Jan 1, 2017 |
#AmWriting: Using a Calendar to Storyboard Your Novel
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
#AmWriting: Using a Calendar to Storyboard Your Novel
As a discovery writer, I sometimes feel as though I’m just a passenger on this train. I’m the transcriber of events observed. Or a screenwriter giving words to the movie playing in my head. Often, my characters will rebel, refuse, and rearrange the scenes I’m trying to create.
I don’t know about your writing, but getting deeper into the story has caused some drama, and I don’t just mean on the pages. NOLA has been started, restarted, edited, revamped, revised and solidified. And through the past three years of all that activity, it was getting hard to follow.
New Orleans happenings occur every day, and Josie is experiencing as much as she can. Characters, locations, food [oh! the food!], and of course drama, drama, drama.
Keeping Track with Story Cards is helpful with details, but I need something more. Certain events are set in stone, others are more fluid. NOLA takes place during October, and Halloween is a big occasion in the Big Easy. And let’s be real: There’s no bulletin board big enough to hang on my wall to pin over a hundred index cards on to in order to view it all. [Also, have y’all tried carrying a wall-size board in your backpack? Just sayin’.]
Calendaring NOLA helps me note the big events, emotions, and experiences that propel the story forward. This is where my Happy Planner comes into play. I call it responsible scrapbooking. With the month-at-a-glance layout and plethora of stickers, I laid out the story so far. From Josie’s runaway red-eye, to the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, to Cafe du Monde, meeting new friends, reclaiming old habits, there’s a lot to remember about this journey.
NOLA is timeless. That is, events don’t happen on specific dates. So whether October 3rd is a Monday or a Thursday is insignificant. For future storyboarding, I’ll invest in blank calendaring pages. I bought my Happy Planner in November, which meant the pages for October 2016 went unused. Not anymore ~ A few dot/stickers to cover the dates, and I have a full month’s layout.
#AmWriting: Nippers, NOLA, and a Happy Planner
- The side notes allow me to list characters, locations, foods (for the NOLA Companion Cookbook), and other items I need to know.
- The Face stickers let me track emotions: Is a particular moment happy, sad, or exciting?
- Using different colored pens highlight themes: locations, events, dramatic scenes.
- What’s for dinner? Stickers indicate new eating experiences. Coffee stickers? Please. Do I really need to explain these? [whisper: Cafe du Monde.]
- Calendaring keeps it real: Does my story flow, drag, or skip around? [Note to self: Using a pencil helps until you know for sure. #experienceshows.]
Storyboarding NOLA is also a great at-a-glance review that gives forward movement by quickly answering questions:
- When was this character introduced?
- When was the last time it rained in New Orleans?
- What was the last big drama?
- Are too many events happening too closely together?
Of course, any calendaring system will do, but I find the abundance of creative options offered through the Happy Planner system really works for me.
With some sweet tea and responsible scrapbooking,
~Molly Jo
Now it’s your turn: How do you keep track of your storyline?
CLICK TO TWEET: Frankly, My Dear . . . : #AmWriting: Using a Calendar to Storyboard Your Novel.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
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Oct 8, 2016 |
AmWriting: Story Cards
Some are discovery writers. Some are outliners. Some are in-betweeners.
Whatever the plotting style, great writers track their story from start to finish.
I, not yet being a great world-famous writer, was in my fifth chapter of NOLA when I realized I’d used much of the same language in Chapter Two. Now, we all know New Orleans is worth visiting more than once, but this novel is a mystery, not a time travel sci-fi. So, back to the old storyboard I went.
Only I didn’t have a storyboard. No worries. I remembered enough to keep it from happening again. Until I didn’t. And it did. Chapters Eight, Twelve, and Fifteen all began to sound just a little too familiar. It took a few days of reviewing and re-reading to discover the duplicate matter and correct it.
You may already know this, but I am not an outliner. I am a discovery writer. Sure, I can tell you how I expect NOLA to end. But getting from A to B to C? I don’t know all the details ahead of time. I know it when it happens. I have a general idea, but basically I like to let the characters tell me what to write. I figure I’m just the translator to the life they are already living. Too deep? Sorry. It’s a writer’s truth. Quite often your characters will say and do things you never expected. Even if you’re an outliner.
And if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you’ll know in the last few weeks, they’ve thrown a few curve balls.
