Every writer goes about her craft in their own personal way. When I first started writing, at a very young age, I had two techniques that I thought served me well. First, I had a picture or image in my mind that inspired the story. And second, I had a typewriter that would allow me to churn out a story with no other thought but to get words down on paper. This technique did not work out very well for me. I often had to make corrections, add paragraphs, change descriptions, or cross out sections that once had inspired me but now brought me grief.
My father suggested that I type up my corrections and tape them into the appropriate space. In his mind, a well-crafted story looked like a scrapbooking project gone wrong. Only later did I discover the tools that helped me become a more successful writer (and by that, I mean a writer who actually finished a project!). The tools change over time, sometimes becoming more refined, sometimes being simplified. But the core tools I use are these:
- A Plot Structure Planning Tool
- A character tracking sheet (and character cards) to keep track of who is in my story.
- A calendar sheet to keep track of when my scenes take place.
Tool Number One: A Plot Structure Planning Tool
I use Post-its® to organize the scenes, events, and actions of my story. All of my plots are built around the Save the Cat framework or the Three Act play structure. Depending on the genre and the structure of the book I am working on, there will be 10 to 30 chapters, with 3 to 10 scenes per chapter. I strive to have each scene be 500 to 2500 words per scene. I realize this sounds kind of mechanistic, but it keeps my story moving along as I intend it and makes sure that I don’t go down any writing rabbit holes.
Tool Number Two: Character Cards and Character
I tailor the Character Tracking Sheet for each series, making sure that I have the basic, recurring characters already listed. I will create various categories of characters so that I can quickly refer to them.
Having this tool makes it possible to consistently reference the character. Knowing who is in your story is often critical, particularly if you have a large number of characters. Remember, if you can’t keep tabs on your characters, neither will your readers. However they will know something’s wrong.
Since the average story may easily contain 30 to 50 characters, I find that this worksheet is absolutely crucial to my writing process.
I also create a character card (usually 5×8 in size) for each person who appears in my story. These cards identify the character, their birth, key events in their live (if relevant), relatives, and other pertinent information. I also put this information in a Wiki program dedicated to my series and the book I am working on. And I will oftern record the book, chapter, and scene in which that character appears. i always put a picture of the character in the Wiki, and often will print out and past the character’s picture on the back of the 5×8 card.
Tool Number Three: Calendar Cards
The third critical tool I use is a Calendar card. Since most of my stories are mysteries, the timeframe for solving the crime is relatively short. Most of my stories take place within one or two months. Even if I don’t specific the actual year an event takes place in my story, I do make sure that it makes rational sense. I want my stories to reflect, as much as possible, a realistic passage of time. The Calendar Card helps me do that.
I enter the title of the book and the Month and Year at the top of the card.
I will write the calendar date on the care, then the chapter and scene on the day it takes place. This way, my stories make sense, don’t violate my own sense of reality, and make more sense to my readers.
There are many more tools in a writer’s toolkit than these three. If you use any particular tools, let me know in the comments section and in a future post, I will highlight your contribution.