Day-by-Day NaNoWriMo Outline: Your 30-Day Cheatsheet

This NaNoWriMo outline is your 30-day cheatsheet!

I pulled out 30 key scenes from the master outline to create this day-by-day outline. As you probably know, my research for these scenes is based on the common structural elements of Harry Potter, Twilight, and The Hunger Games.

You can use this outline from start-to-finish with your own story, or just refer to it if you hit some writer’s block and need an idea for a scene.

If you write 1,667 words for each scene listed below, you will have 50,000 words by the end of NaNoWriMo.

Please pin this chart to refer to it later!

 Pin this chart to save it for later reference!

Links from the NaNoWriMo Outline:

1. Open the story on a bittersweet celebration
2. The hero goes on an everyday errand; show her special skill
3. The herald gives the hero an “invitation for adventure”
4. The hero takes a short trip to make preparations and ask questions
5. The hero says goodbye to family and boards mass transit to new society
6. The hero attends a social acceptance ceremony; meets the wise one
7. The hero meets the sidekick; they have conflict with the bully
8. The hero takes a “pop quiz” and gets embarrassed
9. The hero is forced to spend time with the love interest
10. The hero shows some athletic ability (and may break some rules)
11. The hero and the love interest have a “Q&A” session
12. The hero clashes with an authority figure
13. A minor character rescues the hero
14. The hero has a fight based on socioeconomic tension
15. The healer character aids one of the hero’s injured friends
16. The sidekick acts as a magical guide and teaches the hero
17. The hero attempts to rescue a friend but fails
18. The hero plays “hide-n-seek” with the villain’s henchmen
19. Show order-vs-chaos tension among the “good guys”
20. The hero and the love interest share their first kiss
21. Demonstrate the hero’s special skill
22. The hero is forced to incapacitate a friend
23. A character flirts to receive much needed information
24. A major characters rescues the hero
25. The hero must pass the gatekeeper
26. The hero uses his special skill in an unexpected way
27. The sidekick is badly hurt and the hero proceeds alone
28. A climactic battle with the villain reveals the twist and explanation
29. The hero is knocked out, wakes up in the hospital, and learns of success
30. The hero heads back to his homeland but knows there is a continued threat

For more story elements and scenes, including an in-depth look at themes, symbolism, and characters, check out the Better Novel Project master outline.

Good luck!

2016 NaNoWriMo Update

Since writing this post last year, I’ve continued my research on story structure. Here are some new scenes that you might want to add to your outline:

• The hero eavesdrops and makes a bad assumption
• The hero is rescued during a fight scene
• The hero protects a friend in a fight scene
• 10 traits of the mentor character archetype and 10 scenes for the mentor character archetype

Bonus! I created a Supplemental NaNoWriMo Outline: Character Archetype and Themes Edition. Use this to flesh out your outline and get your word count up as needed. 🙂