One
of the most common questions in my book-writing workshops is this: How
do you keep your book-in-progress organized during the year(s) of
putting it together, revising it, and getting ready to submit it? What
systems, tools, and organization techniques do professional writers use?
I've always been fascinated with systems. A good system will make everything smoother. But many writers--maybe
the same writers who dislike structure tasks (see last week's post,
below)--balk at even the idea of systems. It takes away from the free
flow of creativity.
Fine, I usually think when hearing this. But in my own writing life, I know better.
Keeping
loose and free of systems or organization methods works great for a
while. When the book first starts to cook, you only need to listen and
be the scribe. But after a while, those scribed pages mount up into a
pile that can terrify most writers. It becomes impossible to keep track
of what you've said where. Or what you need to do next.
Each published writer will have her own system. Here are a few that work for me.
Tool #1: A Writer's Notebook
I start every new book project with two things in place: my computer files and my writer's notebook.
My
writer's notebook is not fancy--although if you are really into
journals and cool paper, it can be. It becomes the place where you
begin making a map for your book. This map is something you create as
you go.
It
starts easily enough with a written conversation between you and your
book project, and this conversation takes place in your writer's
notebook.
In
it, you will begin "talking" with your book on paper, and from the
answers that come, you will create your book's map. During the
book-writing journey, your writer's notebook will become a valuable
aide. Think of it as kind of a writerly Pinterest all your own.
My
favorite writer's notebooks are made by Claire Fontaine. They come in
all kinds but the best are grid lined inside. Although made in France,
they aren't very expensive (so you can scribble and not be neat!), yet
they feel classy and interesting.
Whatever kind of writer's notebook you go for, use it to collect these kinds of things:
inspiring quotes on writing
ideas for scenes
character sketches
research notes
photos and images that resonate with your book idea
snippets photocopied from other books
descriptions of settings you like (with photos!)
interviews with characters
lists of questions
lists of "islands" (scenes) you want to write
continuity checklist for revision
query letter ideas
places to submit your manuscript
feedback notes from readers
freewrites
The list goes on. It varies by individual writer.
My
writer's notebooks become like an artist's sketchbook over the time I
work on my book--full of images and ideas for things I want to include
in the book at some point. It's my place to keep them safe, like a
creative to-do list. I love browsing through my writer's notebook
whenever I get stalled out or need perspective on my book project.
This
is a repository for whatever might deliver both inspiration and
signposts when I get lost. I use it until the book is published.
Tool #2: A Storyboard (Preferably Using Scrivener or Another Desktop Storyboarding Software)
At
my workshops and online classes, I guide writers through creating a
storyboard for their books-in-progress. Storyboards are a gift from the
film industry and many publishers use them to check a book's structure
and flow. Writers use them to (1) brainstorm a plot or sequence for
their book when first starting out and (2) keep an overview along the
way.
I
make a storyboard and revise it several times for each book I write.
It replaces the publisher's editor, who did this for my early books
(when publishers had editors in house).
I
published 12 books with hand-crafted storyboards; they worked great.
Then, a writer at my annual Madeline Island retreat showed me a software
program that did it better--and was completely intuitive. It
transformed my storyboard life.
Called
Scrivener, it was only available for Mac. I had a PC. But I'd been
thinking about converting to Mac for several years. Then I learned
about a program called Paralells that let me run both Windows and Mac
platforms on a Mac Air. Sold. Bought the Air, downloaded Scrivener,
and have been a happy camper since.
Although
I've explored other storyboarding software, Scrivener remains my
all-time favorite for organizing my book via storyboard. At $45, it's a
great deal too. Check it out at
www.literatureandlatte.com.
Scrivener
takes a bit of time to set up. I copied and pasted my chapters into it
(50 chapters took me about 2 hours) from Microsoft Word. Then it took
another couple of hours to synopsize each chapter onto Scrivener's
bulletin board and its index cards that can be shuffled around. But each of these cards is connected to
an "island" or a chapter, and you can move them as you need, so nothing
is set in stone. Each can be expanded too, so you can write more than
would fit on a regular storyboard's Post-It note.
