I’ve had a few people reach out and ask how I outline or structure an Iggy & Oz story. I’m primarily a discovery writer, in the sense that I don’t really do extensive outlines. But I do a lot of walking, and I do answer six questions for each Iggy & Oz story.
So tonight I’m sharing the outline for the Living Snot.
The Living Snot is a tough book. One, I wrote it in January 2021 in the midst of fighting depression and anxiety. I delayed publishing it for a full year. But it’s been the one kids seem to love the most. It’s also the one that shocks me to have won an award.
Below is the extent of my outlining and what I used to write this years Realm Award winning Middle Grade Book:
Iggy & Oz The Living Snot
1. What is the flaw Iggy has for this book…?
Iggy has a habit of making fun of his enemies. Especially Todd. But is that a good thing…? Is it right for him to find humor in other people’s pain? Even if it is his enemy…?
2. How does Iggy Overcome this flaw in the end…?
After Todd is hurt due to the giant blob of snot- Iggy showers him with kindness and takes him some comics (or something) while he heals up. Closing scene of the book
3. What danger (problem) are the kids facing at the beginning…?
Jenn’s mother had bought some antique (and unused) handkerchiefs or something else possibly from Mr. Chesterton’s estate sale. This brings Oz’s snot to life. The snot at first is just a small blob that Oz is keeping as a pet. However, the blob starts to get bigger, and bigger, and bigger and eventually escapes and starts destroying the neighborhood.
4. What is their mission…?
Stop the giant blob of snot before it eats them, Whiskers, or any more cars.
5. What obstacles are standing in the way of the kids accomplishing this mission…?
1. Mrs. McKenzie- she needs to play a bigger roll. The snot does something. Maybe Whiskers gets covered in the muck. But she is keeping Iggy in her house until his mom comes to get him. Her house is a bit creepy (actually not. It’s quite quaint but it’s Iggy- so he’ll find a way to make it seem scary.)
2. Todd- As usual Todd is a problem. Todd however gets hurt when the blob of snot attacks him.
3. The Big Blob of Snot. It keeps growing, and growing, and growing…
6. How do they overcome this big blob of snot in order to stop it…? And how does this decision point force Iggy to confront his flaw…?
a- They could use fire- this makes it mad and it starts spitting fire globs of snot
b- They could use essential oils- this has the wrong effect and makes it grow
c- They make saline solution by mixing salt and water in their pool… Aaron’s brainy idea.
That’s it. I pulled that straight from the Scrivener file. That’s all I used. I should say this is the third book in the series, so I know these kids very, very well.
