline