Tag: outlining

YA Rebels: Tuesday Loves Up Scrivener

I thought I would share today’s YA Rebels vlog in which I walk you through how I’m using Scrivener. Feel free to ask me any questions you have! I’m not an expert, but I’ll do my best to answer. For those who don’t know, Scrivener is an amazing application for writers that takes you far beyond Word or other word processing apps.

How I Use Scrivener

A few friends have asked me if I really like using Scrivener and what the point of it is, and my answer is that I really, really do like it because Scrivener has a ton of USEFUL functionality. I thought I would share how I’m using the program. FYI, I’m using the Windows version.

BREAKING YOUR NOVEL DOWN:

My mother taught me that a huge project is much more manageable when you break it down into smaller tasks. When you’re using Word, chapters are my smaller pieces. If my chapters are longer, then scenes become my smaller pieces. YET, with Word, all of those pieces are compiled in one long document you have to scroll through. And I can see I’m on page 20 and feel the pressure of having hundreds of pages to go.

What Scrivener does:

In Scrivener, you decide how to manage your project and how to break it down within my project binder. I create folders for each chapter. Within each chapter folder, I create separate documents for each scene. I can do this as I write, OR (if you are an outliner like me) I can jump to my Corkboard view and type a few quick notes on the little “post-it” for each scene or chapter.  When I’m ready, it’s easy to Compile the manuscript into a Word doc with the “Compile” feature in Scrivener.

OUTLINER HEAVEN:

As mentioned here, I’m an outliner. It’s a skeleton at best, but my outline provides a few key points each chapter needs to hit on to keep my plot and emotional arcs on track.

What Scrivener does:

Scrivener is an outliner’s dream. For each chapter or scene, I can include a few quick notes for the highlights it should include. I can do this in the Corkboard view where every chapter looks like a little post it note (that I can type on) or I can do it in a little sidebar box next to my document. Scrivener has several ways to view these notes, too. Aside from the Corkboard view, I can also use the outliner view. This lets me see my outline in neat rows similar to Excel. I prefer the Corkboard view, but it’s great to have the flexibility.

RESEARCH, WHERE ART THOU FILE?:

I do a lot of research. Location research. Character name research. Medical research. Police procedure research. I find images to use as reference for describing settings and characters. I used to store all of this research into separate Word files. Then I’d have to go find them all each time I needed them and keep flipping back and forth between my manuscript and the pictures. And then I’d have a file of just URLs to reference in case I needed to find that website that told me how doctors treat punctured lungs. I’m organized, but I still had a hard time tracking things.

What Scrivener does:

There’s a Research folder. I can import web pages. I can import photos. I can create a folder for a person or place and then drop whatever I like into that folder. Pictures, web pages, character notes. It’s all there in one place WITH my manuscript. I never have to hunt for files. And get this… I can even have any of those files pulled up on my screen next to my manuscript as I type. What does my MC look like again? Oh, wait. Here’s the photo of her. It’s that easy.

EDITING MADE EASIER:

Have you ever deleted an entire scene or chapter? Say it’s Chapter 2 of 40. What a nightmare to have to renumber every chapter and shift everything around. The same can happen if you have to add chapters. These kinds of edits are time consuming.

What Scrivener does:

Every scene is its own little unit in Scrivener. When you’re in Binder view, every scene has its own icon that can be dragged and dropped in the binder. You can move it within a chapter or between chapters. You can select a bunch of scenes and move them around with a couple clicks.  It’s SO convenient.

STAT CHECKERS:

Don’t laugh at me. I have an Excel spreadsheet where I track overall and daily word counts. I track how many words I need to do each day in order to finish a book by X date. And I adjust those figures based on my daily actual word counts. I’d love to not have to do this, but if you’re serious about writing, you better get serious about deadlines. Make them your friend.

What Scrivener does:

I know Word has that a total word count you can track at the bottom left corner of the screen. Scrivener does more. You can track scene and chapter word counts. Better yet, you can set daily word count goals within Project Targets. LOVE this. And, if you like to track which chapters you’ve edited, finished writing, etc., you can also do this in Scrivener. At a glance, I can see where I left off the last time I was working.

INTERFACE:

Okay, I’ll admit it. When the first beta of Scrivener came out, I LOATHED the interface. It was single-spaced and kept putting weird returns between my paragraphs. I couldn’t see the edges of my pages. I felt paralyzed by the interface. So I ditched the beta and went back to my cozy, comfortable Word world. When I decided to give Scrivener another shot, the beta had been updated to include much more functionality. I can do everything Word does, except see the edges of my pages (which I still kind of miss). BUT on the upside, Scrivener has a Full Screen view that grays out your background, including that distracting Twitter and email inbox.

So that’s a very basic breakdown of why I’m in love with Scrivener and going to have its babies. I hope this helps some of you if you’re sitting on the fence about what Scrivener can do. If you try it out, I recommend you watch the tutorial videos. They are short, easy to follow and will save you hours of floundering.

*All images are the property of Scrivener.

