Scene outline template for revising a novel

Choose three consecutive scenes where the book feels slow or disconnected. Describe their actual events in one or two sentences each. Avoid labels like builds tension unless you can identify what creates that tension and what changes because of it.

The aim is to expose the draft's current shape. Do not quietly replace a weak scene with the scene you wish you had written; that hides the evidence you need for revision.

If several scenes begin and end with the same knowledge, goal or relationship, ask whether each contributes a different pressure. A quiet scene can matter because it changes what the reader understands even if little physical action happens.

For a multi-viewpoint novel, track who knows what. Two scenes describing the same event can have different jobs, but repeating information without changing its meaning often creates the feeling of stalled movement.

Scene one: Mara wants the archive key, is refused by her uncle, and chooses to ask the former caretaker. Scene two: the caretaker admits the key is missing but reveals a copied letter. Scene three: Mara discovers her mother's handwriting and decides to conceal the letter from her uncle.

Each scene changes the next available action. If scene two only repeated the refusal, you would need to find its separate purpose, combine it with another scene or remove it. The outline helps pose that question; it cannot decide the answer for you.

Experimental fiction, braided narratives and reflective passages may work through association, rhythm or contrast rather than a clear objective-and-obstacle chain. Name the reader effect that matters for your form instead of forcing it into a conventional plot model.

These fields remain in page memory. The download contains only what you typed, and nothing is uploaded or saved automatically. For a complete outline, extend the exported document with more rows in your own writing tool.