Boiling Story Down to the Bare Bones

I saw this breakdown recently in giving guidance for how to put a logline together. Then as I looked at this, it really made me feel like this is a good guide for help to pull a story together and ask the right questions up front. It isn't too big of a checklist. It is compact to the point and gets you thinking in the right direction.


WHO
Who is it about?
(two or three words that describe main character in a way that is relevant to this story.)
Something descriptive of who main character is, in the context of this story. For example: "Young Woman" is far too generic.

GOAL
What is the goal?
(something SPECIFIC that we can identify and understand)
For example: Something more specific, then just "seeking a better life". Nearly everyone seeks (or at least wants) a better life.
What does the main character spend the majority of the movie doing?

PROBLEM
What stands in his way?
(something SPECIFIC that we can identify and understand)
What actively prevents the main character from attaining the goal?

STAKES
What happens if he fails?
(something SPECIFIC that we can identify and understand)

Tools for Outlining Your Stories

Here are some cool tools to use for getting started in outlining your stories

1. Creative Writing Now - Outline for Novel
2. Workflowy
3. Scrivner

Here is a great article for leveraging some other known tools for the outline process: Tools to Outline Your Novel: NaNoWriMo Tip #9

Getting a Story Started

Here are some great places to guide the inner voice to get a story going

• Outline your Novel In 30 MinutesA quick exercise designed to sketch out the major events of a novel, only giving a map-- you have to make the drive yourself!
• How to Make a Novel OutlineEasy novel outline techniques to plan a book step by step, along with worksheets for planning characters and scenes, and links to related pages on how to write a novel.
• Outlining Your Novel: Why and HowOutlining is a matter of dispute among writers, but if you are just starting out – what is outlining, why should you do it and how do you do it.

And to help support the creative process here is a great parable:
Climbing Mt.Story: How to Survive the Creative Journey