How To Plot a YA Novel
S.R. Beaston
Crafty with words, wit, and wisdom, just add caffeine to make it more interesting.
So, you have an idea that just won’t get out of your head. Not only that, this idea has grown exponentially at an alarming rate and now you just have to get it down.
You’ve got a vague theme, maybe some characters, and found out that this story would best be told in the YA genre. Perhaps you’ve even read up on $ how to start a YA novel$ .
In that post I explain a little bit about outlining and plotting, but here is where we’re going to get intimate with the idea of knowing your story before writing it. Outlining can be a divisive topic amongst writers, but I’ll personally die on the hill of needing to at least outline a little.
So how does one outline a book? Let’s break down the best outlining options and how to structure your YA novel.
Should I outline my YA novel?
Yes, outlining a book is a beneficial practice for most writers. For many of us, spending time anywhere besides actually writing the story can feel like a waste of time, but a little time investment upfront can save you many more hours in revisions.
Being stuck on a scene and having to rewrite or fix a plot hole that popped up takes just as much, if not more, time than an outline. Outlining can help you avoid those frustrating moments.
Another benefit of outlining is that it provides an easy structure to save ideas as they pop up. If you're writing Chapter 1, and you have a great idea for a line of dialogue or bit of description for a later chapter, you can simply scroll down in your outline and add it to your outline.
When you get to that chapter, you'll have a little head start!
If you are overloaded with complex scenes and random dialogue, if you are really forgetful, or if you just like to stay organized, plotting is a vital part of any novel-writing success story.
Writers who prefer a more minimalistic outlining structure use tricks like keeping a few paragraphs at the bottom of your working chapter—everything you know about where the story is going can be dropped there. Then they just add to, check off, or revise those paragraphs to be carried onto the next chapter with them.
Here's an example of this strategy in NovelPad:
Since an outline can be any format, length, or structure you'd like, there's no reason not to utilize such a helpful tool when writing your YA novel!
The best structures for YA
There are many methods of outlining and plotting. Some are well renowned, others are a hodgepodge of pieces that the writer has accumulated to fit their needs.
Young Adult literature can fit with most any subgenre, making the possibilities for your story endless, as well as your structure choice. Here is what you absolutely must know before selecting or creating your own methods for plotting:
- There must be a problem that needs to be solved
- There must be an obstruction to solving the problem
- The problem is solved or determined to be unsolvable
With these three very simple things in mind, you can apply any plot structure you desire for your YA novel.
Here are $ three popular plot structures$ to look into, but you are not bound to any one structure, nor should all plot structures be treated the same. Play around and see what methods work best for your story!
What to do when you’re stumped
Sometimes when you are trying to put in the finer details between point A and point B, you may notice that something doesn’t quite fit. You might feel stuck or lost. Perhaps a plot device just isn’t working as you planned. For whatever reason, you've lost the motivation to finish your outline.
It happens to all of us, and is really frustrating, but here are some things to do to keep going and eventually solve the puzzle.
1. Handwrite your outline.
For a lot of writers, the tangibility of pen to paper can provide a lot of clarity. Plus, it's easier to focus without an electronic device.
2. Work on something else.
If the problem isn't a major make-or-break plotpoint, you might just move on and work on another part of your project. Sometimes we try to beat one problem into place for so long that we're actually making it worse.
This can create project burnout before the project even fully begins. So if your problem is somewhat negligible, try moving on with your outline and coming back to that spot later.
3. Ask your subconscious.
This is a personal favorite of mine when I'm working on my trunk novel. Mark the problem area with a notation, and maybe jot down a few ideas of solutions under it (they don't need to be great solutions), then leave it alone. More often than not, your subconscious will passively look for an answer while you work on another part of your outline.
4. Keep going.
Sometimes you just have to write the best solution you have, then keep it rolling. You want to get all of your ideas down in roughly the order they should go in so that you don't forget them. You can always go back and fix problems later.
In addition to keeping the momentum, sometimes information we figure out later in the outline can fix the problems we had earlier. Get the full picture, then go back and fix it up.
What is the best point-of-view for YA?
Close third-person perspective is the most commonly used point-of-view for Young Adult novels, but the point-of-view you choose should be the one that best serves your story.
The point-of-view you choose is a vital story element.
Why? Your point of view is how you tell the story. You may be limited in how information is presented depending on who is telling the story.
First-person perspective can allow a deep and emotional connection to your character and is very popular in YA, but you are limited to that character's thoughts and observations. This may limit your storytelling abilities.
Third-person might sacrifice a little ease of that character-reader connection that we get in first-person, but the benefit is more rounded storytelling, because we can include elements outside of that character's perspective.
Should you want the story in third-person, ask yourself if it’s limited or omniscient. Limited keeps the viewpoint close to the character, once again limiting you on what you can and cannot share, which should reflect somewhere in your outline.
Omniscient makes for an easy way to explain what’s happening in the world, but we lose a lot of that character connection. The benefit of omniscient third is that you can use any element of the story: past, present, or future, any character's thoughts, and greater mysteries of the world that the audience has immediate access to.
Omniscient narration is popular in fiction for much younger readers, but you'll see it less often in books targeted at teens.
The point-of-view you choose depends on the story you're trying to tell, and the way you have chosen to tell it. The outlining phase is a great time to choose one.
Components to consider while outlining
Plotting a book can be a huge job—so there are naturally a few things that might fall through the cracks. When writing YA, there are a few things you should always take into consideration:
- Keep your main character within the correct age range and make them believable.
- Emphasize real teen struggles despite the subgenre.
- Write a hopeful ending.
- Pay attention to your language. Cursing should probably be monitored a little bit, but also think of how you are using language. For instance, slang is often misused and cringey to read. Young people are easily the most severe judge of this aspect in books.
- Don’t talk down to your reader or water down concepts too much. Kids are smart! They can pick up a lot with a little subtlety.
- Tie in your subgenre from the beginning.
- Don’t be too careful. Shying away from topics and problems just because your reader may be younger defeats the point of telling your story. They can handle these topics, I promise.
Keep these things in mind to write a strong YA outline!
Genre outlining
Genre-specific outlining can be extremely beneficial. Even if you don’t want to plan your whole story, making sure the plot twist in a Mystery YA novel can cut out a lot of time and grief.
Though the outlining process is varied, here are some key focuses for different types of subgenres with YA fiction.
YA Romance
The outlining process of any romance can be as easy as creating a strong main character and an original way of meeting their love. A loose plot of who meets, how they meet, what keeps them apart, and how they overcome it can be all you need for a YA romance outline.
YA Fantasy
Fantasy is a big undertaking. Your outline will depend on how heavy your make-believe world is. For YA, a popular coupling is modern or urban fantasy, where it takes place in the worlds ‘here’ and ‘now’.
A light magic system and a world that is easily understandable is a good start for plotting in fantasy. Don’t be discouraged by overused tropes like "the chosen one." YA targets a younger audience who may not have been heavily exposed to such tropes. Do it well, and it will be just as loved.
YA historical fiction
Historical fiction can be great for YA, and plotting is a great tool for organizing the research needed to present your piece well.
With a brief description of your plot, make a diagram with all the things you need to learn and look up for the story, and perhaps where that information will be most important.
The YA genre allows for so many possibilities and outcomes. Plotting is only natural when weeding through all the choices and forming a cohesive story. All you have to do is write it down!
Whether it’s through the Fichtean curve, the three act structure, the snowflake, or any variation of methods out there, structuring your novel through outline and plot can only be beneficial. Know your ending before you start your beginning, and the road to a completed Young Adult novel will be a smooth journey, indeed.
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