Detailed Planning
If the idea of detailed planning appeals to you, try taking a notebook and writing Chapter 1 at the top of the first page and so on until chapter 15 (or however many chapters there are in your favourite books).
Then start to fill in ideas for each chapter. Write in pencil, so you can rub things out if you want to move them.
You should be able to fill some things in straight away, for example
In Chapter 1 you will
Introduce the heroine
Introduce the tone of the book by showing her at home, or in London, or in an adventurous situation for example
Have her meeting with the hero
Demonstrate an attraction/ interest between them
Make the main source of conflict clear, eg the heroine needs to marry a rich man, but the hero is (or appears to be) a footman
In the last chapter, you will clear up the plot and make sure the hero and heroine have overcome all their problems so they can be happy together
Then go through the notebook, writing down the parts of the plot you know, slotting them in to an appropriate chapter and making sure the plot develops realistically throughout.
Your plan will look something like this, for example:
Chapter 1
Madeline runs away from her uncle when he takes her to the theatre, because she learns that he is planning to marry her off to a lascivious man to whom he owes money. She bumps into Philip, the Earl of Pemberton, and he recognises her, having seen her at a ball. He offers to help her, and having discovered it isn't safe for her to be on the streets at night, she warily accompanies him to his house.
Chapter 2
He tells her he wants to make a temporary marriage so that he can inherit his fortune, and he asks her to be his temporary wife. She is frightened of men, having had bad experiences of them, and she refuses.
Chapter 3
Philip is contacted by Callaghan, a man who has organised a group of British spies who have infiltrated Napoleon's command. One of the spies is Philip's friend, Jack, and he has gone missing. Callaghan asks Philip to contact him if he hears from Jack. Meanwhile, Madeline's uncle traces her to Philip's house. Philip arrives home and throws him out. Madeline decides to go through with the temporary marriage to Philip, as it will mean she will spend the next six months in Yorkshire, somewhere her uncle will not find her. She is also tempted by Philip's offer to buy her a house and give her an annuity when she six month marriage is annulled, as it means she will be independent.
Chapter 4
Madeline and Philip marry.
Chapter 5
They travel to Yorkshire.
Chapter 6
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Jack contacts Philip and tells him he has been on the run because his spying activities were discovered. He asks Philip to give the names of several double agents to Callaghan. He will go himself but he is being followed and might not make it, so he wants Philip to go as well as insurance.
Chapter Fourteen
Philip and Madeline realize they love each other and they continue with their marriage instead of having it annulled.
Once you have the bare bones of the story, as above, you can slot the main points of the emotional plot into the plan. These will sometimes occur where there are other things occuring, because they will be natural reactions to the situation, eg if the heroine can't trust people but then has her life saved by the hero in Chapter 9, then her emotional plot will move forward at the end of Chapter 9 or start of Chapter 10, because she will learn she can trust him. If the emotional development doesn't spring out of your plot, then think of some scenes that will cause the emotional development to happen, and slot them into you plan, in between the action plot.
Chapter 1
Madeline runs away from her uncle when he takes her to the theatre, because she learns that he is planning to marry her off to a lascivious man to whom he owes money. She bumps into Philip, the Earl of Pemberton, and he recognises her, having seen her at a ball. He offers to help her, and having discovered it isn't safe for her to be on the streets at night, she warily accompanies him to his house.
Chapter 2
He tells her he wants to make a temporary marriage so that he can inherit his fortune, and he asks her to be his temporary wife. She is frightened of men, having had bad experiences of them, and she refuses.
Chapter 3
Madeline thinks about Philip's offer, but is glad she refused it. Her father bullied her mother and her mother said to her, 'Never marry, Madeline. It only leads to despair.' Shortly afterwards her mother died, a broken woman. Philip is contacted by Callaghan, a man who has organised a group of British spies who have infiltrated Napoleon's command. One of the spies is Philip's friend, Jack, and he has gone missing. Callaghan asks Philip to contact him if he hears from Jack. Meanwhile, Madeline's uncle traces her to Philip's house. Philip arrives home and throws him out. Madeline decides to go through with the temporary marriage to Philip, as it will mean she will spend the next six months in Yorkshire, somewhere her uncle will not find her. She is also tempted by Philip's offer to buy her a house and give her an annuity when she six month marriage is annulled, as it means she will be independent.
