Everyone has plans to write the great American novel. In ***?ct, most researchers believe that everyone has at least one great story inside them. However, you may be wondering, then if everyone has a great story, how can they get the story out?

The key to getting the story out is to ****?anize your thoughts with an outline and get busy writing. Sounds easy, right? It can be. If you use the handy-dandy index card system to write your novel outline. In ***?ct, if you use this easy-to-follow plan, you will be able to quickly and efficiently ****?anize those thoughts and get that great American novel out of your head and into paper!

But, why note cards and not paper, you may be wondering. Here’s why:

- They are incredibly small and easy to carry around. In ***?ct, you can easily plop them in your purse or bag and write down your ideas ***? you think of them.

- They are easy to discard. If you change your mind about an idea , you can throw it away without having to throw away the entire paper.

- They are easy to ****?anize and sort.

- They come in various sizes to fit your precise needs.

Now, that you know why they are so great. You may be wondering how to plan out a novel using them.

Here’s how:

1. Figure out what you would like to accomplish with your novel and write specific questions on each note card. For instance:

- How many chapters will you have?

- What will be your plot and ***?tting?

- What type of characters and scenes will you have?

- Will you choose fiction or nonfiction?

- What tone will it be?

2. Next, start evaluating your ideas ***?rther by taking 10 more note cards and writing answers to each idea you come up with. That is, put one story ideas at the top of each card.

3. Third, go through each note card and place a star by the ones with the most potential while crossing off the ones that won’t work. When you come an idea that won’t work, throw it away.

4. Then, go through the cards and choose the idea that has the most potential.

5. Once you’ve decided, take 10-20 more cards and create chapter headings for the winning idea. Write down how you ****?t the novel to be ****?anized. For each new thought, place it on a ***?parate note card.

Congratulations! You now have a working outline that you can use to write your novel. ***?e, that wasn’t so bad at all? All it took was a little brainstorming and ****?anization. Now, take those cards and get that novel out of your head and onto paper.


- Stuart Brown

Everyone has plans to write the great American novel. In ***?ct, most researchers believe that everyone has at least one great story inside them. However, you may be wondering, then if everyone has a great story, how can they get the story out?

The key to getting the story out is to ****?anize your thoughts with an outline and get busy writing. Sounds easy, right? It can be. If you use the handy-dandy index card system to write your novel outline. In ***?ct, if you use this easy-to-follow plan, you will be able to quickly and efficiently ****?anize those thoughts and get that great American novel out of your head and into paper!

But, why note cards and not paper, you may be wondering. Here’s why:

- They are incredibly small and easy to carry around. In ***?ct, you can easily plop them in your purse or bag and write down your ideas ***? you think of them.

- They are easy to discard. If you change your mind about an idea , you can throw it away without having to throw away the entire paper.

- They are easy to ****?anize and sort.

- They come in various sizes to fit your precise needs.

Now, that you know why they are so great. You may be wondering how to plan out a novel using them.

Here’s how:

1. Figure out what you would like to accomplish with your novel and write specific questions on each note card. For instance:

- How many chapters will you have?

- What will be your plot and ***?tting?

- What type of characters and scenes will you have?

- Will you choose fiction or nonfiction?

- What tone will it be?

2. Next, start evaluating your ideas ***?rther by taking 10 more note cards and writing answers to each idea you come up with. That is, put one story ideas at the top of each card.

3. Third, go through each note card and place a star by the ones with the most potential while crossing off the ones that won’t work. When you come an idea that won’t work, throw it away.

4. Then, go through the cards and choose the idea that has the most potential.

5. Once you’ve decided, take 10-20 more cards and create chapter headings for the winning idea. Write down how you ****?t the novel to be ****?anized. For each new thought, place it on a ***?parate note card.

Congratulations! You now have a working outline that you can use to write your novel. ***?e, that wasn’t so bad at all? All it took was a little brainstorming and ****?anization. Now, take those cards and get that novel out of your head and onto paper.


- Stuart Brown

Have you started your book yet? No. Don’t beat yourself up any longer. Keep reading this article; it was written especially for you. With the right focus and knowledge, you can successfully start and complete YOUR book within weeks.

Remember the old adage, Q: How do you turn a mountain into a molehill? A: You climb the mountain one step at a time and it gets smaller. The same applies to writing your book. How do you turn the book writing mountain into a molehill? You turn the big overwhelming project into several smaller ones to gain success.

