Guest Author - Michelle Anne Cope

Ready, Get Set, Let’s Keep Going!
We have our skeleton outline for our book. Now what do we do? It’s time to take our book jacket blurb and plug our main ideas under our chapter titles. Let’s review what we have for our hypothetical story.

The Real Reason Pencils Are Yellow
~Introduction of Main Character and Beginning of Story:
Kara Kelleher collects pencils. Her pastel collection is still unsharpened in a flowered rose-pink case. A big math test almost makes Kara break into the collection until she spots a yellow pencil on the floor. Who knew the mayhem a lost pencil could start. Suddenly, pencil-written notes signed by Kara are appearing everywhere.

~The Middle, Plot Conflict and Movement:
Her mom gets a note that Kara would be more than glad to babysit the night of Emma’s big party.

Her dad gets a note that Kara wants to wash the car during Saturday’s important football game.

Emma gets a note that Kara would rather study than have a sleepover.

The cute boy in Kara’s English class gets a note that Kara thinks he’s weird.

The sort of cute boy in Kara’s social studies class gets a note that Kara wants to be his project partner.

The worst note goes to Kara’s math teacher. It says that Kara cheated on the test!

~Plot Conflicts to Resolution:
Pencils don’t write by themselves, but Kara is starting to have doubts. What other explanation is there for the mysterious notes?

Filling in the Blanks
We have 10 chapter titles for our outline; please feel free to add more chapters if you need them. This outline is just a tool to help us in our writing process and nothing we have to send to an editor.

The first chapter is definitely a beginning/introduction chapter. After that, we need chapters that have conflict and chapters that provide movement for the story. The final chapter is resolution.

Wait! We don’t have everything completely figured out. Is that okay? Yes, it’s fine. We’re using this outline as a guide for what we need to write, change, and add. Allow yourself this space to freak out if you find yourself without a concrete resolution. You’ll see what I did.

One more thing – I like to use questions under my chapter titles to jog my writing muse. And . . . I give myself permission to go back later and shuffle things around or add more questions.

1. Needed: One Sharpened Pencil
Introduction of Main Character and Beginning of Story
Who is Kara?
Why does Kara collect pencils?
Why does Kara need a pencil?
What pencil does Kara use?

2. The First Note
Conflict: Her mom gets a note that Kara would be more than glad to babysit the night of Emma’s big party.
Why is Emma having a party?
Why is the party important to Kara?
Where does Kara’s mom find the note?
Who would Kara babysit?
Why is it important to Kara’s mom to have a babysitter?
What does Kara do?

3. A Cute Boy
Movement: There is a cute boy in Kara’s English class that she wants to meet.
What is the boy’s name?
What does he look like?
What does Kara like about him?
What does Kara do to meet him?

4. The Second Note
Conflict: Her dad gets a note that Kara wants to wash the car during Saturday’s important football game.
Why is the big game important?
Why does Kara want to go?
Why does her dad need the car washed on Saturday? Why can’t it wait until Sunday?
What does Kara do?

5. A Sort of Cute Boy
Movement: A boy from Kara’s social studies class comes over while Kara is washing the car.
What is the boy’s name?
What does he look like?
What does Kara like about him?
What doesn’t Kara like about him?
Does he help Kara wash the car?

6. Another Note
Conflict: Emma gets a note that Kara would rather study than have a sleepover.
When and where does Emma get the note?
What does the note say?
What does Kara do?

7. Emma Pouts
Movement: Emma is mad that Kara wants to study.
Does Emma think the note is really from Kara?
Did Kara write the note?
Did Emma write the note?
Do they have the sleepover?

8. Two More Notes
Conflict: The cute boy in Kara’s English class gets a note that Kara thinks he’s weird. The sort of cute boy in Kara’s social studies class gets a note that Kara wants to be his project partner.
Where do the boys find the notes?
What do the notes say?
What do the boys say?
What does Kara say?
What does Kara do?

9. The Worst Note of All
Conflict: The worst note goes to Kara’s math teacher. It says that Kara cheated on the test!
Where does the teacher find the note?
What does it say?
What does the teacher say?
What does Kara say?
What happens to Kara?

10. Wanted: One Ink Pen
Resolution: Pencils don’t write by themselves. What other explanation is there for the mysterious notes?
Guess what! I don’t know! I’m in a panic. Yikes, I really don’t know how I want to end this story. Well, I kind of know. I mean, I think that maybe one of the boys is writing the notes. Which one? I could have someone else write them, but I didn’t introduce someone else as a character and now what!!!!! How can I fit an ink pen in this resolution? Should I stop writing?

No way! I have an outline and I have ideas and characters and conflicts and movement. Most important, I’m a writer! The challenge is on.

*I hope this helps you with your own outline. Everyone has their own style; this is the way that works for me. Let me know if you try it.

Write, Read, Outline, Read, and Write More!
Chel