Chapter 4
Madeline and Philip marry.Letitia Bligh attends the wedding. She is the woman Philip means to marry when he collects his fortune and annuls his temporary marriage to Madeline. Lord Hadley, a friend of Letitia's, warns Madeline not to become too used to being a Countess, and warns her that Letitia will be a formidable enemy if she tries to continue the marriage beyond the allotted six months. As Letitia leaves the church, her conversation with Lord Hadley reveals that she wants to marry Philip for position and wealth, not love.
Chapter 5
They travel to Yorkshire.
To her surprise, Madeline finds herself enjoying Philip's company. To his surprise, Philip finds himself enjoying hers. Then the coach is attacked by masked men, who search the coach and slash the seats. Philip is overcome with an urge to protect Madeline, but can do nothing as there are too many of them. Once they have ridden away, seeming to not find what they were looking for, he follows them, but loses them. Returning to the inn where they are spending the night, he wonders why he was so eager to protect Madeline, and reminds himself that she means nothing to her. It is Letitia he means to marry, not because he loves her - at the age of thirty, he has never found love - but because he has to marry in order to provide an heir, and she will make an ideal Countess, turning his Yorkshire estate into a magnet for royalty and other leaders of society to visit.
Chapter 6
Philip has arranged for a groom to meet him with two horses at the edge of his estate. Leaving the coach, he and Madeline ride over the moors to a high vantage point from which they can see his house. As he helps her to dismount, she falls against him and he kisses her. She cannot understand why she enjoys the kiss. She has a low opinion of men, having seen her uncle's friends drunk and rowdy on many occasions, and having seen her father bully her mother, yet she is beginning to realize that Philip is different. She is desolate when Philip apologises for kissing her and says it won't happen again.
Chapter Seven
Philip tells Madeline he would like her to have a man to protect her when she rides round the estate, but she was spied upon by her uncle's servants when she lived with him and so she refuses to have anyone with her. Jack tries to contact Philip at the manor, but he is being chased and only manages to get a message to Madeline, who is walking in the grounds. Madeline has to leap out of the way of the horses of the men chasing him, ending up with cuts and bruises. Philip is furious with her for going out alone, when he had told her it was dangerous. Madeline thinks he is just like her uncle and father, getting furious with her, but then she realizes that it is different. He was furious because he was worried about her. The thought is unsettling. He is not meant to care about her, because their marriage is meant to be one of convenience. Meanwhile, Philip orders one of his men to follow her without her knowledge. He understands why she doesn't want to be followed, but he doesn't want her in danger again.
Chapter Eight
A neighbouring couple visit the house, and Madeline sees that they are happy. She has never seen a happily married couple before, and begins to wonder if marriages can be happy as well as frightening. Later, Madeline sees a man following her. She rides home, frightened, and tells Philip about it. He reveals that the man is one of his, and that he set the man to watch over her. She is partly angry with him but also partly glad of the proection, because since Jack's brief appearance she has realized that there might be times when she is in danger. She and Philip argue the situation out, and come to a mutual agreement about her bodyguard.
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Philip and Madeline hold a ball. Philip's cousin pays marked attention to Madeline and Philip is jealous. He realizes he no longer wants to marry Letitia, but he has offered her his hand and it would not be the act of a gentleman to draw back. He is tormented by this dilemma.
Chapter Eleven
Letitia visits, but before Philip can broach the subject of their marriage she says she can see he's fallen in love with Madeline and she wishes him joy. Philip is surprised at her attitude, yet also relieved.
Chapter Twelve
Philip and Madeline hold a Christmas fete. They kiss under the mistletoe and this leads to them giving in to their feelings and making love. Both of them realize the ramifications of this: the marriage cannot be annulled. Madeline is very happy the following morning. She is surprised that Philip is not there when she wakes, but she is not worried because she thinks he will be overseeing the servants as they clear away after the fete.
