How to plan a book as a teenager

So, you want to write a book? Yet, you have no clue how to do it or even where to start? Well, you’ve come to the right place! If you’re new here: Hi, I’m Abigail. I’ve had my fair share of teenage experiences, one of which is writing a book. So here’s my advice to you:

1. Idea:

The premise of the book is the most important part. After all, this is the part that has to hook literary agents (if you want to go the traditional publishing route). But how does one determine if the idea is good?

Put the idea in the most simple terms possible. If the idea sounds familiar or uninteresting, it might not be the best decision to continue. It might come across as too plain or too surface-level. If the idea offers the opportunity for a deeper dive, you have something to work with.

This is not the case for all ideas, however. Some, like Harry Potter, follow the hero's journey structure religiously and are still successful. It’s just a common rule of thumb to avoid losing readers' interest.

2. Plotting:

I know how much you want to jump right in, but please plan ahead! Your future self will thank you. For the pantsers (writing terminology for those who forge ahead with no plan whatsoever—I could never), I encourage you to at least have a general idea of where you want your story to end.

I barely had a plan besides the brief diagrams I drew in Accounting class. Believe me, when it came to editing, it was a mess! The only reason it wasn’t a complete flop was that my original idea was about the ending.

I would always suggest outlining your novel before starting it, but sometimes inspiration strikes when you're staring at a blank page. It might take a while to figure out which technique works for you, but it is so worth it!

Are you a pantser or a plotter? Write in the comments :)

If you want to see how to outline your novel click here.

3. Character profiles:

All those beautiful Pinterest boards with characters and their descriptions? Why don’t you make them yourself? The only difference is, they’re your characters!

Creating character profiles seems daunting and feels like it will take forever. I did mine on Google Docs, which wasn’t the best idea. I lost interest nearly immediately and only managed to do my main character. A better alternative would have been Milanote or just a plain notebook (handy for all those boring classes). The key is to do it simultaneously with your outline so that you can fill in the details of your characters as you go along.

For example: Some of the personality traits I set up for my character at the beginning were her outgoing nature and trustworthiness. This directly contrasted with the end result, where she managed to deceive every person in her life in pursuit of her dreams. She also switched from an extrovert to an introvert. If you build character profiles while outlining, you’ll not only develop a better understanding of your character but also create them to be more believable and convincing as a whole.

Extra tip: The physical attributes of your character can be put into an AI image generator. This really helps when describing them!

4. Setting:

Every scene needs a setting—unless you want to fall into the white room trap (writing terminology for when a scene lacks any description of its surroundings). This section of your outline is where you can jot down a few bullet points about the environment. You might want to gather reference images for inspiration, either before writing or as you go.

If you're writing a fantasy novel, sketching a rough map of your world will be incredibly helpful in the long run. It won’t be perfect (but then again, first drafts never are!). Tools like Inkarnate allow you to create digital maps, which can be a great alternative if you don’t have a notebook handy—or if, like me, your drawing skills don't quite match the vivid world in your imagination.

5. Audience:

One of the most important things to keep in mind when plotting is the audience. If you don't know who you are writing for, then why write in the first place? It can be for anyone—all teenage history geeks or even more specifically, for that old man you saw at the grocery store. You could also be writing, simply put, for YOU! And that is alright.

The important thing is to shape your outline around this. If you are struggling to decide whether your character would follow the prince to the castle or storm off into the dark woods, think of your readers. What would they like?

This was one of the biggest errors I needed to resolve in my manuscript. The whole time I kept shifting my target audience from middle graders to YA, which—as you know—are widely different. This caused noticeable distinction in my chapters, forcing me to rewrite the violent ending (though only a tad bit).

6. Themes:

All books have themes—intentional or unintentional. When I was writing my own novel, I wasn't trying to weave in underlying ideas, I just wanted to craft a story. And the same applies to most people. They don't necessarily plan for certain concepts to shine through, they just do.

Good writers use this to their advantage. Every paragraph, every sentence, every world helps build this overall picture, but you can't do that if you don't know what picture you want to create. This is why the theme is SO important! You can't write a story about a teen suffering with depression, yet have the sun shining in every setting (unless it is the writer's goal to create that contrast).

7. Symbols:

Another handy trick to know about is symbols. They create multiple dimensions for the story (and make great headcanons). This is not a must, though I do recommend considering a way to incorporate one or two in your story. Not only does this make your story more appealing for literary agents (and English teachers), readers love noticing these small (or big) details. When used correctly, it can make you come across as more professional and help you develop in your craft.

☺That is all for today, folks! If you liked this post or have anything to add, feel free to visit the comment section at the bottom of the page👇. I wish you a happy writing year, luck on your WIP (work in progress for those unfamiliar). Hope you visit soon as I will be posting much more writing content!