Outlining a Novel in Three Acts

I outline my books. I know this about myself, and I no longer try to fight it. I have a thing for complex characters with complex relationships. Without an outline, I wouldn’t be able to sustain the tension or wind my way through bewildering relationships. I’ve finally found a method that works for me, so I thought I’d share it with those looking for tips on outlining.

1. I generally write about 20-50 pages before I touch the outline. This helps me discover who my character is and what their voice sounds like. Once I have a handle on this, the outlining begins.
2. I plan for 30 chapters as a guideline. Why? Because I like how solid 30 is. Using a piece of notepaper, I number each line 1 thru 30.
3. Get to know the Three-Act structure which divides the story into three main parts:
   1. Act I is the beginning where you  introduce the characters and the situation they are in before a conflict occurs to change things
   2. Between Act I and II is Plot Point #1. This is an event or external action that changes everything for your character and sets the story in motion.
   3. Act II is the middle of your story and is littered with all the obstacles you keep putting in your character’s way until you reach the Black Moment of the story
   4. Between Act II and III is Plot Point #2. This is an event or external action that happens AFTER the Black Moment and shifts your story toward the resolution.
   5. Act III is where you wrap up all your storylines and resolve any conflicts.
   6. This website gives an awesome breakdown of the three-act structure, along with movie examples.
4. So keeping my structure in mind, I take my piece of paper and pencil in the Black Moment and Plot Point #2 (around Chapter 26).  My stories usually come to me with these moments in place.
5. Now, here’s the tricky part. I like to start my stories in the thick of things. In my last novel, the very first line of the book introduced my Plot Point #1. Does this mean I skipped writing Act I? No. I combined Acts I and II, layering them together.
6. Okay. I know where my story starts (Plot Point #1), and I know the worst it’s going to end up (Black Moment). What about all the stuff in between – that honestly used to terrify me?  Every few chapters I pencil in an obstacle. I think about my character’s goal, and situations that could get in the way of that goal. I generally have about 6-7 of these obstacles that get increasingly worse as I near the Black Moment.
7. That takes care of 9 chapters, you say. What about the other 21 chapters? My last WIP had an MC that had complex relationships with 5 other characters in the novel. Each of these relationships had to have an arc, with the relationship changing over the course of the novel as the MC changes. So over the course of those 21 chapters I rotated between those 5 different arcs, including a beginning, middle, and end (or resolution) for each.
8. Beware sustained tension. Readers get fatigued if you never give them a break from the tension. I had one particular character arc that acted as break from the tension. Each chapter or scene my MC had with this character gave her a mini-break before she hit another obstacle. My way of relieving the sustained tension and giving the reader a chance to rest.
9. Note on Plot Points, Obstacles, and Black Moment: These should be events rather than emotional moments. Rather than “MC finally gets mad,” an obstacle would be “X Character does Y .” The MC may very well get mad, but that’s an emotion and not an event per se. Events spark action and change (and emotions). They are required to move your story forward.

Here’s an example of a single chapter’s “outline” from my last WIP:

Chapter 1: Carey is MIA/Blake calls/Mom left

Cryptic, right? Just a few notes like this per chapter provide me with a writing goal. The brevity allows me the freedom to let scenes develop as I write without outlining myself into a corner. So I know in Chapter 1 I want to announce that Carey is MIA, have Blake call my MC about it, and introduce that the MC’s mom abandoned her. Thee conflicts to introduce, but it’s up to my muses how much of each conflict I introduce and what type of scene I do it in.

I like to think of my process as a freeway with lots of exits and places to go.

I hope you can find something useful in my mad method!

Here’s a barebones view of how I layered things in for my last WIP:

Emotional Arc

Whether you’re writing a literary novel or a plot-driven novel, your characters need to experience some kind of growth or change. This growth – as in real life – rarely happens all of a sudden. Try it and your beta readers will leave comments like “I don’t feel this moment was earned” or “This doesn’t ring true.” The emotional journey of your characters is the backbone of any good story. So how do you plan for it?

When I am plotting out my story, I use a three-act structure. This site has a good breakdown of what a story arc looks like. Essentially, Act One is where you introduce your characters and setting. Then something happens – the conflict – that shifts your story into Act Two. This is the meat of your story when roadblocks are tossed at your character, and they must use their problem-solving skills to work around them. The tension builds throughout this section until you reach the Black Moment. This is the darkest moment in the story when your MC is not sure how they will resolve the conflict. The Black Moment is your climax and shifts you into Act Three where the conflict comes to some type of resolution.

This is a simplified explanation of the three-act structure, but I hope you get the gist. In addition to using this structure to outline my plot, I also use this structure to determine the emotional arc of my characters.

* An exception would be if you are trying to show the character spiraling out of control, but then you would need to have spent time establishing how “out of character” they are acting for the contrast to be successful.

**Note: I didn’t say happy ending. I’m okay with an ending that isn’t tied up with a neat ribbon BUT I want to feel that my character has grown. Personally I can’t stand reading a book only to find the character hasn’t changed one iota when confronted with problem after problem. That works for minor characters, but not MCs in my opinion.