In fact, he has received an urgent message from Jack, and has had to leave the manor to go and help his friend. He wrote a note to Madeline before leaving, explaining his absence, and gave it to one of the footmen to give to her, but the footman is in Letitia's pay and suppresses the note, then tells Madeline's maid that Philip has gone to visit Letitia. Madeline is devastated, thinking she has imagined Philip's feelings for her, and she leaves the manor, going to the house Philip has provided for her as the six month marriage has only a short time left to run.
Chapter Thirteen
Jack asks Philip to give the names of several double agents to Callaghan. He will go himself but he is being followed and might not get through, so he wants Philip to go as well as insurance. Letitia follows Madeline to the house and invites her out for a walk. She has only been pretending to accept Philip's love for Madeline and is still determined to be a Countess. She leads Madeline over a rotten bridge and then disappears into the snow as Madeline falls through, into the icy river. Philip returns to the manor and learns that Madeline has left. He goes to the town house, where her maid tells him Madeline went out with Letitia. He follows, full of foreboding.
Chapter Fourteen
Philip rescues Madeline from the icy water. When she has recovered, Philip and Madeline realize they love each other and they continue with their marriage instead of having it annulled.
You will begin to see that some chapters look full whilst others are empty. Ask yourself, have I provided a full character arc for my characters, so they can resolve all of their emotional issues? If not, put in some extra scenes to either set up their problems or show how they will overcome them.
Also ask yourself, have I provided a full story arc, in other words, have I set up the plot and followed it through to its logical conclusion, including all the twists and turns along the way? Have I allowed space to explain it fully, including a full explanation in the denouement? If not, complete this part of the plot now.
After this, you will still have some empty chapters. Ask yourself, What can I put in there? I think of this part of writing a book as being rather like tasting a meal I am cooking. I ask myself, What is missing? Here are some 'ingredients' you can add, to make your book richer and more enjoyable.
1) The hero and heroine can find out about each other's pasts.
Think of a situation in which this could happen, if it hasn't happened naturally already in your plan. Perhaps they go out riding and have to shelter from the rain. Together in a tumbledown cottage, one of them could remark that they used to shelter there as a child. This could lead into a discussion about their childhoods, which will deepen their characters. As the rain stops, remember to think of something to push them apart. Sharing confidences will have brought them together, so you need to let the reader know there are still problems to be overcome, otherwise your book is over. You can either do this by having them both remember the conflict that is keeping them apart, or one of them can. That one can then become cool and distant. Or, if your plot has some big secret, for example that the hero is lying about his identity, you could keep them close emotionally, but at their next meeting, the heroine can find out that he is lying and feel betrayed, thus pushing them apart again.
2) You can develop the rapport between the hero and heroine
so the reader can believe they are well suited to each other, or will be, once their problems are resolved. For example, perhaps they both prefer the country to the town and want to breed horses. Or perhaps they both want to travel once the Napoleonic wars are over. Perhaps they share a similar sense of humour and laugh at jokes that leave other people feeling mystified. Perhaps the heroine is unconventional, liking to ride astride, and instead of being horrified, the hero thinks it's a good idea. Perhaps the hero is curt and plain-speaking, something the heroine likes because she is an heiress and so she is usually flattered.
3) If your book lacks social activites, think up some small incidents to provide interest for the reader.
Perhaps your hero and heroine go to a ball/picnic etc. If so, make sure something happens there to give it added interest. ('Added interest' will help to lift your book out of the usual beginner's book range, and into an experienced writer's range.) Could they learn about each other's hopes for the future? Or could they give in to their mutual attraction, either kissing or making love? This will have repercussions. How will they feel about it afterwards? A section from the hero's point of view detailing his thoughts, and one from the heroine's point of view, will add interest for the reader.
Remember to make sure their thoughts are in keeping with their characters and situations. If the hero is pretending to be an estate manager, how will he feel after he has kissed the heroine under false colours? Will he feel he must tell her the truth? Or will he think it's impossible, so he must avoid her? Will he wish he hadn't become entangled, or will he think it's the best thing that ever happened to him, but wish it had happened at another time?
