For commercial fiction plotters
24- and 27-Chapter Novel Outline Templates
Two editable novel outlines with a job for every chapter: Derek Murphy's 24-chapter structure with its eight turns marked, and Kat O'Keeffe's 27-chapter grid.
Turn by turn
Where the eight turns fall in a 24-chapter novel
Derek Murphy's outline puts a turn after every third chapter, which spaces the eight turns an eighth of the book apart. K.M. Weiland times the same beats by percentage, and the two line up almost exactly.
| Turn | Falls after | What it has to do | K.M. Weiland's timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inciting incident | Chapter 3 (12.5%) | Something intrudes on ordinary life that can't be ignored. | Inciting Event, 12% |
| Point of no return | Chapter 6 (25%) | The way back closes. They're in, whether they chose it or not. | First Plot Point, 25% |
| First clash | Chapter 9 (37.5%) | A first brush with the opposition. Murphy notes it needn't be a battle; an argument can do it. | First Pinch Point, 37% |
| Midpoint | Chapter 12 (50%) | A discovery raises the stakes. They stop reacting and start acting. | Midpoint, 50% |
| Second clash | Chapter 15 (62.5%) | Their plan meets the opposition. The first clash was distant; Murphy makes this one personal. | Second Pinch Point, 62% |
| Lowest point | Chapter 18 (75%) | The plan fails and a revelation follows. Winning now looks impossible. | Third Plot Point, 75% |
| Final confrontation | Chapter 21 (87.5%) | They go on with little chance. Murphy says even this plan should go wrong first. | Climax, 88% |
| The new normal | Chapter 24 (100%) | What winning cost, and how far they've come. | Climactic Moment and Resolution, 98 to 100% |
Placements from Derek Murphy's 24-chapter outline1, which labels the turns inciting incident, first plot point, first pinch point, midpoint, second pinch point, second plot point, final battle and rebirth. Timings from K.M. Weiland's four-act structure2. Both checked October 29, 2026.
How it works
What is the 24-chapter novel outline?
The 24-chapter novel outline is a plotting structure by author Derek Murphy of Creativindie. It plans a novel as 24 chapters in three acts of 6, 12 and 6, with a turning point after every third chapter, eight in all. His free original, with his notes, is on his 24-chapter plot outline page1. He pairs it with his eight-point Plot Dot: sketch the eight big beats first, then use the chapters to fill in "the connective tissue between those beats."
Fill it in that order: the eight turns first, then the chapters between them. K.M. Weiland observes in her four-act structure guide2 that most writers struggle less with finding turning points than with writing their way between them. Murphy suggests seeing each three-chapter stretch as "event, reaction, new goal." Give every chapter one or two sentences of what happens and one line on what changes by its end, and rethink any chapter where nothing does.
This template splits Murphy's long middle act at the midpoint, giving four blocks of six. Its chapter jobs use neutral words, and a table phrases each turn for romance, mystery and literary fiction. Murphy treats the 24 as story sections, not fixed chapters, and for a thriller suggests splitting some in two, for 35 to 40 chapters. For other lengths, the second outline plans 27 chapters on Kat O'Keeffe's grid3 of nine three-chapter blocks, and the novel outline template plans 20.
How it works
From one idea to 24 chapters
Download it or open it in River
Download both outlines as Word documents with no account, or click Edit with AI to open them in River.
Tell River about your book
Optional. Type a premise or paste your plot notes, and River fills in the 24-chapter outline, or the 27 if you choose it.
Read your first pass
Each chapter gets what happens and what changes, each turn a line in your genre's terms, and open questions arrive as comments.
Make it yours
Merge, split or move chapters, break each one into scene cards, or ask River to draft chapter 1.
- Ch 1Rosa botches the lamp; her cousin gets the post.
- Ch 3 · turnThe ghost ship fires a flare.
- Ch 6 · 25%The keeper falls ill. The light is hers alone.
- Ch 9 · turnShe guides a trawler home through the fleet.
- Ch 12 · 50%The radio operator hears the dead crews. Stay or go?
- Ch 15 · turnThe keeper hands her the master key.
- Ch 18 · 75%The salvager has been luring wrecks, like his father.
- Ch 21 · turnShe climbs the tower in the storm anyway.
