Short Novel Thoughts | Outlining both Book and Series
- Casey Hudson
- May 19
- 2 min read
Hi. I’m Casey Hudson, and I’m working on a series for my Drifting Amalgams universe. One important step I’m taking to create a broad universe is outlining. Here’s how I’m outlining both book and series to create continuity and cohesion.
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Notes on Fiction: Outlining a Full Series
I completed my first book draft in the Drifting Amalgams universe, and I needed to outline the full series before starting the next draft.
My series spans a few centuries and half a dozen planets. This type of outlining is a mammoth task, so I wanted to share my process for those of you who may be facing something similar.
First, I established milestone societal events and put them on a full-universe timeline. Then, I established what central narrative I wanted to tell in each book. This allowed me to slot timeline events into specific volumes.
From there, I plotted the main characters’ births and deaths, and wrote their individual stories based on events during their lifetime.
Adding those details to the book outlines, I broke books into chapters and chapters into scenes.
Now, it looks like I may have nine books to write. But time and editing will tell if that’s the final word.
Aligning Characters and Plot
I’m outlining individual character journeys for my Drifting Amalgams universe, and I’m noticing conflicts between the story I want to tell and the characters I want to write.
Occasionally, this is because they’re just not the right character for a scene or storyline.
Sometimes, a character is not complex enough.
And, in some cases, the story itself is uneven.
When I do notice these conflicts, I try to step back a bit.
I think about using an amoral or chaotic character to tell the story. …or adding a nuanced value set: A unique point of view for a flat character.
Maybe I can create a story that’s more authentic to the characters that I’ve already developed.
It can be difficult to explore these ideas; doing so could mean a rewrite. But if a rewrite creates a more interesting narrative, the extra work and time are worth it.
Reverse Outlining a First Draft
I’ve completed my first Drifting Amalgams book draft. And, while I was looking at revision tips, I ran across a Reedsy Learning course called “Story Editing for Authors”.
In this course, Kristina Stanley recommends reverse outlining. This is a process in which an author details the major story aspects of their first draft. Basically: character, plot, and setting for each scene.
Because I dove into writing without outlining first, my writing lost focus at some points. Plus, I’ve changed narrative direction in places. So backwards outlining is helping me fine tune the structure of my draft.
I’m finding the reverse outline to be very useful for organizing my thoughts.
Now, onto the rewrites.
Until next time, keep creating.
