Your antagonist will likely be another character that lives in your story’s world, but they could also be anything from a raging dragon to a great white whale, or even part of your protagonist’s own mind.

we’ll be working through an intensive method designed to help you break through writer’s block no matter when you face it.

it’s likely that a large chunk of your timeline will match up closely with the Three Act Structure already, only needing small changes to existing scenes. Still, you’ll inevitably find that some of these plot points don’t have a corresponding scene at all. This means you’ll need to introduce new blank cards to your timeline, both to fulfill various

the time you’re done reviewing your draft outline, you want to be completely comfortable with the story you’ve created. Once you are, it’s finally time for your Master Outline to take shape.

each scene you write should have a clear goal in mind. This will usually be a goal personal to your protagonist, since they’re the focal point of your story, but it may also be one of their allies’ goals or a goal given to them by another character. Regardless of its origins, this goal defines every other element of its scene, and will likely

You see, not only is writing a novel intimidating, but it’s complex. Your story will dictate how you create your characters, but without characters to live and act in your story, how do you know how the journey begins? Worse still, you may know exactly what needs to happen in your novel, but you’re at a loss for ideas on how to make it happen.

Act 2 (Confrontation): Act 2 forms the bulk of your story, around 50%. All the adventures, twists, and turns happen here, giving you time to flesh out your characters, backstories, and settings. Most importantly, Act 2 contains a major turning point where your protagonist shifts from reacting to the conflict to actively trying to resolve it thanks

The First Plot Point: This is the moment your story really begins, and it’s also when Act 1 ends. Your protagonist has spent Act 1 learning about the conflict they’re about to face, and here they’ll finally become fully involved in the events of your story thanks to a pivotal decision they’ll make.

While your protagonist will always have an arc of some kind, the characters around them don’t have to. Yet, many of them may be perfect fits for having rich, intriguing arcs.