- Ch 24 · endAt dawn the fleet is gone. She's the keeper now.
What you'll get
24- and 27-chapter outlines with a job for every chapter
- 24 chapters in four blocks, eight turns marked
- A 27-chapter version in three acts of nine
- A plain job per chapter, plus a genre table
Before and after
Your idea in. Twenty-four chapters that each do their job.
A lighthouse apprentice sees ships that sank fifty years ago sailing past her light.
Block 1: the old life cracks 1. A bad day that shows what's missing. Rosa botches the lamp cleaning before the inspector's visit, and the keeper's post goes to her cousin. 2. Something strange, explained away. At midnight a three-masted ship with no lights slides past the rocks. Fog, she decides. 3. Setbacks pile up. The inspector finds the logbook entry she faked. Turn: inciting incident. The ship passes again and fires a flare. 4. A disruption she can't ignore. A drowned sailor's coat washes up on the landing, bone dry. 6. The safety net goes. The keeper falls ill. The light is hers alone.
Each chapter's event does that chapter's job, so the structure holds all the way through.
What lands in your doc
What's in the template
- 24-Chapter Novel Outline
Four blocks of six chapters, eight turns marked, and lines for what happens and what changes. - 27-Chapter Novel Outline
Three acts, each three blocks of three chapters, on Kat O'Keeffe's grid, with six turns marked. - The basics and your story in brief
Working title, genre and target length, then your protagonist's want and flaw, the opposition and the ordinary world. - A plain job for every chapter
One line per chapter, in River's own neutral words, so either outline suits any genre. - Genre translation table
The eight turns phrased for romance, mystery and literary fiction, in the 24-chapter outline. - Optional chapter 25
Murphy's list runs to 25 chapters. Here the last is optional, for series writers hinting at what's next. - Chapter count and length notes
When to merge or split chapters, and how long each one runs in an 80,000-word novel.
Questions authors ask
Common questions
What is the 24-chapter novel outline?
Derek Murphy's 24-chapter novel outline is a chapter-by-chapter plotting structure for commercial fiction. It lays out 24 chapters in three acts, with a turn after every third chapter. The biggest turns fall after chapters 6, 12 and 18: a quarter, half and three quarters of the way through. His free original is on his Creativindie outline page1.
How does the 27-chapter outline work?
The 27-chapter method, from writer and YouTuber Kat O'Keeffe, splits a novel into three acts, each made of three blocks of three chapters. In her outlining video3, every block has its own small arc: a disruption, a reaction, a new balance. This template keeps her grid but writes its own chapter jobs, putting the low point at chapter 18 rather than her 21.
How long should each chapter be?
Chapters in most adult novels average 2,000 to 4,000 words, the range novelist Harry Bingham calls standard4 in a guide for Jericho Writers, which sells writing courses. For an 80,000-word novel, Murphy puts each of his 24 chapters at about 3,300 words. Kat O'Keeffe calls about 3,000 words, roughly 15 pages, a good chapter length. Pacing matters more than an exact count.
Does it work for romance, mystery or literary fiction?
Yes. Murphy's notes lean on words like "battle," yet his page also maps a romance: avoiding new feelings, a rushed confession, a misunderstanding, a dark night and a public declaration. This template words every job neutrally and adds a table phrasing the eight turns for romance, mystery and literary fiction. For a love story beat by beat, see the romance beat sheet.
Is this Derek Murphy's official template?
No. It follows his structure and credits him, but the chapter jobs are River's own words, and River isn't affiliated with Murphy or Creativindie. His own free versions include a Word worksheet with his notes, a printable PDF, a Google Docs copy, and templates for Scrivener and Plottr. Either way, the turns fall after the same chapters.
Is this 24-chapter outline template free?
Yes. Download both outlines as Word documents with no account or signup. Edit with AI opens the same template in River, which is free to start: fill it in yourself, or describe your book for a first pass. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
What does Edit with AI do?
It opens both outlines in your own River workspace. With nothing typed, they open empty, ready to fill. Add a premise or notes, and River writes a first pass into the 24-chapter outline, or the 27 if you pick it. It places your names and planned events in the chapters whose jobs they fit. Open questions go in comments rather than invented twists.
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