Most times, those who have only started writing aren't aware of what an outline is or even how important it is to setting up your story. Long story short, outlines make sure that every chapter contributes to the story as well as builds momentum for the climax and denouement in the end.
- Hero (H)
- Heroine (h)
- Antagonist (villain)
- Side characters
- Physical description - hair, skin, eye color, height and build, any distinct features?
- Traits, personality, character - Funny? hard-working? quiet? You'll have an easier time defining a character's traits by considering how the character acts towards family, friends, lovers, colleagues, and the rest of the world
- Background - Income level, social class, cultural, religious, family history, medical history, relationship history
- Past, present, and future goals - These tend to affect the way they think, act, and decide
- Interactions - List down major interactions or scenes between characters and what you want to happen before, during, and after such interactions
- Sequence of events (which you can rearrange / change as you go)
- Setting (You don't have to spend money for your character to "travel" or go to a different world even so set your imagination free)
- Spoilers (how one event in Chapter X will affect or contribute to an event in Chapter Y)
- Highlights (scenes where you have to emphasize a particular reaction, event, etc)
- Missing Links (indicate when there's something that should happen in a particular chapter but you can't figure out what that should be at the moment)
- Timeline (mention how many days / weeks / months / years or how much time has passed per event / scene)