Plot Clinic Outline

By Holly Lisle

I needed a break from reading my own squished, squiggled, handwriting doing type-in on The Ruby Key, so I took about half an hour and outlined the plot clinic. I know this isn’t going to make huge amounts of sense in this form. Each outline entry below, though, will have explanations, an example, and an exercise, and in the process we’ll go through, I’ll create a plot from scratch, and so will you.

I’ll deal with each of the three times that you’re plotting: before you write, while you’re writing, and while you’re revising. And I’ll deal with every tool I use while plotting—at least those that I can remember. I’ve written a lot of books, and I might have tried something back in the early years that I dropped along the way.

Anyway, here’s the first draft of the outline:

Plot Clinic Outline—Draft One

Program I’m using to write this is Scrivener. It’s also the program I’m using to revise The Ruby Key. Wrote The Ruby Key using WriteItNow. Will review the Scrivener software when I’m done with the work. And thanks to Kevin, who created the software, I have one free copy of Scrivener to give away. We’ll have a contest or a drawing for that after I’ve finished revisions and income taxes.

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