Planning can be the most challenging but also the most crucial part of writing. Below are a few tips and exercises to get you started! Remember, planning isn’t about having everything figured out. It’s about asking good questions before you start writing. Plans can change, and in fact, they should.
Every story starts with a spark, but strong stories grow from a clear core.
Before you think about chapters or scenes, spend time understanding what your story is really exploring.
Exercises
In one sentence, describe what happens in your story.
In one sentence, describe what your story is actually about underneath the plot. (what is your theme?)
What should your reader think/feel after reading it?
What question does your story ask the reader? (There doesn’t need to be a clear answer.)
If your answer feels vague, that’s okay. Clarity often comes from writing, not before it. This is about direction, not certainty.
Tip
If you’re stuck, think about something that frustrates, scares, or interests you in the real world. Stories often begin there.
Plot doesn’t move stories forward. Characters do.
A well-planned character will naturally create conflict, choices, and change without you forcing it.
Exercises
What does your main character want more than anything?
What are they afraid of losing?
What belief do they have about the world that might be wrong?
What is one weakness that gets them into trouble?
Now look ahead:
How might this character be different by the end of the story?
What lesson might they learn, or refuse to learn?
Tip
If your character never struggles internally, the story will feel flat. Growth can be slow, messy, or incomplete.
Your setting is not just where the story happens. It shapes how the story works.
This is especially important in dystopian, sci-fi, fantasy, and historical fiction, but it matters in realistic stories too.
Exercises
What are three rules of your world? (These can be written or unwritten, like social norms)
Which rule is the most unfair? (Maybe this is the conflict in your story)
Who has power in this world and who doesn’t?
How does your world make life harder for your main character?
Optional challenge:
What happens if someone breaks one of these rules?
Tip
Only plan what affects your characters. If it never impacts the story, you don’t need it yet.
You don’t need a detailed outline to tell a strong story. You need meaningful moments.
Focus on turning points instead of chapters.
Exercises
Write one or two sentences for each:
Where does your story begin, and why does it start there?
What moment disrupts your character’s normal life?
What is the biggest obstacle they face?
What is the lowest point, when everything feels lost?
What choice determines how the story ends?
If you’re unsure about the ending, make an educated guess. A flexible plan is better than no plan.
Tip
Stories are built on decisions. If your character never has to choose, raise the stakes.
A theme is not a message you force into the story. It’s what naturally emerges from the choices your characters make.
This is where your story gains depth.
Exercises
What topics keep showing up in your story? (Power, identity, freedom, loyalty, fear, technology, inequality, etc.)
Which character actions support these ideas?
Which actions challenge them?
Reflection:
What do you want the reader to think about after the final page?
What do you not want to explain directly? (Showing and not telling is key)
Tip
Trust your reader. Showing is almost always stronger than explaining.
Planning should help you write, not stop you from writing.
You don’t need to plan the whole book before you begin. You only need enough clarity to start.
Exercises
What do you need to know before writing chapter one?
Where does the story open?
What problem is already present?
Choose one planning method:
Bullet outline
Mind map
Timeline
Writing the ending first
Writing a scene that excites you most
Tip
Your plan is allowed to change. Many of the best ideas arrive once you’re already writing.
Progress matters more than perfection. You are not tied down to these ideas.