05 August 2011

Story cards

The coffee house book is one in which chronology matters, but the story is not necessarily chronological. Because of that, I'm considering using story cards to help me keep the story line and story-telling organized.

The idea is that I'll write a summary of each chapter/scene on an individual index card. I'll number them chronologically in one color, then arrange them for the story arc and number them in another color. That way, I can see which events come in which order chronologically, as well as which events come in which order within the fabric of the story.

Has anyone used this method for organizing story events? If so, how did it work for you?

2 comments:

  1. I wish I could say that I was that organized. I usually come up with ideas for events or scenes that I want to put in the story, but they often occur earlier/later than the scenes that I'm currently writing. So I jot down ideas for those new scenes on separate pages so that they don't get mixed up with the other scenes.

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  2. I do jotting, too, but if it's something that's going to stay in the story, I try and keep it organized and add it to my outline or story cards right away.

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