level up your book’s structure

This week I bring you my favorite tool to level up your book’s structure.

It’s called a reverse outline. And reading this post, while fun, will not unlock the power of it. You have to actually DO the activity. 

(That’s the pesky thing about writing… you don’t get better at it by reading emails or scrolling social media. Or even by going to conferences. You get better by WRITING.)

Here we go: 

I want you to choose a book you admire, which is in the same genre that you’re writing. Preferably it’s one you own, but you could also go check it out of the library (or see if your library has an ebook copy of it you can download for free right now).

Choose something on the shorter side to make your life easier. 

Now, go to your computer and open up a new word document. Name it “Reverse Outline of” and include the title of the book you’re going to do.

Then, flip through the book chapter by chapter, and type up a bulleted outline of the big plot events that happen in each chapter. These could be external events, or internal revelations. 

Once you’ve typed up an outline of the whole book (it might take a few days, depending on how long the book is), read the outline. 

What do you notice? 

How does the author pace the events? 

How do they handle revelations, or secrets coming to light, or surprise twists? (Bonus points: go back and comb through again to see if you can find hints that point toward - or away - from those surprise reveals.)

What are three lessons you can take with you for your own book? (Even if it’s something you DON’T want to do.)

Happy writing.