In regards to plot outlining I found several different articles with various ways of attempting the beginning stages of plot structure. One of which I found more direct than the rest, the theory behind it was simply based off the classical terms of Comedy Vs. Tragedy, and then went into further detail of plot outlining. But for now let's start with the basics first.

In classic terms...

• Comedy simply means: A drama with a happy ending. Or a work — play, story, novel, or film that ends happily for the main character or protagonist.

Where as...

• Tragedy means: A serious drama in which a central character, the protagonist — usually an important, heroic person — meets with disaster either through some personal fault or through unavoidable circumstances. In most cases, the protagonist's downfall conveys a sense of human dignity in the face of great conflict.

The point of the lesson was that each story either falls under one category or the other. It either ends happily or in a unhappy ending. And yes, I know that sounds very obvious but really once you've laid the ground rules of your story you can then begin to build upon it, and understand the makings of it more clearly.

Next is...

So now that we understand what Comedy VS. Tragedy is, from this point we would then proceed to ask ourselves "The 2 Main Questions".

Maybe you already know whether you want your story to end happily or unhappily, but if you're not sure then ask yourself these two simple questions.

1. Do I want to write a story where the characters experience the right way of solving a problem, or do I want them experience the wrong way of solving a problem? And by "problem" I mean the Story Goal which we'll get into in a later article.
2. Do I want my readers to learn from my characters' failures, or from their successes?

DON'T DECIDE YET! LET THAT MARINATE FIRST! Read on to "The Four Possible Novel Endings".

Of course, not every story fits into the neat categories of Comedy and Tragedy alone. Many stories have bittersweet endings that lie somewhere in between the lines. Just as justice depends not only on the letter of the law but also on the spirit of the law, the impact of a story depends not just on what happens but also on how we feel about what happens.

So... the choice you must make in Step 3 of plot development is whether your outcome should be SEEN as "good" or "bad".

Example:

• In some stories, characters may fail to achieve the Story Goal, only to find that their failure is a good thing. This is seen as a (Personal Triumph).
  

• In other stories, characters may achieve the Story Goal, only to discover that the goal was not worth achieving.This is seen as a (Personal Tragedy).

OK THIS IS WHY I DIDN'T WANT YOU TO DECIDE YET. Sometimes a "bad thing" can actually turn out to be a good for your protagonist in the long run, and sometimes a "good thing" can actually turn out to be a bad thing for your protagonist in the long run.

Now, based on these two additional choices of outcome and judgment, the four possible endings of any novel plot are as follows.

There's Good Endings:

• Comedy (happy ending): the protagonist achieves the goal or solves the problem, and his success turns out to be a good thing in the long run.

• Tragi-comedy (Personal Triumph): the protagonist fails to achieve the goal, but his failure turns out to be a good thing in the long run.

And there's Bad Endings:

• Tragedy: the protagonist fails to achieve the goal, and his failure is a bad thing in the long run.

• Comi-tragedy (Personal Tragedy): the protagonist achieves his goal, but his success turns out to be a bad thing in the long run.

Make sense yet? Or did I confuse more? If that confuses you, I suggest reading it over one more slowly to see the transitioning differences between the four story ending outcomes.

Also, I suggest playing with all four of these options in your head for a little while, before deciding what type of ending feels right for your story.

• Introduction - Dear Journal: My Novel in Progress
  
• Week 1 - Plot: The Hero's Journey
• Week 2 - Comedy Vs. Tragedy: Will it End Happily?
  
• Week 3 - (Currently In Progress)