​~ by Amanda Smith

Last week we focused on using basic plotting techniques to help organize scenes that were random and unconnected, like a hand full of beads. If you missed last week's post, you can find it here. What if you're done drafting, though? Does that mean you have no more use for plotting techniques? 

Writers often use note cards to block out scenes. For me the note card technique worked well after I finished my second draft. I combined the information from a mapping workshop, taught by Katie L. Caroll (Elixer Bound) and a workshop on non-sequential writing by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. (One for the Murphys, Fish in a Tree) to come up with a note card that served my purpose for revision. 

• Use one card per scene. Give a scene heading and a temporary number.
• If you have multiple narrators, write down the POV.
• Note the setting of the scene.
• Jot down the main moment/ event/ quote from that scene.
• What is the purpose of this scene. Does it develop plot or character? 
• What kind of scene is it? Action, back story, mood, flashback, character development, inciting incident, tension building, climatic scenes? What is the emotional intensity of this scene?
• Which characters are present in the scene? I color code my characters so it is easy to track them.
• The number at the top is added much later once you are happy with the final order of your scenes.

 Revision time is also a good stage to implement character interviews, another plotting technique. There are multiple character interviews online that you can tweak to meet your needs. After filling out interview questions, add descriptors and specifics to enhance characters, and check for character consistency. I found it very enlightening to also interview all secondary characters. Going back and adding the smallest of details can enrich secondary characters and make them feel like real people.
​Many authors have a treasure trove of plot development strategies on their websites. Don’t feel overwhelmed by them. Take these plotting devices and adapt them to work for you and your process. And it is a process! Use some before you start, some during drafting, and some during revisions until all your scenes are perfectly placed like beads on a string.

~by Amanda Smith
​​The first time I saw plot planning templates I was simultaneously impressed and petrified. These templates assumed that the writer already knew a whole lot. All I had when I started my novel were a handful of characters, an idea for conflict, and only a fleeting emotion I felt after waking up from an angsty dream. We discover the story, the characters, the PLOT as we go. While some writers are brilliantly organised, writing a novel from beginning to end, there are just as many who write non-sequentially. Does that mean these fabulous plotting techniques are not for us scatterbrains? Not at all. These templates and techniques can be used throughout the first couple of drafts. So how do you plot when you write at the whim of the character voices in your head?

The following strategies helped me string numerous non-chronological scenes, like beads on a necklace, into a viable story line. 

• When I first started, I wrote those parts of the story that were clear to me. These scenes where random and I had no idea what would link them, or even how I would get from one to the other. When I had a collection of scenes, I wrote a sentence summary of each scene on a sticky note. I placed these sticky notes on a time line (the internal structure of the story was a school year, so I used months for the time line), jotting down scenes that still needed to be written to fill in the holes. Since I had two first person narrators, I used different color sticky notes for each narrator’s scenes and a third color for scenes where they were both present.
• Once I had written some of the missing scenes, the story had made some twists and turns, the characters had grown, and a clear arc had emerged. I drew a story arc for each narrator’s story as well as the subplot, and added scenes, written and yet-to-be-written, onto the arc. 

by Francine Puckly

My fellow 24 Carrot Writing bloggers and I just returned from the SCBWI New England spring conference. Having seen each other all weekend, we were tempted to postpone our monthly goal-setting meeting scheduled for the next morning. But knowing re-entry to regular schedules can be tricky after a jam-packed weekend, we kept our monthly appointment. We convened over a cuppa, and Kelly had the brilliant idea to list our top three takeaways from the conference.
 
If you recently attended this conference, a long workshop, or a webinar geared toward your writing and illustrating life, this exercise is invaluable. It might take weeks—and possible months—to employ all the new tricks and tips discovered at the conference and even longer to practice and hone all the new skills learned. But what are three new goals you can enact today to get an immediate bounce from the conference? Kelly calls these your do-it-today takeaways!

• Are you feeling the need to read more in your genre? Start a reading journal (paper or electronic).
• Do you want to feel more “socially” connected? Keep those face-to-face conversations going through social media or commit to following ten new agents and editors on Twitter.  
• Are you missing time at your local indie bookstore? Block off an afternoon to browse the store or mark your calendar to attend book events by fellow SCBWI members.

• Did you have a critique of a manuscript or query letter? Sit down and mine the written feedback and notes for revision ideas.  
• Were you impressed by a pitch contest? Start your own pitch ring (see Kelly’s how-to blog)
• Have you put off joining a critique group? Contact Stacy Mozer at SCBWI New England ([email protected]) to make it happen.
• Were you inspired by an open mic reading? Mark your to-do list for next year to prepare your own selection to read aloud.

 
So instead of stuffing your notes into a drawer, comb through them! Glean nuggets of advice that will help you strengthen your writing. Capitalize on the energy and optimism you bring back from meeting with colleagues and peers. It’s easy to slip back into former routines if we wait too long to take stock. So don’t wait! Capture those do-it-today ideas now!
 
- Francine