What does it mean to outline a novel, the overall framework of the story?

The novel outline does not need a fixed format, but in my experience, the overall on these steps:

First, divided into four major parts: time, place, characters, the main content.

Second, fill in the details of the main content of each part: time is generally written on the background of the time, and not necessarily down to the day which time which second. Because if you are writing a long novel, the initial time schedule is likely to need to change, if the time in the revision of frequent changes, then the outline is still meaningful? And then there's the location, so write a few big locations first. Convenient for revision. Characters, to write from the character, identity background, etc., here to be a little more detailed, because the introduction of the character of the more detailed, to promote the future development of the plot the more favorable, because if you are clear about the character of the character identity, you can understand how the character will deal with the changes in the surrounding environment, as well as emotions. I don't know if you've read Shakespeare. Shakespeare's works are based on the character's personality.

My general approach to the main content is to list only the beginning and the end of the story in the outline. The middle of the development process is left empty, but it's easier to edit and add or delete, and then fill in this part in the final draft.

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