Thread by @aidenschmaiden

IT'S TIME FOR PART 2, Y'ALL! OUTLINING!

here's some tips and resources!

"but aiden i already have an outline" mi gente, these will even help fine tune what you've already got! (#PitchWars 👀👀👀)

"IM A PANSTER" LISTEN, YOU FERAL WRITERS, THESE CAN EVEN COME IN HANDY FOR YOU!

https://twitter.com/aidenschmaiden/status/1159525965812252672

the resources:

i've yelled about @JessicaBrody's Udemy course before and im gonna do it again.

why it's great:
- leads your through the 15 beats/steps to a story
- step by step breakdown
- BOTH BOOK AND MOVIE EXAMPLES
- writing exercises!

udemy.com/write-a-bestse…

why it's great for plotters:
- this bad boy literally breaks everything down into VERY MANAGEABLE steps
- you can make it AS DETAILED AS YOU WANT! (my beat sheet for MAX is 37 pages - PANSTERS, DON'T LOOK AT ME LIKE THAT!!!)

why it's great for pansters:
- you can use it as a quick reference guide!
- you don't have to go through the whole thing!
- if there's one particular thing you're stuck on, like how to write a great "rock bottom" scene, you can skip right to it!

why it's great for everyone:
- INSPO!!! Jessica really hashes everything out and is here to get you unstuck!
- ACCESSIBLE! there's visuals, audio, AND transcripts!
- for me, the best part is the examples! they vary in genre which makes learning much more universal!

the Udemy usually always a sale going on, but if it's not something you can afford, Jessica has SO MANY FREE RESOURCES on her website!

here you can find a blank beat sheet, and example beat sheets for popular movies and books!

jessicabrody.com/for-writers/re…

for MAX, since it's a romcom, i also used Gwen Hayes's ROMANCING THE BEAT.

it follows the beat structure for plotting but breaks it down into more steps and FOUR acts for romance, instead of the standard 3.

IF you have a romance IT SUPER HANDY!

gwenhayes.com/books/romancin…

for me, i used ROMANCING THE BEAT as a supplement to Brody's course.

it's great if youre writing a romance, or if you have a romantic subplot! once i had my full beat sheet, i went on to Hayes's and used my outline to fill out the romantic plot

while Brody's DOES talk about romance stories, Hayes's was more specific and brought up points i hadn't managed in my main outline

with help from ROMANCING THE BEAT i was able to make my love interest more interesting, their relationship more interesting, AND my MC more nuanced!

if you cant buy the book, Hayes ALSO has some free resources for you, including a blank romance beat sheet with short explanations of each beat!

gwenhayes.com/books/romancin…

again, this is IF you have a romance plot (ALL THE POWER TO ACE-SPEC MC'S AND/OR STORIES WITHOUT ROMANCE!).

i should also note that the language is a little gendered, but i just replaced "her or she" with "they" in my own notes!

here is where i talk to y'all that already have an outline (lookin' at you, #PitchWars!)

IDEALLY these are great for writing a new outline you can totally use it after the fact!

I KNOW THIS CUZ I DIDNT LEARN ABOUT THESE RESOURCES UNTIL I HAD A V LONG OUTLINE FOR MAX WRITTEN.

even tho i already had my outline, they helped me make my outline EVEN BETTER. i was able to fix pacing, focus on goals, and really ENHANCE and add NUANCE to MAX!

think of it this way: if you already have an outline, then you've already got a head start! it'll make filling out the beats even easier!

maybe you have a WHOLE NOVEL written that you shelved because something was off. this help you spot the problem AND figure out how to fix it!

as a general note, this is not an ad! i wasn't paid and im not endorsed by either Brody or Hayes, i just GENUINELY love their books and guides!

both of these courses were recommended to me by authors friends, and they really improved what i have planned for MAX by leaps and bounds!

have y'all used a beat sheet before? Brody's, Hayes's, or otherwise? what did you think??

and because im always getting yelled at for not promoting my stuff:

IM AN AUTHOR AND MY DEBUT NOVEL, CEMETERY BOYS, IS COMING OUT IN SUMMER 2020! it's a YA fantasy about a gay, trans brujo who accidentally summons a ghost and falls in love with him!

goodreads.com/book/show/4459…