The
coolest thing about Scrivener is the binder, a column to the left of
the page which lets you see your book's organization at a glance. My
friend at Madeline Island had hers set up by the three acts, with
individual chapters listed under each act. I did the same, adding the
name of the point of view character for each chapter.
Tool #3: An Inventory List
Nicki,
a memoir writer from the Boston area, emailed me last week about her
need for some way to "navigate between islands of writing that are now
each in separate word documents.
"Often
I am writing a new island," she said, "that covers a topic I know I
have written about before. But there is no easy way to search for it
within separate Word documents unless I go through each on
individually. This would be time consuming as I have a lot of them.
"Maybe I need to start keeping my writing in some other format? This has become a crucial issue/problem."
Nicki may benefit from an inventory list. Scrivener's bulletin board is an easy way to create one.
Before
Scrivener, I did an inventory list manually. It was routine
maintenance for my book at the end of each week of writing: I added to
and updated this list of islands and chapters religiously--it was too
easy to get lost and repeat scenes, otherwise.
To
make this maintenance easier, I learned to set up my book in an
"island" directory when I began writing. Here is an example of an
island directory from my latest book, Your Book Starts Here.
Nonfiction Books (main directory)
--Your Book Starts Here (specific book in progress--working title)
--Chapter One islands (what I think might go into chapter one)
--three questions (names of islands)
--Greece trip
--top reasons we write books
--Margo's story
--David's story
--Linda's story
--exercise for three questions
Sometimes
I date the islands as I create them, with a version number, such as
"Greece trip 12.2.10 v. 3." When you get into the hundreds of islands,
as it sounds like Nicki has, this can help you sort and search easily.
I also create a master file for all the islands, which makes it easy to do a global search for scenes or snippets by key word.
Tool #4: Character Timelines
This
is a good tool for all genres, even nonfiction writers who are
including research about real people, interviews, or anecdotes and want
to be sure they aren't repeating information. Character timelines are
another kind of inventory. They record what kind of major and minor
events you've included so far--or what you need to include in future.
Start
by drawing a line on a large sheet of paper, like a river. I draw one
character timeline for each of my main players--anyone I want to keep
track of as the book grows.
Then, using Post-It notes (one color for "written" and another for "to
write"), place events and important information about this character
along the timeline.
Essentially
a character storyboard, you can use this timeline to check character
growth. Does the person actually grow and change, and are the stages of
growth linked to outer events?
Character
timelines also show you immediately if you have dropped someone out of
your story. (As I did, with one of my heroine's love interests in a
novel . . . ooops!) Or if you've repeated anything.
Perhaps
Nicki could use this kind of timeline to keep track of what she has
included and what's still to come. Character timelines a big hit at my
Madeline Island workshop--many ah-ha's come from working on them.
Tool#5: Printed Drafts in a Binder
I may be old-fashioned in this: I like to have hard copy (printed copy) of everything. I back up my files religiously but still . . .
I may not print out each island when they are not yet "continents," or chapters, but I will always print chapters-in-progress, even the early drafts.
I collect these in a big binder. Each chapter has its own archives--the earlier versions--filed behind the most recent version which is on top. The chapters can be separated with tabbed pages so you can flip through the book easily.
In this purely electronic age, what's the point of wasting all this paper?
If you've ever lost your book-in-progress, you won't need an answer to that.
If you haven't, consider this: It's an amazing boost to the flagging spirit to see the printed book (even a rough draft). All those pages make you feel good. You've done some awesome work here, and this is the result.
I also find it easier to find things in printed drafts than electronically--despite Scrivener's amazing abilities. I can page through and locate the scenes I need. Or I can use the tabbed separator pages to cluster ideas for the chapter or document what I've included so far.
Maybe one or more of these ideas will help you get your acts together, in terms of organization. Feel free to post your tips, techniques, and methods below!
Your Weekly Writing Exercise
1. Choose one of these methods to try. Set aside a few hours to put it into place.
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