Why index cards are amazeballs and how to use them when plotting your story

As a writer of many years, I've tried countless ways of planning novels or saving ideas. But, for me at least, I need something simple that allows me to do both at once. That is where index cards come in.

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.

I always want things to happen too soon

Do you even know what I mean by that? Of course you do. You're a writer. You've experienced the extremes of writerness, where your mind isn't your mind anymore, but a deranged entity held captive by your characters and story.

(For the scribes, it was the repetition that led to madness. Thousands of copies of the Canterbury Tales. In Middle English. Think about it.)

Why do I want things to happen too soon? Mainly, it's because I'm totally in love with my characters. And instead of being a grownup about things, I start shipping them with each other (if I'm working on a romantic arc), or I really want this badass moment to happen, because it's finally time that So'n'So gets her vengeance on Whatshername because shit got real awhile ago and they need to hash that out. 

My grandmother always says that part of emotional maturity is putting what is right ahead of personal gratification. For instance, you may really want a chocolate chip cookie. But you have a cavity and that sugar is going to crawl into that little tooth hole and make you scream if you eat it. The mature thing to do would be to put the cookie on hold, get your tooth fixed, and indulge later.

But it's haarrrrd. Especially when it comes to the fictional worlds we create in our minds. I really just want So'n'So to tell Jerkface how she really feels. And that urge leads me to try to rush to that part of the story. 

And that's not right. Especially when there are things--important things--that need to happen in between. Like, you can't just start your story with So'n'So meeting Jerkface and then all the sudden jump to her calling him out. No, there has to be a reason she calls him out for starters, and maybe some other things building up to that moment. And the anticipation is part of the fun, right? Or, at least it is when we're reading.

But for some reason, when writing, I just want to get to THAT part. I think I've become a fangirl for my own work. Like, I am shipping my characters way harder than Ten x Rose or Eleven x Clara or Petyr x Sansa. (Yes, that last one was a creepyship. Get over it.) 

And I don't think it's wrong to do that, as a writer. As a writer, I think it's important to have these juicy, sweet, spicy scenes in mind, letting them ferment and develop in your head. It makes them that much richer when you actually do write them.

I'm not always a writer who writes chronologically. For someone who doesn't really care about writing chronologically, it really doesn't matter. You could write the ending last, for all you care, and I suppose many do. But, I have to say, the majority of my stuff is written chronologically and that's how I get into this predicament. 

So, I've hit a compromise: I map out the gloriously delicious scene with index cards or bullet points--whatever. And then I go back to writing everything else in the order as I planned. (More on planning later.)

And there you have the my temptation: I always want to skip ahead. And doing so can hurt your writing--especially when the in-between bits actually matter, as they so often do. 

So, what about you? Have you ever had a problem with this? What do you do to remedy it? Or do you even try? Let me know what you think in the comments. 

How to turn people watching into writing

I've been writing for twenty years. How is this possible when I'm only twenty-four? Well, the short of it is that I learned to read and write very young and I had a lot of free time on my hands in preschool. While other kids were eating paste or fighting over who got to have the markers that weren't drying out, I was at the typewriter. And I taught myself how to use that old typewriter, me a child who had been using a computer since I could sit up.

(The Apple II. It was awesome and the computer I grew up on.)

Image Credit

But writing isn't just about the mechanics of being able to type or use a pen. And--especially when you are four--it's more than correct grammar and a very large word count. The best writing starts with--and hinges on--the characters. Without them, your story is nothing, and you as a writer are just a putter of words on paper and nothing more.

Characters are my favorite part about writing, so I will be talking about them a lot on this blog. Get used to it now.

Having a sprained ankle has left me on the sidelines lately. Just the other day, I was stuck sitting in the car while my grandmother bought the groceries. If I thought about how unfair that is on her, and how sick I am of being stuck, I would've gone nuts. Therefore, I endeavored instead to divert myself by--you guessed it--writing.

So, I took out my trusty iPad and got a little bit done. Normally, I'm very focused and when I get my mind on something, I have my nose to the grindstone like the hard worker I secretly am. But, it was the first time the sun had shone in hours and it was turning out to be a beautiful day, so I decided to look around for a moment as I pondered what needs to really be happening in Chapter Four (the dreaded chapter I will probably have more to say about later).

And as I looked up, I noticed that things were happening. The parking lot was more lively than usual. Or, if you want to get all philosophical about it, maybe it was always lively and I just never gave a damn until that precise moment. Either way, I noticed stuff was happening, and it piqued my interest.

For starters, there were about five cars that parked in the handicapped parking space in front of me. From my vantage point, I could only see one with an actual handicapped tag and even that person didn't seem to be very handicapped. They were downright spry. (But then again, as a lupus warrior, I know illnesses can be invisible, so I leave it there.) You can debate on the ethics of taking a handicapped place without a handicapped tag all you want, but what really interested me--and it was kinda ironic-- was the progressive surface athleticism that the people who parked there seemed to possess. Again, for all I know they have leprosy or something, but the last people I saw park there were cyclists and quite sporty and they all hopped out of their SUV with seeming effortlessness like it was the easiest thing in the world, each one young, fit and tan.

And that's the thing about writers. To understand the human condition, we don't have to be psychologists, but we do have to notice people, observe them, and be aware of their quirks...such as parking in the handicapped space when they are probably not actually handicapped.

