Getting Started with Outline Templates on Quillry
In this article, learn about how you can manage outline templates on Quillry.
To do this, we need to understand some key concepts about the intersection of
templates, outlines, and plot points because
these concepts work hand-in-hand.
About Outline Templates
- Outline templates are re-usable plot structures.
- Outline templates contain a series of plot points which ultimately define the structure.
- Since outline templates are reusable they are not tied to any specific Story.
- Outline templates are not meant to have scenes, but you can use them to create outlines based off the template.
- Characters, Locations, and Timelines cannot be bound to a template.
- Outline templates can be set to public or private.
- Private templates are unable to be viewed by anyone other than you, the creator.
- Public templates can be viewed, rated on, commented on, and used by other users on Quillry. When you set an outline template you created to public, you are making it available to be discovered and used. You retain control over editing the template and can change the visibility from public to private at any time.
- If you create a template and set it to public, then later change it to private, users with a copy of the template version they downloaded will retain that copy. You can not remove public copies that have been downloaded by users.
- Outline templates have a type which is either fiction or non-fiction.
- Outline templates have a genre which has such options as biographies, cookbooks, mystery, thriller, or fantasy (and more)
- Outline templates can set the genre to any if it can be applied to different types of books.
Now that we know a bit about templates, let's look at the building blocks of a template: plot points.
About Plot Points
- A plot point is a significant moment in a book or story that impacts a character or characters, or the direction of the story.
- A plot point occurs at a specific point in time within the story. For example, "Turning Point One" or "Pinch Point One", which is a plot point within ACT ONE of the classic 3-Act Structure, typically occurs around 25% through the story and signifies the end of ACT ONE propelling the reader and audience into ACT TWO.
- Plot Points and the defined point at which they occur are used to calculate word counts.
- Plot Points have three required fields: A Title, A description, and A numeric value that represents the percent of the book at which the plot point occurs.
- The point at which the plot point occurs in story is called percent of the book, and must be between 1 and 100 (a plot point cannot exist beyond 100% of the book's total word count.)
Now that we know a bit about templates and plot points, let's look at how they interplay with outlines.
About Outlines
- Outlines are locked to a Story.
- All Stories you create receive a copy of the 3 Act structure outline to get you started.
- Outlines also contain a series of plot points which ultimately define the structure.
- Outlines cannot be set to public. They are private to you.
- Outlines do not have a type.
- Outlines do not have a genre.
- Outlines can be but don't have to be created from a template.
- If you create an outline from a template, you recieve a private copy of the plot points from that template. Your outline inherits that data so you don't have to recreate the plot point definitions.
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Changes are not bidirectional.
This means that when you make an Outline based off a Template,
if the plot points in the template change (plot points are added, edited, or deleted),
that outline that inherited from that template will not receive those updates.
Also, it means that if you add, edit, or delete plot points from the Outline,
those changes are not reflected in the Template the outline was sourced from.
Exmaple #1: You create a template with plot points, then create an outline from that template, then later you add more plot points to the Template, the outline does not receive those new plot points.
Example #2: You create a template with plot points, then create an outline from that template, then later add more plot points to the Outline, the template does not receive those new plot points.
Demo of Creating A Template
Click the My Templates from the side-navigation.
You will be redirected to your templates page, which will have a table
of all the outline templates you have created.
Click the Add button on the data table header.
A popup will launch with the form necessary to create an outline template.
Click the Save button on the data tables header.
You will be redirected to the Template Page
where you can begin adding plot points to the new template.
Editing A Template
Click the My Templates from the side-navigation.
You will be redirected to your templates page, which will have a table
of all the outline templates you have created.
Select the row for the template you wish to edit and click the Edit button on the data table header.
A popup will launch with the form necessary to create an outline template.
Click the Save button on the data tables header.
Adding Plot Points
Click the My Templates from the side-navigation.
You will be redirected to your templates page, which will have a table
of all the outline templates you have created.
Select the row for the template you wish to edit and click the View button.
You will be redirected to the Template Page.
You will be redirected to the Create Plot Point Page.
Fill out the form with the desired information then click Save.
Editing Plot Points
Click the My Templates from the side-navigation.
You will be redirected to your templates page, which will have a table
of all the outline templates you have created.
Select the row for the template you wish to edit and click the View button.
You will be redirected to the Template Page.
Click the Edit button on the row for the plot point you wish to edit.
You will be redirected to the Edit Plot Point Page.
Fill out the form with the desired information then click Save.