Ideas
Have you ever had a random idea for a story and needed place to jot it down? Maybe you're at a hotel in the city having lunch? That's easy—you just use a napkin. Or perhaps you are in eighth grade algebra class? Then you obviously use those pastel gel pens I'm not even sure they sell anymore to write your idea on your wrist, elbow, forehead—any bodily surface, really.
And of course these tried and true methods work in a pinch, but there is definitely a more organized, less crazy-looks-inducing way to go about it: index cards.
Whenever you get a random idea, write it down on the index card and put it in your story's file. Or, if you're not sure where the idea fits, or if it even fits in your story at all, file it under “miscellaneous”. Index cards are a great place to put ideas that may not have an obvious home at the moment. And a good idea is a terrible thing to waste, so whatever you do, don’t waste it. Write it down and save it for later—you will eventually find a use for it.
Planning your novel
I will have more to say later about planning a novel in general, but, for the moment: index cards.
Index cards are perfect for planning your chapters. Simply scrawl a quick synopsis for each chapter and voila! Instant outline. And with index cards, it's pretty amazingly easy to rearrange the order of chapters. Have you recently decided that Peggy Sue running away with Jerry Lee in chapter six is just too soon? Back that plot point up to a later chapter and you're done. Easy peasy, no?
Advanced index card usage
Index cards don't just end with chapters. You can do so much more. For instance, you can use them to plot scenes within chapters. Sometimes a more detailed look at plotting is necessary. Simply lay out the index cards in a grid pattern like so...
(Yeah, I actually drew this on my iPad with mine own fingers.)
And tada! Isn't that pretty? (Did I forget to mention index cards conventionally come in many colors, and that can be useful for further organization and general color-coding obsessiveness?)
You can use the same grid system for plotting character arcs. It's pretty nifty.
How I roll: My favorite index card app
What is it called, you ask? Simply "Index Card". It’s awesome and available in the App Store. I have made many a long car ride productive by plotting out my stories with this app. And Index Card also gives me the ability to kick my index card usage up a notch.
My favorite feature—because I love organization when it comes to novel-plotting, keeping track of ideas, etc—is the "stack" feature. For instance, I can group each scene from chapter one together in a stack and call it "Chapter 1". Likewise, I can do the same with character lists. That way, I can file all of my character bios under "Characters" and they aren't clogging up the whole interface.
And the fun doesn't end there. It has three different modes of viewing: the traditional index card stacking system I mentioned, a summarized list and another index card view that is something more akin to the above grid system, which is especially helpful when you want to see your whole project at a glance.
The app is simply more practical to me than traditional index cards. It's a small one-time purchase and it pays for itself time and again in the money you save from buying traditional paper cards. Not to mention, your living room floor doesn't end up covered with the entire plot to your epic fantasy novel.
God, I am the best sales girl they ever had—not just the good people at Index Card, but also the various traditional index card makers. I just can't sing the praises enough of this system, and I probably will again before all is said and done.
And there it is: your technical, logistical post from me. Maybe we'll do something more creative next time. Until them, mes amis.
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