And then there is the action sequence. For me, it was hard to get the hang of writing action sequences, and my novels are pretty action-y, and that action is necessary for the story, ergo, it was necessary for me to learn it.

So, while in the parking lot, I watched a young woman, no bigger than a chigger as her shopping cart became possessed. Literally, I had no idea how it did this--but it just started spinning, and it careened into the parking lot, into traffic. And without consideration for life and limb, she dove after it. She literally dove. Somehow, this petite woman became Stretch Armstrong (remember him?) and she managed to grab the wayward cart right before it slammed into a car, thus saving somebody, somewhere, from being sued, futile though it might've been as far as lawsuits go.

And as I witnessed this random, really cool, and moderately dangerous moment, I realized that if I had described it word for word in quick, short sentences, it would've made a really cool if somewhat benign action sequence. If anything, it would've been a neat writing exercise. Because here, I watched and I saw. I saw the way the way her brown hair flowed in the wind, the way her body flew like an arrow, the way telekensis seemed to be involved. I saw it all and it was real. It was a real moment that would actually be pretty cool if it was written for the screen, where the audience could see the nuance, the humor and the general well-timed perfectness of that one short moment.

And then I noticed the old man with the surgical mask. He had a boy with him, most likely his grandson. Having lupus, I know many people who wear masks. They are my friends. And I know what they feel like, as well as anyone other than them can know. And knowing what I know, I know how brave that man must be to brave a supermarket, even with his mask on. Because, wearing that mask, chances are he has some sort of illness that lowers his immunity. Maybe it's autoimmune like lupus. Maybe it's some kind of cancer. Either way, he probably feels like absolute crap. But there, he trucks right on through the store to get his grandkid the snacks he wants, not complaining once. He is the everyday hero who makes all of our petty problems seem like nothing.

All of these people I described--they're people, true--but they'are also characters. And it's all about descriptions. When you people watch, you're just an observer. You notice quirks. Sometimes you even see miracles and heroism. The point is, you just gotta notice things. I promise it'll make you a better writer. It has me.

Aesthetics and boring stuff

I said I was a writer--I didn't say I was remotely good at graphic design. I haven't yet settled on a blog layout and I'm still trying to get everything straightened out since I just started this today. 

But have faith! It will happen and things will look a little more...good. 

The other boring thing I wanted to mention is my basic plans for this blog. They are:

• Update regularly, if not daily
• Have content that is unique to me and isn't a reiteration of every other writing advice you've ever read
• Engage and encourage. Whether it is my failures or my triumphs, I want to inspire you and make you think and help you grow. I want the same for myself as well.
• To get to know fellow writers for the sake of friendship and community, as well as learning from you. It's a two-way street, as far as I'm concerned. Maybe we can guest blog? 
• Reconnecting with old writing friends. I miss you guys! And, of course, making new ones. 

You should probably know up front that I don't actually intend to publish excerpts of my novel on this blog. For a couple of reasons, actually. (And none of them have to do with me being chicken.) 

Firstly, I've heard all my life that publishers don't want to publish something that's been published before. And as far as I've heard, contradictions to that are usually exceptions. 

Secondly, I have done the whole feedback thing with peer groups of writers. You have five different people giving you five very different opinions on what you should change. And while feedback can be a good thing, being pulled in five different directions isn't. And I actually appreciated that feedback; it made me look at my novel in entirely different ways and encouraged me to want more and think outside the box. So, it was great at the time, but not for the moment. 

But that doesn't mean I won't give examples to illustrate my point. They just won't be from my novel. 

So, there's the boring stuff. Next post, I'll have something to say. 

Until then.

Why I'm Write in Your Shoes

So, I wanted to take a different approach to creating a writing blog than I have done before. Mainly, because those attempts didn't go so well. I would start a blog trying to tell you, dear readers, how you should be writing as though I actually knew more than you did, like I've tried things you haven't.

But the thing is--I've never had a novel published. While it's true I am a published writer, I've mostly done articles and opinion pieces and commentaries (which are basically opinion pieces) and anecdotes, and while I love all that, and hope I continue to do that for a very long time, finishing and publishing my novels is what I really want to do with my life.

And when I recently thought about blogging about writing from that angle, I realized one simple truth: I'm just like you. I am not published--not yet, anyway. But I fully intend to be.

Writing isn't a hobby for me. It's my life. Aside of my loved ones, writing is what matters most to me. I live, breathe, drink and hope writing. Every day. Even on days when I don't think I can write, I find myself writing something, because it was what I was made to do. It's what I am.

You're probably wondering why I'm not published yet. The answer is simple enough: I haven't tried. I've been working on a series of books since I was 14--that's almost 11 years now--and I've yet to take that final step. I keep telling myself that it's not ready, that I can do better, and you know, I think I can. I really think I can.

I want to get my work out there and at least try. I'm not saying I'll actually make it, but can you imagine for just one second if I did? It would be me, finally accomplishing the thing I've had my heart and soul set on since I was four and wrote my first poorly-spelled story on that old typewriter.

I started this blog so I could vocalize my triumphs and frustrations in this process of actually writing and polishing my work and getting it out there to the masses. Yes, this is kinda amateur hour, but you don't have to have a PhD to find out what works--you just have to find out what works and use it. And that's what I'm going to do. Right here. On this blog. Starting now.