I outlined *THE PERFECT NOVEL* using all your favorite tropes 😍

Is there such a thing as “the perfect novel?" What if you could somehow take all the best ingredients that EVERY reader loves and combine them all to create the perfect recipe for The Ultimate Comfort Book? It might sound like an impossible mission… but I decided to challenge myself to try it. In this video, I'm going to collect all the most-loved story ingredients (voted on by YOU guys), put them all in the blender of my brainstorming process, and see if I can outline the *PERFECT* novel.

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✍🏼TIMESTAMPS✍🏼
00:00 Is it possible to write a PERFECT book?
00:59 Gathering Story Ingredients
12:46 Grab the “comfort book” brainstorm template!
13:43 What, Why, and Who
20:16 Structuring the Story
29:00 Now it’s YOUR turn!
30:58 Subscribe for more writing videos :)
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Subscribe for weekly episodes of #WritersLifeWednesdays! Make Your Story Matter™ and make your author dreams come true… new videos every Wednesday.

✨ V A L U A B L E R E S O U R C E S✨

MORE VIDEOS YOU WOULD LIKE:

→ WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT WHEN YOU’RE BORED

→ THE ULTIMATE CHARACTER PROFILE

→ HOW TO STAY MOTIVATED TO WRITE YOUR NOVEL

→ MY CHAPTER-BY-CHAPTER OUTLINING METHOD

✨F O L L O W ✨

✨ A B O U T ✨
My name is Abbie Emmons I teach writers how to make their stories matter by harnessing the power and psychology of storytelling, transforming their ideas into a masterpiece, and creating a lifestyle that makes their author dreams come true.

Story isn’t about “what happens” — it’s about how what happens affects and transforms the characters. I believe that there is an exact science (a recipe, if you will) behind a perfect story. And if you know what ingredients you need, you can create your own perfect story with ease and confidence. That’s what we talk about every week on this channel – and if it’s something you’re into, be sure to subscribe and join this community!

[HannahBessette]

Community: *chooses fantasy genre over romance in the polls*
Abbie: …FANTASY RoMANCE

[quirkyauthor]

I actually love that she has the sweet girl aesthetic with a badass/mysterious personality. Its fun.

[anver]

I am so fascinated by how fast you come up with an entire outline like that! It seems so simple when you do it. When I try making up a story, I always get stuck on tiny details immediately. Like, I create these problems or plot twists for my characters, but then I can't figure out how to solve them, so I just quit. I think it's really hard to find that balance between too vague and too precise.

[CWAChristy]

I like how in the polls said they preferred grumpy guy/sunshiny girl, but every poll about the characters proved otherwise lol

[CMHolst]

Idk if anyone else has contributed their thoughts on the end, but maybe the dragon slays the evil king as thanks for sparing its life. Now the prince/king has a dragon protector. 🤷‍♀️

[IzzyMarrie]

Honestly would love to see this get written. I really love the idea of an assassin woman who dresses beautifully or seems to have a gentle look to her despite her darker ambitions. For one, it hints to another side of her. But also, it'd help her blend into places where she could do her job unnoticed. It shows that she's versatile. The only thing I was kinda sad didn't make it into the outline was the community voted grumpy guy. I think having him be all the things you outlined, including having a "life of the party" and cheerful disposition for his public appearance while being a bit sardonic and grumpy when with her would've been interesting. She can be sharp witted and sarcastic, but she actually does have a sweet side that is gentle which comes out moreso when she's vulnerable would've also been interesting to see.

[DJGALAXYPLAYZ]

NO MY BOOK HAS ALL OF THOSE- except "she's an assassin"...for now ;)

[stjuliaofavila]

ABBIE IF YOU DONT WRITE AND PUBLISH THIS BOOK IM GOING TO DIE 😂 this is such literal GOLD! I love this so much! 😍
~Lia Nicole

[siebkelderart]

This is why The Dragon Prince is my comfort show. Epic quest, enchanted forest/mountain trail, prince and assasin, enemies to lovers, it's got like 80% of these things

[majr_tm]

I love how this is the perfect mix of cozy and cute with total unhingedness and honestly I love it I'm here for it

[Amy_Mi]

Only Abbie would approach a slay-the-dragon trope and go "Nope. Animal cruelty. Gotta have a workaround for that bit." 😂❤

[PrincessDonuts]

Maybe the prince can be an outcast AND funny/goofy/charming at the same time because :
1. The king has considered the prince to be unworthy to be king since his childhood, maybe because of some sacred oath, or rite of passage, because of his public speaking fear or something similar.
2. Because he did not have his father's favor, the others in the palace might have ostracized him, like the nobles and his brothers
3. He's awkward, maybe shy because of the isolation and is not the best at socializing, but maybe sneaks out once and meets the guards of the palace and finds loyal friends in them? They might not know that he is the prince, but they're comfortable around him and like him. Maybe he goes to the towns with them and sees the conditions of the peasants and how they live. They could be suffering or something maybe, possibly because of his father's misgoverning (he could be showing favoritism to the nobles), and this becomes something the prince fixes later on in the end when the king is dethroned.

[DzisiajwBetlejemSylwiaHazboun]

The more drama, blood and evil the happier she is with talking about it 😂

[SkeeterMorey]

Loved the way you laced all those ideas together and seeing how you built it from the ground up. Pure genius.

[BreezyRenee]

The Throne of Glass vibes I'm getting here 😂😂

[VXMasterson]

I was so upset when Grumpy Guy/Sunshine Girl won over Sunshine Guy/Grumpy Girl

Would love to see more challenges like this!

[Noitartst]

Why be so conflicted over whether the idea of a "soft, " girly girl could work? Sure, it can—ever heard of the term "pretty poison"? Have her lure her prey to their deaths by way of food and drink, then poison them, probably via some deadly form of flower extract to complete the "pretty" motif. Overt kindness covering covert cold-bloodedness is truly chilling, and potent, so writing such a character is MORE than intriguing to me.

Having her being a poisoner would fit her as also a spy and assassin, and if so, who is she doing this for? What are her loyalties and how was she trained? How much remorse does she feel? The tension and mistrust betwixt her and whoever her love interest is start to write themselves.

A strong female character need not know martial arts nor have great physical strength to have power, folks; why beat them up when you know how to manipulate them? A poisoner and manipulator whilst appearing classically feminine would be a GREAT complement.

What if she's killed someone he seeks to avenge, and they're falling for each other? Or she realizes she has to kill either him, or someone he holds dear? What if she has to comfort him after she's murdered his mother, say, and now he's cursing out poisoners in particular as incorrigible cowards whilst swearing vengeance on whoever did this? There's no easy resolution, is there?

[ArcherVegaMusic]

Magic mirrors always act as glamours, not wish artifacts. A mirror that ACTUALLY changes something in reality is such a new concept I’d LOVE to see it.

[georginakosi]

27:04: It's like the sudden "I don't want it anymore" like in the movie "Baby Boom". I forgot the name of this step.
And second, Abbie you are a GENIUS to figure this out, and outline so well. Please write it and publish it, I want to read it!!!

[MissRuthina]

I am a fantasy lover...I do not enjoy contemporary as a genre. But on principle I felt like I had to vet Abbie and I consumed her book 100 days of sunlight in a night (I stayed up all night to read it too!!). Just wanted to message....