The Writing Season Part Three: Formating

Formatting, arranging or organizing is the third step in the Writing Season. The reason it is not first or second is because a writer can not put thoughts or ideas together if they don’t have any. Once the writer has come up with a few great storylines, characters, ideas and plots for their story, it is then time to organize all that they have come up with.At this point the writer will have decided how the story will begin, who is telling the story, (Point-Of-View) what will happen in the story and how it will end. In this stage of writing, the writer will conduct an outline.
An outline or timeline explains what will happen in the story in chronological order.
To create a timeline, the writer would get a notebook. (I would suggest getting a notebook so you will not lose your pages and the order of the events)

The writer would begin with the prologue or start at chapter one.
Side Note: A Prologue is an introductory passage or speech before the main action of a novel, play, or long poem. If a writer has a little something to say or explain before the book begins, the writer would include a prologue. If the writer is telling the story in order but it’s very necessary for the readers to know a little bit of info before the story begins, the writer would include the prologue.

The writer then goes on to tell what will happen in the prologue; what will happen in chapter 1, 2, 3, 4 etc. The timeline or outline must give specific details of what will take place. For example, if the writer is beginning a story about the wife who lost her husband in a tragic accident, the timeline would look like this:

Prologue

Sharon will explain her feelings from the accident. (We’ve already determined the Point-of-View in the story) She will explain how she never thought anything like this would happen to her and her family.

Chapter 1
Sharon tells us how she and her husband met ten years ago. The story starts while she is at work and she meets John as he comes in for an appointment. The chapter will end with Sharon and Johns wedding day.

Chapter 2
Sharon tells us about their earlier years in marriage; about how her parents didn’t get along with John’s parents. She will tell us about the births of their three children.
The outline will continue just like this until the end of the story or epilogue.

Side Note: An Epilogue is a short chapter or section at the end of a literary work, sometimes detailing the fate of its characters. Some writers use epilogues to show a continuation for the present book. Other’s explain what happened after the book was finished. An Epilogue is not necessary, only the writer can determine if it’s needed.

An outline is very important because, as I said before, all writers do not stay in the writing season. Sometimes a writer will not finish a book in one writing season. So if the writer decides to walk away from the story, they can return anytime, picking up where they left off.
In the formatting stage, it’s also important for the writer to do their homework and research. If the writer is writing a story that has a storyline in it that they are not familiar with, the writer needs to research that topic.

I recently wrote a story that had a storyline in it about a girl whose mother was a struggling alcoholic who ended up getting Cirrhosis. I had no idea how this disease came about. I did not know that someone could die from it. So I got on the internet and researched. That way when it came time to write about the disease, I knew what I was talking about.

It’s also good to ask people you know. If you are writing a story about cancer and you know a cancer survivor, ask them about their experience. The one thing reader’s hate reading is a book written by an author that doesn’t know what they are talking about. Do the research.

Stay tuned for Stage Number Four: Pen to Paper
Tips on formatting your story·


It is very important to do an outline.· Determine if your book needs a Prologue or Epilogue· Do your research and homework on your books storyline.· Complete your outline before you complete the book.

Before we end today's blog...

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Signing Off,
Dominique Watson