More and more people are successfully completing their books in less time. Even your competitors are getting it done. Why not join them. Here are some tips to get started writing your book:

1. Write the back cover as sales message before you write your book.

This benefit driven outline helps give your book direction and helps you focus on what’s really important to your readers. Most books will only allow for 50-75 words. That gives you about 8-20 seconds to impress your prospective buyer.

Make this message passionate. Include only what sells: reader and famous testimonials, a benefit driven headline to hook the reader to open the book and read the table of contents, and bulleted benefits.

2. Compose your book’s 60 second “commercial” before you begin writing.

Have you heard a 60 second radio commercial recently? The information is distilled into sound bytes to be effective. Make your 2-3 sentence book blurbs into a sound byte. Like a radio commercial where you only have a few seconds to get your message across, condense your sound byte into a 60 second tell and sell.

Use your mini commercial at networking meetings, in the elevator, in the grocery line, anywhere you only have a few seconds to tell about your book. Composing your commercial should include your title and 3 top benefits.

3. Create and organize your book files.

Researchers say we waste over 150 hours a year looking for misplaced information. Create an organization method that fits you. For example, to save time and get organized you can create a master folder with your book’s title. Inside, keep a separate file for each chapter. Assign each chapter a short title that will make sense later. If you don’t have a title then assign names by topic.

Put research notes or resources in each chapter named folder. Make a how-to folder as well, such as short-key notes, style or formatting notes. With this system you can manage multiple projects easily. Stop wasting time with disorganized, unfinished projects that don’t produce and help you get your message out in excellence.

4. Write down your chapter’s format.

Readers enjoy easy-to-read maps to guide them through your book. They love consistency. It is disconcerting and unprofessional if you change formats throughout the book. In non-fiction books, except chapter one each chapter should be similar length and have same sections or categories. To make your chapters come alive, use engagement tools such as anecdotes, your stories, sizzling headings, photos, maps, graphs, exercises, short tips. Readers enjoy easy-to-read side bars in boxes.

5. Write your publishing goals down for your book.

Will you self-publish or shop for a traditional publish? There are serious pros and cons for either method. Find out the differences so you can make an educated choice that suits you. If you are self-publishing, consider the POD technology for your book. There are lots of good choices that will publish your book for you at an affordable price.

If you are opting for a traditional publisher, get an agent and a contract before writing the book. Then shop agents and publishers with 2 chapters and a knock-out book proposal. Invest in one of the current market guides and research the best fit for your work. It raises your chances considerably if you know what kind of manuscripts a particular company is looking for.

I admit it; getting started writing a book can become a huge mountain in the way of your book’s success. Even so, it doesn’t have to stay that way. You can do like the author did; turn the book writing mountain into small molehills. Start today; complete and release your significant message to the world. Divide and conquer all!


- Earma Brown

For some people creative writing is very hard. They have a hard time trying to put their thoughts and ideas on paper. For some no matter what they do, the writing is always of poor quality and the ideas seem jumbled and non-seneschal. People make the mistake of thinking that creative writing has to be off the wall, out of this world writing. That is not the cases at all.

There are ways in which you can improve your creative writing skills. These are simple and hardly require much effort at all. The most important thing about creative writing is that you write about things that have meaning to you. If you are writing about things that you know nothing about or do not care about then yes, the writing will be bad. When people write about things they care about the writing automatically improves because the reader can see the reader’s personality coming through in the words that they have written. The writer begins to capture the reader, and when this happens then you know you have written a good piece.

You should always carry a notebook or journal around with you. This way you can write down feelings and emotions. You can write about things that you see and how you felt. From these little notes you can expand and create fantastic stories. Some people even begin writing a book from these little sentences they write in their notebooks.

Another key to good creative writing is to organize your thoughts and ideas. If the writing is not organized, no matter what you do the writing will not be good. The reader will be confused and in some cases they will give up reading. You should always separate your ideas into plot, setting, characters and climax. Under each heading write you thoughts and ideas. Once this is done, you a begin putting together the piece of the puzzle, which is your story.


- James Hunt

I am writing a novel called “Una” and if you look at my previous question you will know what it is about. I am on this first chapter and I am typing it on this software called NewNovelist 2 and it is really helpful! It has a dictionary and a thesaurus and it really helps you organize your novel.

Well, I am ALWAYS on the computer almost 24/7, but I just never get around to working on my novel. How do I get myself to keep working on it??
- J.J.

I’m looking for a program that will help me organize my novel plot and characters. I found a website http://www.storyright.com/ but I don’t know how relible the site is as it does not have a privacy policy. Are there any credible sites that have free novel planning software or outlines?
- mbtafan