I also realized, being from the Southern California desert, I was a little too in love with writing about the humidity in the Crescent City. Of course my lead character, also from the desert, finds it unique, refreshing, but at times oppressive. But she doesn’t have to mention it in every conversation, does she? Nor do I have to make it rain in every chapter.
With two hundred pages written, I was beginning to struggle with following the little details, and found myself spending too much time scrolling back and forth in the document to verify whether this thing happened or that character did something or, yes, whether or not it rained in the last two pages.
So I devised a helpful tool that I’ve shared with a few fellow writers, and now I’m sharing it with you.
#AmWriting: Story Card Kit
The Story Card Kit consists of:
- Card box
- Lined Index cards
- Colored pen
- Black pen
- Pencil
My kit not only helps me track the story. It also gives me insight into character growth and little details I want to focus on. New Orleans is famous for its food so of course I want to reference just the right amount in each chapter.
Characters, conflicts, location, weather, food . . . That’s a lot to remember, yes? My cards make easy reference and when laid out in sequence, help me see the bigger picture.
Some scenes are great, others need work. Maybe Chapter Seventeen, Scene Two could really be Chapter Ten, Scene Four.
Being able to pull the cards out of order is a lot less messy than deconstructing the story in a Word doc.
NOLA Story Cards
Here are the vital elements for each NOLA card:
- Day: References the day the story started, and the day of the week. Also time of day, and/or specific calendar dates if necessary.
- Chapter/Scene: Tracks how many scenes in a chapter.
- Characters: Follows the important people. Also tracks secondary characters.
- Conflict- Major: What is propelling the drama forward?
- Conflict- Minor: Are there smaller issues? These may later turn into bigger issues.
- Location: How often are my characters at home, in town, or in a specific place?
- Weather: Has there been too much rain? Is there a storm coming? Is it a clear, sunny afternoon?
- First line: How does this scene start? It should grab the reader immediately.
- Last line: Does it make the reader want to continue?
- Best lines: My characters can be quippy or snotty. New Orleans has its own voice. The best lines from each scene, when brought together, create a fun summary of the book and keep me on track.
When I’m going somewhere I can’t take my laptop, I bring my story card kit. I can read, review, make notes and process changes. I can draft new scenes. So even when I’m not writing, I’m writing.
Now it’s your turn: What tips and tricks do you have for keeping track of your story?
And Frankly, My Dear . . . That’s all she wrote!
May 3, 2015 |
I have a two-inch peacock and he’s only visible through my story window. I’m not crazy. I’m a writer.
This month, I’m reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. If you’re serious about being a writer, or just like a well-told narrative, this is that book. I’m nearly a quarter through, and loving every page, every paragraph, every sentence.
Now here’s something you may not know about me: I’m a perfectionist when it comes to my writing and media. I want it to always be right. I don’t want just the end result to be perfect, I want it all to be right. And that often gets in my way because I find myself editing as I go. Which sometimes makes for longer sit-downs at the computer than necessary.
I’ve been coached, often, on just moving forward. It’s not in my nature to run rampant over the keyboard and let typos, incomplete thoughts, and mismatched storylines flow like too much wine. Because then it reads as though I’ve had too much wine.
Writing with Wine
But the truth is, I’m starting to see the beauty in the #CrappyFirstDraft. There’s something freeing in just letting my fingers go at it without worrying about is this spelled right or did I get the vernacular correct?
Josie discovers New Orleans
So to my critique groups, my writing mentor, and Anne Lamott, I say
I hear you.
I’m moving forward. This week, I’m starting with Chapter Fifteen of NOLA as though all the changes in my head are already on paper. No more revisiting Chapter One. Just. Move. Forward.
It does help to have a plan. At last week’s Orange County Christian Writers Conference, my first session was with Sharon Elliott. It was a hands-on workshop titled ‘Breaking Your Book Into Manageable Bites’. And it was amazing. The very first step in creating a storyboard/outline is to know your topic.
The topic isn’t the same as the title or the outline. It’s strictly the topic. Until that moment, I’d not had a concise logline or description of my book. Sure, I know what it’s about. And if you give me half an hour I can tell you start to finish. But Sharon was asking us to write our topic on a three-by-three post-it note and I didn’t even have it in my head yet.
I grabbed my stickie stack and my pen and applied pressure. I prayed more quickly than I’ve prayed in quite a while. I didn’t want to be the only person in the room with a blank note. So I wrote the first descriptive word that came to my mind, and the rest followed.
