5 Things Every Writer Should Know About Outlining

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Almost every writer has an opinion about outlines. Some writers swear by them. Some hate them. Many writers are baffled by them.

As National Novel Writing Month approaches, many writers will find outlining a key ingredient in the recipe of finishing their novel in a month.

1. Outlines are a Road Map

Very few people would jump in a car to take a long journey with no concept of destination.

Writing a novel without some sort of outline is like deciding to take a vacation and jumping in the car with no plan. There might be some awesome sights seen along the way but there are also many avoidable challenges.

Outlines, at a minimum, should show the author the direction they want to take. It is the map equivalent of saying one wants to visit Disneyland and planning a trip with that destination in mind.

Before sitting down to create the roadmap for your book you should understand your end goal. Not just for the story but for the journey you want your book to take. For more thoughts on writing end goals read How to Organize Your Writing  Project.

2. Outlines Don’t Have to Be Too Detailed

Many writers feel that outlines will restrict the adventures they can take on their writing journey and they fear they will miss exciting roadside attractions on their quest to the destination.

A woman writing an outline before starting to type her self-published novel

Outlines can be minimalistic with a beginning, key scenes, and end noted in bullet points. It can equally be a detailed excel sheet describing every planned scene and listing who is present in the scene and what the goal of that scene is for the novel.

3. Detours Are Okay

Once a writer maps out the outline they can still take detours along the way if a new idea strikes them or if they stumble across a better road to take as the story is unveiled.

Outlines are tools, not contracts. Writers shouldn’t adhere to them to the detriment of their stories but they are a good way of keeping the writer focused on where the story is intended to go and to get the writer back on track after a detour is taken.

4. Genre Matters

Most genres have a built-in road map that writers of the genre should follow. Writers who plan to self-publish can deviate a bit more from genre norms but they should still be aware of them so that their audience is satisfied.

For example: in a romance novel, the characters who will fall in love must meet. They must spend time developing a relationship. The relationship must blossom and then there must be an incident that threatens to tear the couple apart. Finally, the couple must come back together and there must be an indication that the couple will live happily ever after. Even if a writer only plots out these points of their romance they are more likely to stay on their story’s path than an author floundering around with only the goal of a happily ever after somewhere near the end.

5. Map Out the Characters as Well as the Plot

Many writers assume outlining only involves planning the plot but that does them a disservice.

The plot is important and understanding where a story goes is extremely valuable for discovering a story but plots without characters don’t come alive. When an author outlines they should include the character arcs along with the plot. This allows them to write character growth and to map that growth along with the map of the plot.

Outlining is a valuable skill even when an author isn’t trying to write a novel in a month.

Once you’ve completed your novel, InstantPublisher can help assist in completing the book publishing process.

InstantPublisher offers a wide variety of self-publishing services including book printing and binding, interior book design, and custom book covers.

For more information about self-publishing services visit our website at https://www.instantpublisher.com. You can also call 1 800 259 2592, fill out our online contact form, or send an email to questions@instantpublisher.com.

How to Use Custom Printed Calendars for Fundraising

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Fundraising can be tricky. Creating unique items to sell that people will be eager to buy is the bane of every fundraising chairman’s existence.

Custom printed calendars are a good fundraising choice because they are a tool that most people use regularly. There is no need to convince buyers they need a calendar. There is only the need to convince buyers they need YOUR calendar.

Why Do People Buy?

Fundraiser calendars should be attractive. They should be filled with images that people will want to display on their walls.

Custom printed calendars are unique and limited-edition, naturally creating scarcity. This will make buyers more willing to say yes to the seller in the moment.

What Should the Calendar Theme Be?

Images for the calendar should be attractive and reflective of the cause for fundraising. Calendars with adorable dogs and cats are classic for animal welfare fundraisers.

Consider what the fundraiser’s core cause is and how it can be reflected in the calendar. The correlation doesn’t have to be exact. A fundraiser to support a local care home for the elderly might feature recipes given by those residents from their childhood complete with images of the tasty dish.

A fundraiser for sick children might feature pictures drawn by those children with a simple bio explaining how funds will support that individual child.

How is the Calendar Created?

Once a theme has been decided appropriate images should be gathered and organized by month. It is helpful but not mandatory to organize the images by seasonal theme or feel. Depending on the theme of the calendar, seasonal tie-ins should be given preference in the related images.

A festive custom calendar image for December

If suitable images can’t be sourced then custom illustrations can be bought for the calendar.

Other Things to Consider 

  • Calendars can include important organizational dates such as future fundraising events along with the typically listed holidays.
  • Calendar fundraisers are most successful when done near the end of the year. If the calendars will be available to purchase for an extended period of time they should be made available from October to February. If the fundraiser is short-term then November or December are the best choices.
  • Along with attractive images, the calendar should include contact information for the fundraising organization and how to further donate to the cause.
  • Keep in mind that custom calendar publishers often offer lower prices for larger orders, so it is wise to purchase the high end of what is expected to sell so that the printing costs are ket down, and can earn more money for the intended cause.
  • Consider a betterbinding option. Saddle stitch binding is commonly used in mass-produced calendars. This sort of binding holds the calendar together with staples. It does the job and keeps costs down. However, for a fundraising calendar, wire-o double binding looks more professional and gives the calendar a higher quality look, making it more attractive to customers. While the wire-o double binding will add to production costs, it will equally add to the appeal of the finished product.
  • Custom printed calendars can be sold at events, door to door, or to local businesses. Everyone uses calendars.

InstantPublisher can help you create a custom printed calendar for your next fundraiser. Call us at 1 800 259 2592. Or fill out our online contact form. You can also send us an email to questions@instantpublisher.com.