Naomi Dawn Musch

Myriad of methods exist for writers to organize plot and arrange notes. Some programs are free, some are offered for a fee. The Snowflake Method, BubbleUs, Simplenote, iA Writer, Evernote,Wunderlist, Scrivener, and more, beckon us. And most of them work very well, depending on what you want your tool to accomplish.

If more computer programs aren't your cup of tea, you can still use old fashioned household tools to sticky note, story board, story file, or just spread papers all over your office, hoping to find the elusive all-important detail you want when you need it.

I'm not going to endorse any particular system, but as a hands-on approach works well for me, I'll tell you what I do. I've tried some of the above systems, and found them useful when I'm first developing a plot, but for my basic note organization, by favorite system is still the use of notebooks. Old fashioned, colored compositions books in college rule to be precise.

Every time I start a new novel, I pull out a new notebook. Inside the front cover I list titles of resource book I'm using in my research, including the library's dewey decimal number so I can find it quickly again if its borrowed. My notes from these books go on separate pages in the notebook, and at the top of where those pages begin, I repeat the reference information in case I have to look it up again.

I also put the date I began the notebook on the inside cover so I can chart how long it's taking me to write the book. Beneath the date, I even jot my goal, such as write this novel this year, or 2000 words per week, or 100,000 words this year -- whatever the goal is.

On page 1, I blaze the WIP's working title across the top; then I state the Story Goal and Story Themes. Of course, new themes will evolve, or one theme will take priority as the story develops its shape. But by having the story goal and theme clearly stated at the onset, it's easy to remain focused and avoid meandering all over the place. I refer back to page 1 often during the course of writing.

On the following pages, I begin fleshing out characters. NOTE: Here is where I incorporate other programs or character-building plans I've garnered from fellow writers. I write down the basics on these pages, but I do fuller fleshing in a computer program -- even simply in a word processor file. But in the notebook --  one character per page -- I highlight the basics: eye color, age, personal quirks and tics, character goal. On the computer file I fill out their full goals, desires, black moments, all in finer detail.

After the characterization pages, I use a page that simply summarizes the previous pages with all the characters' names, ages, and a basic timeline. This is invaluable when you begin more books in your series. You'll want a quick way to look back and remember how old a character was in Book One, so you'll be able to age them appropriately in Book Three. You'll forget who was related distantly to who, or the names of minor characters making only momentary appearances. LIST THEM so you can flip back quickly and find them. I sometimes transfer this page to a computer file that I can keep open alongside my WIP.

Now I put a sticky note in the notebook as a marker. Here I begin my actual outline. I outline in scenes, dialogue fragments, as well as brainstormed and then this happens... notations. There's not real clean way that works for me. If you plot at all, do it in a way that works for you.

Sometimes, as scenes and plot points are accomplished in the WIP, I cross them out in the notebook. It's easy to forget if you're writing a long novel, or especially if you're writing a series, whether you've covered a certain story point or not, especially if it's a small nuance you intended to slip in.

I also mark off a section of the notebook with a sticky note for jotting down scenes that come to me out of the blue, stuff I might want to develop later. I cross them out once -- or if -- I use them and also if I decide to scrap them.

Half way through the notebook, I mark off a section (with another sticky note) for all my historical or other research notes. Page after page of research gets jotted here. I star sections that I absolutely have to use in the story. I ask myself questions about it as I go, making notations along the edges. My notebook is both organized and messy at once -- kind of like my brain.

SERIES NOTE: Starting on the very last page of the notebook, working backward, I jot notes that come to mind for the next book in the series. I'm not really ready to go there yet, but sometimes a little something will hit me as an idea I don't want to forget. When I buy the next notebook and begin the process again, I transfer those back page notes into thenew notebook and begin the whole process again. For instance, while I was writing The Red Fury, I discovered that collecting roses became popular during Victorian times, and that was also when giving a flower based on the meaning of its color was in vogue. I jotted brief notes about it in the back of my Red Fury notebook, along with websites to refer back to. This worked perfectly into what is now becoming my next book, The Black Rose.

This may sound complicated, but it works great for me. You have to organize in the way that works for you. The point is to do it. Writing a series, or even a single novel, isn't something that you can really do without a good system of organization -- even if you’re a panster.

One more thing:

As I write the actual novel, I keep another computer file open containing a few of the details from my notebook, like I mentioned earlier. They might be the characters names & ages, the timeline, a few things like that. In the actual WIP, at the bottom of the scene I'm writing, I write a very short outline of where I'm heading so that each day I can remember how to pick up. This is extremely helpful during those times when several days pass between writing bouts. This might be short points, or a paragraph synopsis -- just a little something for quick reference to keep me on track from one scene or chapter to the next.

Whether you're writing a single novel or a series, a good system for organizing your notes will keep you on a path through the chaos of creation.

Write on!

Come investigate my series!

http://www.naomimusch.com/empireinpineseries.htm

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