The process of writing a novel outline is one that is much debated in writing groups. Whether it is necessary to write an outline being the main point of disagreement. It depends from person to person whether they need to even think about writing a novel outline, as for some people it is the reason they will never write a novel, and for others it's the only reason they do.

Writing a novel outline often starts (and stops) with character outlines. There are sheets all over the internet suggesting questions an author should have answered about their characters, each one ranging from half a page to ten. This is the first test. Each of a novel's characters should have their own personality and history, but that essentially means that each of a novel's characters could have their own novel. Pick out what is actually relevant to the story you have in mind, and move on as quickly as possible.

Don't get caught up in drawing maps of your fictional settings if they're not absolutely necessary to following the plot. And if you don't have a fictional setting then you shouldn't be worried about drawing maps at all. Descriptions of the surroundings should suffice, and this even applies to fictional worlds more often than not.

If you do decide that writing a novel outline is going to be the first step of your novel, then keep it somewhat brief! Writing a novel outline should not take longer than writing the novel itself in any circumstances. A binder full of sketches and geographical data will never equal a finished first draft, though both can take the same amount of work.