The ACE Adventure Design Method is useful for RPG adventure designers and authors alike. It uses four acronyms: ACE, AIMS, LAND and WHAT to aid in the design of an adventure from a purely fictional point-of-view, allowing you to leave the "crunch" of mechanics behind while you focus of the conflict, npcs, locations and encounters.
The video link describes and shows an example of use for the L.A.N.D.... [click here for more]