Okay, picture this: a cocky college kid decides to show up his writing prof by following her “lame” outlining rules to the T, just to prove it’ll spit out generic crap. Instead, he cranks out Storm Front, the kickoff to the Dresden Files juggernaut. Boom—plan blows up in his face, but in the best way possible.
That kid? Jim Butcher. Guy went from “Outlines suck” to “Outlines are my secret weapon,” and with 24+ books and a pile of bestsellers, his method’s got some serious cred. As a wannabe author myself, it’s kinda inspiring… or intimidating. Whatever.
The Story Skeleton: Basically a Plot Cheat Code
Butcher’s big thing is this “Story Skeleton” or “Story Question.” Super basic: “When [crap hits the fan], [hero] chases [big goal]. But can they pull it off when [bad guy throws curveballs]?” For Storm Front, it’s like: “When freaky supernatural murders rip through Chicago, wizard Harry Dresden hunts the killer. But will he win when the psycho’s packing magic Harry’s never even heard of?”
Dead simple, right? But it works like a charm. Butcher runs every idea through this filter—if it doesn’t pop, trash it. It’s like a quick gut-check for whether your plot’s got legs. And hey, it stretches to any genre: urban fantasy, epic stuff, even that vampire romance side hustle. Each Dresden book boils down to “Harry’s crappiest weekend ever,” which keeps the stakes sky-high.
Beating the Middle-Story Slump
You know that swampy middle where your story drags like quicksand? Butcher fixes it with a “Big Middle” blowout—a huge showdown that flips the script. “Plan a massive event for the end of the middle,” he says. Something epic that fits your vibe, and bam, the story pivots.
It’s smart because the first half builds to this explosion, and the fallout launches you to the end. No shrugging it off; it changes everything. Like in movies when the hero’s plan tanks and they realize the villain’s ten steps ahead. Keeps readers hooked, and honestly, as someone who’s stalled out mid-draft, I need this in my life.
The Scene-Sequel Shuffle
On the nitty-gritty level, Butcher swears by “scene-sequel” from his prof Deborah Chester (who got it from some writing guru). Scenes: goal, conflict, disaster. Hero wants X, hits a wall, and it all goes to hell. Sequels: reaction, think it over, anticipate, decide.
It’s like breathing: action in, reflection out. Stops your story from being non-stop explosions (boring after a while) and makes characters feel real, not just plot zombies. For noobs, he says stick to it like glue: scene-sequel all the way to the climax. Master that, then riff like jazz. Solid advice—wish I’d had it before my last half-baked outline.
Series Planning: Think Big, But Don’t Box Yourself In
For series, Butcher’s like a long-game strategist. He sketched 20 Dresden books upfront, with “stepping stones” for key spots. But it’s not rigid; when his publisher needed a hardcover banger, he flipped Dead Beat and Proven Guilty without wrecking the arc. Romances bubble up naturally, not forced.
Books start with a hook—like “werewolves!”—or a vivid image, then he digs into research. Fool Moon shifted from “Who’s the wolf?” to “Which wolf’s the bad one?” after folklore homework. Guy adapts, which is key for someone like me juggling plots and kid chaos.
His Toolkit’s Low-Tech and Lovable
In this app-obsessed world, you’d think Butcher’s got fancy software. Nah—he’s old-school notebooks with his original Dresden outline, character sheets, and those prof worksheets he used to hate. Research dives reshape everything, timelines track the big picture, but it’s all analog.
“Try all the tools, then tweak to fit you,” he tells newbies. As a web dev who codes with AI daily, I dig the simplicity. No need for bloated apps when a notebook does the job.
Giving Back the Goods
Now, Butcher’s paying it forward—teaching at seminars like Superstars and dropping wisdom on LiveJournal (yeah, remember that?). He even foreworded Chester’s The Fantasy Fiction Formula, shouting out how her system saved his butt.
He’s not pushy; it’s “This worked for me, adapt it.” Results? NYT bestsellers, Hugos, steady output. Proves you can be structured without being a robot.
Wrapping This Up
Butcher shows outlining and creativity can tango without stepping on toes. Story Skeleton for focus, Big Middle to dodge the slump, scene-sequel for rhythm—it’s a toolkit that cranks out winners across genres.
If you’re like me, scared outlining kills the fun, take heart from his story. Proving your prof wrong by nailing her method? That’s how you accidentally build an empire. Now, if I could just outline my way out of tech and into stories without the kids interrupting…
Works Cited
Gibbons, Amie. “JIM BUTCHER ON WRITING – SEQUELS.” Author Amie Gibbons, 16 Dec. 2014, authoramiegibbons.wordpress.com/2014/12/16/jim-butcher-on-writing-sequels/.
Jim Butcher. “Events for May 2025.” Jim Butcher, www.jim-butcher.com/event/superstars-writing-seminars. Accessed 10 July 2025.
Johnson, Melora. “Organizing a NaNoWriMo Novel The Jim Butcher Way.” Melora Johnson’s Muse, 4 Oct. 2013, melorajohnson.wordpress.com/2013/10/04/organizing-a-nanowrimo-novel-the-jim-butcher-way/.
“SDCC: Jim Butcher Interview.” Reactor, 25 July 2008, www.tor.com/2008/07/25/sdccjimbutcherinterview/.
“WoJ about the process of writing the DF.” The Word of Jim, wordof.jim-butcher.com/index.php/word-of-jim-woj-compilation/woj-about-the-process-of-writing-the-df/. Accessed 10 July 2025.
Woodward, Karen. “Deborah Chester: How to Structure a Scene.” Karen Woodward, 5 Dec. 2019, blog.karenwoodward.org/2019/12/deborah-chester-how-to-structure-scene.html.
—. “Jim Butcher: How To Write A Story.” Karen Woodward, 8 June 2012, blog.karenwoodward.org/2012/06/jim-butcher-how-to-write-story.html.
—. “Jim Butcher On Writing.” Karen Woodward, 25 Oct. 2012, blog.karenwoodward.org/2012/10/jim-butcher-on-writing.html.