NOLA topic
Boom. There is was. And there I was, standing next to Beckie, beginning to cry. Five minutes into my first conference, and I’m in tears because my writing life has forever changed.
I’m a writer. And I have a topic.
Two more take-aways from Bird by Bird is how the book got its name, and how to not be overwhelmed. Write just this piece. Write just this much. She illustrates this concept as a one-inch photo frame on her desk. Her task, when she sits to write, is to write only what is visible through that one-inch frame. No more. No less.
Who cares about the world at large? Write about that one corner your character is in. Who cares about the voices calling the shots from outside the border? Write only what your character hears.
I love this. I love this like the day is long and sugar is sweet. It gives me freedom to fail. And that’s what we really all need, don’t we? The freedom to find out what doesn’t work, the freedom to change this when they need to be changed. The freedom to discover what we don’t like, and then the freedom to expand it.
Start small. Focus. Then shift. Then embellish. But start.
To remind myself of this, I created my own one-inch frame. Okay, it’s more like a two-by-three because the craft store didn’t have anything smaller. And it’s not empty, because I want to be reminded that right now, my focus is on finishing NOLA. So it’s not perfect. But isn’t that the point?
Supplies for the Two Inch Story
After picking out my supplies, I came home and assembled my own story window.
Two Inch Peacock
There were too many stickers and embellishments to choose from, even in the stock I bought. With the limited room allowed, I chose the peacock and fleur-de-lis. And there’s that lesson, again: you can’t do everything at once, and sometimes you can’t do everything at all. Just piece by piece. Bite by manageable bite. Bird by bird.
My reminder now sits on my side table. It’s a symbol of everything I need to be reminded of. And the best part? It’s small enough to fit in my suitcase so I can take it with me to Blue Ridge next week.
My goal is to have my own Crappy First Draft finished by the end of June and then start the editing because, as they say, that’s when the real writing happens.
And Frankly, My Dear . . . that’s all she wrote.
You may also enjoy reading:
Why I Write. Every Day.
Five Things Friday: Peacocks
Orange County Christian Writers Conference, 2015
Nov 4, 2011 |
by Molly Jo Realy @MollyJoRealy
The first “storm” of the season is on its way to Southern California, bringing with it high winds and light snow. I’m hopeful (but not realistic) about seeing a flake or two this weekend. My trees are billowing as I write this, and about ready to drop their leaves.
I love this time of year: the time when the desert is a little more colorful, when people bundle in sweaters and scarfs, when the smell of fireplaces and warm cooking are almost everywhere.
And so are the traveling carnivals. You know what I’m talking about: those caravans of Big Rigs that take over the local mall parking lot for less than a week. The rusted colorful contraptions they set up when no one’s looking. It’s as though they sneak in at the dead of night and stay just long enough to play their creepy music. Then just as suddenly, they’re gone.
Every year they show up here at the end of October, and two things happen.
First, the wind blows harder and colder, forcing pedestrians to wrap their coats tighter as they scurry to and from the safety of their buildings or cars. Their eyes dart about to find what their hands don’t want to reach for unless they have to. Cold handles, flying papers. Anything the wind can play with.
Second, I always think of Ray Bradbury’s “Something Wicked This Way Comes”. I read the book in junior high, the year my father passed away. I could relate to the absent father storyline. It was fresh pain. Being raised in the midwest the descriptive book and subsequent movie seemed to add to the already imaginative thoughts I carried: the atmosphere of falling leaves, the early nightfalls, and all the What If’s… The story both scared and delighted me, creating that sweaty nervousness that only a great page can.
To this day, I count it as one of my favorite stories. It must be. It still affects how I feel at the end of October.
The desert isn’t a colorful place. Grass yards are not the norm, and rainstorms are few and far between. And so today’s storm is teasing us, saying this is what could be. Very much like Mr. Dark tempting the boys.
The winds bring apprehension and suspense. Maybe tomorrow there will be the smell of rain. At night, perhaps a snowflake or two. Full of promise… or lies.
An autumn wind always makes me think Hitchcockian. What secrets blow with it? What will it take away when it leaves? The local carnival left today. I wonder if the storm drove it away, or is following the show.
And I can’t help but recite, as the sun sets and the leaves rustle in the howling winds…
“By the pricking of my thumb,
Something wicked this way comes.”And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote!