How will the heroine feel? Will she be elated, but then be cast down the following day when she realizes he is avoiding her? What conclusions will she draw? If you think through your characters and their situations, you will be able to write compelling, realistic scenes which involve the reader in the heartaches and dilemmas of your characters.
4) Perhaps you still need more scenes where the hero and heroine give into their physical attraction.
Depending on which publisher you want to write for, you might need to spend a large part of the book on this kind of scene. Read your favourite books, and see how much time your author spends on it, how she pulls the hero and heroine together, and how she drives them apart again afterwards.
5) Perhaps you could add one or two of the heroine's friends or relatives, or perhaps the hero's valet.
DON'T devote too much time to minor characters, and ALWAYS have them included in scenes with the hero or heroine, NOT in scenes by themselves, or with other minor characters. Remember, their purpose is to let the reader learn more about the hero or heroine, either by showing how well they treat their servants, or by allowing the hero or heroine to talk over their feelings etc. Remember to keep minor characters in their place. As long as you handle them well, and don't let them become too important, minor characters can add a great deal of 'added interest' to a novel.
6) Perhaps your book is getting stodgy in places and could do with some humour to lighten it.
Minor characters can be useful for humour. Some of the best examples are Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Mr Collins in Pride and Prejudice. You could have your main characters meet at a picnic etc, and come across a humorous minor character - a crusty dowager, a buffoon etc. You could also have some humour between your main characters if you haven't put any in already. What could happen to lighten their spirits?
7) Perhaps your book is rather flat and needs some action.
In an adventurous book this will probably be dramatic, whereas in a gentle book it will be mild, but something exciting will keep the pages turning.
8) Emotions are very useful for deepening a book.
Think of these emotions and see if you can find a place for them in your book, devising a scene to reveal them:
a) Jealousy.
This can be very revealing, showing that the hero and heroine have romantic feelings for each other. Remember to have it in keeping with your characters. A gentle character will feel mild jealousy which might make them unhappy. A stronger or more passionate character might leave the room in order to avoid seeing the scene which upsets them. A stronger character still might step in and do something about it, for example the hero might step in and tell the heroine that she promised to dance with him, leading her away from the man who is making him jealous.
b) Anger.
People are often angry with a loved one if the loved one has been in danger, rather like a mother being angry with a child who has run into the street. Think of other situaions in which anger could reveal deeper feelings.
c) Protectiveness.
People who are falling in love are protective of each other. This could be verbally - another woman could criticise the heroine, and the hero could make a scathing reply, or perhaps the heroine's father says the hero comes from a poor family and she replies angrily. (If she is a gentler character perhaps she just slips outside, not wanting to hear anything bad about him.) Or the protection could be physical. Perhaps the heroine is in the path of a runaway horse and the her leaps into action to save her.
d) Respect.
This is a good emotion for establishing a healthy relationship, which the reader will believe can last beyong the pages of the book. What does the hero do that makes the heroine respect him? Does he help his country by spying, does he look after his tenants, does he set out to prove his innocence after being falsely accused of something? And what does the heroine do that makes the hero respect her? Does she look after her family? Does she have a lively interest in the world around her, instead of being obsessed with clothes? Does she set out to support herself when her family die? Does she help the needy? Think of something which fits in with her character.
e) Trust.
What scene could you write that would fit in with your overall plots, but allow the hero and heroine to learnt to trust each other? In an adventurous plot, perhaps he could be wounded and she could say nothing when she discovers him hiding in the barn. Or perhaps he help his family. There are endless scenes you could write to show a developing trust.
Other things you can include: a scene or two showing details of the heroine's ordinary life, including hobbies, family, home and friends. Similar details of the hero's life.
In the above plan, all of these things were added before the book was finished. If you want to see how the final book turned out, then read The Six-Month Marriage.
If you've been having trouble making your own books long enough or focused enough (because you will note that all these ideas revolve around the hero and heroine), then I hope these ideas help.
Back to Writing Tips
To return to the rest of the site
