Keep Your Novel On Track With Scene Cards
Planning a novel can become much more manageable when you tackle the process one notecard at a time.
Outlining a book is hard work. There are so many little pieces to construct and piece together. With characters, worldbuilding, plots, subplots, and three-headed lake monsters to consider, it can be hard to know where to start. Breaking it all down into manageable steps is a great way to keep momentum and avoid feeling overwhelmed.
As someone who loves having a game plan, a rough overview often doesn’t go far enough for me. That’s why I like to create to what I call “scene cards.”
Starting the Process
When outlining, I tend to have a decent idea of an ending, a vague idea of a beginning, and a few snippets of clarity sprinkled throughout the middle. The clearest points are the first index cards I make.
On the front, I write what happens with a clear intention of where I want the scene to go. On the back, I write all of the subtext elements, such as character motivations, milestones for certain arcs, and various storytelling goals, such as conveying key information.
Cards are especially helpful when dealing with multiple perspectives. In my case, I used blue cards for one character and green cards for the other. Then, when I put all the cards together, it was easy to see how the overall story flowed, as well as how the stories of each perspective character worked as their own arcs.
I fill out cards for each of the scenes I know best, then check for obvious gaps. Next, I jump back to my rough outline and brainstorm what needs to happen to link two scenes. Once I get a rough idea, I go back to my index cards and flesh out these connecting points as scenes.
Search for the Missing Puzzle Pieces
When I have most of my scenes written out as cards, I spread them all across the floor. At this point I try to set everything in order to see where there are still gaps. If there are any, I go back to the drawing board, and if not, then I move on to the next step!
I put everything into one final word doc and divide the parts into chapters. Usually, as I do this, I make some changes here and there to make the scenes flow better. Sometimes one chapter becomes two. The final document becomes my first draft.
While it might not be the most efficient way to outline a book, it works for me. Filling out a notecard with details is a small and manageable task. Likewise, having a pile of index cards is a rewarding way to see your progress. So, if you’re contending with the dreaded “White Page Syndrome,” this could be a great alternative. The most important thing is finding a creative workflow you can stick to.
In Summary:
Use index cards to outline down to the scene level
Write a sequence of events on one side and the subtext on the other
Color code different POVs to keep individual character stories separate
Put the cards all next to each other to look for gaps
Once you have all your cards, copy them into a document for a detailed outline