How I Plot Novels
Today, I’m sharing a glimpse behind the curtain into my novel writing process.
As a writer, I’m always interested in how others do their work—always looking for new and improved ways to get words on the page.
I used to feel guilt and shame over using so many analog methods. After all, I CAN type; I’m even fairly fast.
Back in my social work days, I would type in my supervision case notes as workers on my team told me the stories of the families they served. Given our outrageous caseloads and work expectations, it was the only way to keep our heads above water. Essentially, I took dictation from them, only pausing at the end to summarize my supervisory assessment and direction.
After retirement, I began writing novels.
In the beginning, I would sit at the computer, stare at the screen for several minutes, then type, hoping that my characters would dictate to me, just like the case workers.
Turns out, that didn’t work for me. My prose was stilted and uninspired. Maybe it was the nature of old habits. You can’t simply make things up in official documentation. Case notes must be true and factual.
Pulling out a blank piece of paper, I began sketching out scenes with a pencil. Character arcs, plot points and the underpinnings of the world I was creating in my novel.
Those rough notes turned into scene ideas which blossomed into page after page of handwritten narrative.
From that point on, I use Scrivener, a word processing app specifically designed for writers. Typing in those handwritten pages, I do a light edit, then take another look at the overall story.
What you see in the picture above is what happens after I have that first draft in Scrivener. As you might expect, there are a ton of plot holes.
I print and cut apart strips of paper with scene summaries, and add more on index cards. (It’s super helpful to have a ping-pong table with a large surface and that lovely stripe down the middle to help organize it all.) I could see the scenes at a glance, and using my favorite cheap Bic mechanical pencils, I add and subtract where needed.
Everything goes back in Scrivener and I’m ready to write new scenes. In pencil in my trusty paper notebook.
Sure, it sounds like a lot of work. But every novel is a lot of work, regardless of the method.
The moral of this story is to use what works. Fussing over how fast I type or if I use post-it notes or index cards does not get me closer to a finished novel for you to read.