Staring at a blank page is the quickest way to kill a great story idea. We’ve all been there. The inspiration is bubbling, but the structure feels like a tangled mess. When I get like this, I turn to a method that allows me to plot a novel in 60 minutes.
This method is about locking down the three things every unputdownable book needs: a clear goal, a character who is actually motivated, and conflict that keeps readers up until 2:00 AM. It also keeps me from going down the rabbit hole of B-plots and backstories. Those will be addressed later.
1. Pinpoint what your character actually values
Before you can make things hard for your protagonist, you need to know what they would fight for. List 3 to 5 things they absolutely cherish or need to survive.
The Ava Example: She has her grandma’s antique locket, a prized vintage motorcycle, her reputation as the town’s best mechanic, her sister’s happiness, and her fierce independence.
2. Take one of those things away (The Catalyst)
The story truly starts the moment your character loses something from that list. This is your inciting incident. It is the fuel that forces them off the couch and into the plot.
The Twist: Someone swipes the antique locket. Suddenly, Ava has a mission.
3. Dig into the why
If your character just wants it back because they like it, the story will fizzle out by chapter four. You need at least three deep reasons why losing this item is a catastrophe.
The Stakes: For Ava, the locket is the last memory of her grandma, it hides a clue to a lost fortune, and losing it feels like breaking a sacred promise.
4. Throw literal rocks at them (External Obstacles)
These are the hurdles that make your plot feel like a movie. Brainstorm six challenges that vary in intensity to keep the tension high.
The Hurdles: A master thief rival, a high-security auction break-in, a framed crime, and her motorcycle breaking down at the exact moment she needs to escape.
5. Poke at their secret fears
This is where the internal plot happens. List 3 to 5 things that scare your character, then pick the one that makes their current mission ten times harder.
The Fear: Ava is terrified of failing her family. If she does not find that locket, she is failing her sister’s future.
6. The Growth Moment
A character who stays the same is boring. List 3 to 5 reasons they must overcome their fear to win. This is how you make the ending feel earned.
The Shift: To get the locket, Ava has to stop being a loner and trust someone else. Her sister’s life depends on her stepping up.
7. Sketch the 10-Step Map
You have the pieces, now connect them. Jot down 10 quick milestones your character needs to hit to reach the finish line.
- The Heartbreak: Ava finishes a long shift only to find her grandmother’s antique locket has been stolen from her locker.
- The First Clue: While searching the scene, she finds a greasy fingerprint and a coordinate that leads to the underground antique district.
- The Shady Informant: She tracks the lead to a black market dealer. He knows who has the locket but demands she fix a vintage engine in exchange for the name.
- The Rival Appears: Just as she gets the name of a thief named Silas, a rival collector corners her. He reveals the locket holds a key to a family fortune.
- The Infiltration: Ava discovers Silas is selling the locket at a private auction. She has to trade her coveralls for a gown to sneak in.
- The Midpoint Trap: She reaches the locket, but it is a decoy. Silas anticipated her move. Security is triggered, and Ava narrowly escapes.
- The Low Point: Stranded and without her bike or the locket, Ava feels she has failed her family. She is forced to call for help, breaking her loner rule.
- The Final Trail: With her sister’s help, they track the real locket to the private estate of Silas before he can leave the country.
- The Showdown: Ava confronts Silas. She uses her mechanical skills to sabotage his escape vehicle, forcing a face-to-face confrontation.
- The Resolution: Ava recovers the locket and realizes that her strength did not come from the item, but from the family she was trying to protect.
8. Break things on purpose (The Twists)
Go back through those 10 steps and ask: what is the worst thing that could happen here?
The Ouch Factor: She finds the thief, but it is a decoy. Or the only person who can help her demands her motorcycle as payment.
Why Should You Plot a Novel in 60 Minutes?
- It Kills Writer Block: Most blockages happen because we do not know what happens next. When you have a 10-step map, you always have a North Star to follow.
- Stakes That Actually Matter: By forcing yourself to list three deep reasons why a character needs their goal, you avoid the so what factor.
- Built-in Emotional Depth: Because we link the external plot to an internal fear, your story feels deep without you having to overthink it.
- Identify Plot Holes Early: If you cannot come up with six obstacles or ten steps, it is a sign the engine of your story needs a tune-up before you spend months writing.
Plotting a novel in 60 minutes forces you to focus on the core engine of your story. The finer details and B-plots can wait. But while this map gives Ava a destination, it does not yet give her a soul. In the next post, we will layer Dan Harmon’s Story Circle over this 10-step map to ensure Ava’s internal transformation is just as high-stakes as her external mission.