Not many authors know this but you can create a compelling and dramatic story outline of your novel in about one hour. There are eight main plot elements that an author must incorporate.

1. Story goal: It is the problem that a protagonist in a story wants to solve. It can also be seen as the main task that a protagonist wants to accomplish. The sequence of events that unfolds in every story is geared towards solving a problem or attaining a certain goal. If, for example, you talk about a career woman who puts off starting a family of her own to advance her career, the story goal can be her attempt to find true love. There are many ways you can involve other characters in this story. Taking the above example you could introduce: a concerned sister who wants the protagonist to be happy; a jealous ex who will stop at nothing to sabotage her love life; and unmarried friends who hope to get inspiration from her success.

2. Consequence: This is the impending disaster that might happen if the main character fails to achieve the story goal. The consequence is the negative occurrence that will justify the efforts a protagonist makes to achieve the story goal. Tension in the story is created by the merger of the story goal and consequence.

3. Requirements: These are the things that must be done in order for the story goal to be achieved. The story goal might require one event or a combination of events in order to be achieved. As more requirements are met, readers feel that the characters are getting closer to achieving the story goal.

4. Forewarnings: These are the counterparts to requirements. When the requirements are fulfilled, they indicate that the story goal is closer to being achieved. However, forewarnings indicate when the consequences are getting closer.

5. Costs: Good stories have problems that are very close to the characters. If a plot has trivial problems, neither the reader nor the protagonist has a reason to get excited about it. One of the indicators that a story goal is important is when the protagonist is willing to put him/herself in harm’s way or make sacrifices to attain the goal. These sacrifices are the costs. A common example of a cost is a detective who is attacked in the course of his investigation.

6. Dividends: These elements balance the costs of achieving a story goal. They are rewards that a character gets along the way and that motivate him to bear the effects of the costs. Although the requirements are a must for a story goal to be achieved, dividends are not necessary. In fact they are often completely unrelated to the story goal.

7. Prerequisites: They are events that set the stage for the requirements to be met. They are additional layers of challenge to the plot outline. Just like requirements, when prerequisites are met readers feel that the achievement of the story goal is getting closer.

8. Preconditions: They are minor impediments in the plot and are often laid down by characters other than the main character. These impediments make the story goal harder to achieve.

After choosing the eight elements, you can now arrange them into a brief but captivating outline. The order is not important but all the elements must be included.