I also want to point out that sometimes a story begins with the conflict – in fact, many of the best stories do. When this happens, the details of Act One are filled in through back story.

I hope this helps!

Writing the Sequel: Touched Part Deux

Now that I am into the sequel for TOUCHED, I’m discovering more about my writing methods. I am an outliner. A fluid outliner who allows for surprises, yes, but I would still define myself as a writer who outlines. I also write chronologically, going from one chapter to the next. If I get an idea for a later chapter, it goes into my outline. I do not, however, skip around. For me, a character grows like a person does. They are formed by the people they meet and the choices they make. I don’t know how the Remy of Chapter One is going to react to a situation in Chapter Eighteen because, while the core of that person is established, the events between those chapters may have changed her in small but meaningful ways. The defensive Remy may have softened and her reactions may not be so kneejerk. I like to allow my characters to develop organically as I meet them on their journey.

What does this have to do with the sequel?  My characters are more decisive. They know each other, and they interact with familiarity. I’m dying to write the tense, action-packed scenes, and I find myself struggling to write the in-between chapters. I can trace this to two causes. First, I love to write tense, angsty scenes. My MFA mentor has told me more than once that I need to offer more breath between tense scenes so as not to fatigue my reader. I’ve worked really hard at this in revisions, and at building these moments into my outline in the sequel. That doesn’t make it any easier to write them, even while I see the necessity. Second, I am mixing things up and having characters react in new ways as the novel marches on, and I am aching to get to these scenes faster. Don’t get me wrong. The first four chapters opened with a bang, but there are later scenes that will transform my characters. Those are the scenes I want to work on.

For the first time ever, I have skipped ahead. A couple of nights ago, I wrote scenes from Chapters Fifteen and Sixteen. And discovered the problems working out of sequence brings. I introduced new characters without having defined them to myself, let alone the reader. The scene lacked the buildup of tension that preceding scenes would have lent it as moments and looks and little bits of conversation wove together to create a perfect moment. What I did by skipping ahead was create an awful lot of work on the backend because now I will have to edit that scene to death.

So tonight, I will be backing it up to Chapter Five. I will pace myself and not rush ahead. I will not presume to know who my characters are a hundred pages from now, and I think my work will be better for it.

What about you? What revelations have you had about your writing style?

Freewriting vs. Outlining

Organic or Structured? The ongoing debate of writing methods – or should I say planning methods – can be a never-ending one. Many writers feel like the magic is lost if they know where they’re going. Others feel like they’ll never get to the end if they don’t have a road map. Me? I like to use a combination of both methods.

When I get an idea for a novel, I’m not always sure where the story is going to begin. So, I freewrite. I put fingers to keyboard and tap out pages until I run out of steam. Then, when I feel like I’m getting a feel for who my characters are, I go back to the drawing board and do my version of an outline – a malleable series of bullet points representing plot points and character notes for each chapter.

For my novel TOUCHED, I knew I wanted about 20 chapters coming in around 350 pages – on par for a YA novel based on my research*. (I really love research.) I typed up a list of prospective chapters and accompanying bullet points that represented major plot points that should be happening in each chapter. For example, a bullet point can be as simple as “First Kiss” or “New Power Develops.” Knowing where I was “kind of” going, helped me to think through what would need to happen before I could get there. If a couple was going to kiss, they had to meet (duh), have feelings develop, and be put in a situation where it could happen. Those became additional points on my outline in earlier chapters. I do this until I more or less have a list of things I want to accomplish in each chapter. When I get closer to writing that actual chapter, I fill in more of the details. Easy, right?

My list of bullet points (i.e. outline) is fluid. Sometimes I write a chapter and don’t get to all my bullet points because the story and the characters took me in a new direction. In that case, I simply move my bullet points into the next chapter. This process allows me to have some structure to my novel, while allowing me to let the writing happen naturally. Best of both worlds. Below is an example of my outline for Chapter One of TOUCHED. Admittedly, I cleaned this up a bit since I tend to use abbreviations in my outlines.

• Chapter One:
  • 17-year-old loner Remy has been abused for years and uses her ability to heal her wounds and those of others, including her mother, by taking them on as her own
  • She hides her ability worried she is a freak
  • Remy and her alcoholic stepfather fight when Remy defends her mother
  • She discovers a new ability to transfer her wounds/pain to another when she accidentally uses her power on her stepfather, Dean.
  • She is sent to live with her father in Port Townsend, WA after her stepfather puts her in the hospital
  • In Port Townsend, she takes a walk on the beach and meets a boy her age, Asher, who angers her by taking her picture (she has lots of bruises from fight with Dean)
  • She scans him with her power to see if he is ill and he manages to hold her energy hostage, something that’s never happened before.

TIP: When I’m writing a chapter, I paste my outline for the chapter I’m working on, plus that of the following chapter. This helps me to lay in details that foreshadow later events. Hope this helps you!

*NOTE: Another admission… My novel netted out around 405 pages, and that’s after I cut about 30 pages. In editing, I revised from 20 to 32 chapters, too, per beta reader notes. The best laid plans…