
Sign up to save your podcasts
Or


Outlining doesn’t have to strangle your creativity—or leave you drowning in spreadsheets. In this episode of Master Fiction Writing, we introduce The Inside Outline: a fast, 2–3 page method that pairs each major Scene (what happens) with its Point (why it matters to your protagonist). The result? A plot that moves and a character arc that means something.
You’ll hear how to build 10–15 Scene/Point pairs, link them with clean cause-and-effect (“because of that…”), and pressure-test the outline so stakes rise, tension builds, and the story delivers on genre promises. We’ll walk through examples—romance, and thriller—so you can hear exactly how to do it.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The Scene/Point pairing that keeps plot and emotion glued together
How to use “because of that…” to create momentum (not coincidence)
A quick 8-question stress test for your outline’s stakes, pacing, and arc
Ways to turn your Inside Outline into scenes, revisions, and a query-ready synopsis
Leave with a living map you can actually write from: short, sharp, and tied to why your story matters.
By Stuart Wakefield4.6
2121 ratings
Outlining doesn’t have to strangle your creativity—or leave you drowning in spreadsheets. In this episode of Master Fiction Writing, we introduce The Inside Outline: a fast, 2–3 page method that pairs each major Scene (what happens) with its Point (why it matters to your protagonist). The result? A plot that moves and a character arc that means something.
You’ll hear how to build 10–15 Scene/Point pairs, link them with clean cause-and-effect (“because of that…”), and pressure-test the outline so stakes rise, tension builds, and the story delivers on genre promises. We’ll walk through examples—romance, and thriller—so you can hear exactly how to do it.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
The Scene/Point pairing that keeps plot and emotion glued together
How to use “because of that…” to create momentum (not coincidence)
A quick 8-question stress test for your outline’s stakes, pacing, and arc
Ways to turn your Inside Outline into scenes, revisions, and a query-ready synopsis
Leave with a living map you can actually write from: short, sharp, and tied to why your story matters.

1,300 Listeners

1,006 Listeners

635 Listeners

1,995 Listeners

226 Listeners

313 Listeners

5,151 Listeners

1,476 Listeners

786 Listeners

41,499 Listeners

413 Listeners

9,383 Listeners

93 Listeners

76 Listeners

11,434 Listeners