An author can bring their story to life using any method they deem suitable for them. There are some authors able to start writing without a lot of planning ahead of time and it works out perfectly. I wrote this way when I brought my first series to life. (The Lyall Pack Series: Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3). If that’s the best way for you to write then I have no reason to tell you to stop. Of course, some people would rather draft up an outline to organize all the details ahead of time. This would be a great way to plan out a mystery novel. Planning the pages out will make it easier to not miss those important details. Today’s post is going to share how I am creating my outline for my new series.
Many of you are aware I hold a plan to create a graphic novel series. (Not spoiling too many details about the series, yet). It’s been on my mind for a little over a year. For a long time, it felt as if none of my plans were working and I was about ready to call it quits. But I can’t walk away from the story because the potential for its success feels really high. My plans needed to be sorted out and I came up with a way to get my storyline organized.
It is very important for an author to share all the details in the stories they bring to life for their readers. This statement is true for an author of chapter books, novellas, graphic novels, scripts, or any other form of writing. You want to make sure you don’t forget to share important facts in your story. If you plan to write a long series it would be wise to plan out the best time for you reveal certain facts as the story progresses from book to book. It wouldn’t be very exciting for your readers to learn everything in the first book. This is why I created a bulletin board featuring the important points of my story.
Each notecard on this board represents a key factor in the storyline. I knew I wouldn’t be able to remember all the interesting bits and pieces of the story if I didn’t plan everything out properly. The best part about this is how easily I can remove cards I feel aren’t good enough or add details I think would make the story better. All I have to do now is sit down in front of my board and write. These notes are in front of me at all times so I can keep track of where I’m going and where I’ve already been. This makes it easier for me to be clear with my readers all the way to the end.
Another cool feature shown in the picture above is how I divided up the key points. If you look at the picture you might be able to see the ribbon I have separating the first eight cards from the others on the board. All this ribbon represents to me is where I THINK I want book one to end. Separating these cards lets me aim for how many key points will happen in each grouping. Then I know roughly the number of pages I will write up in these points. It’s a very lose setting, but it’s simply another factor to help organize all of my plans.
This plan is in its beginning stages. I can’t guarantee this is the best way for every author to go about bringing their story to life, but it might be a helpful tip. I put this board out of the way in my living room. This means I look at it every day so I can’t push the story away and forget about it. I can almost hear it whispering ‘Are you ready to write?’ every day. A bit of encouragement for me to push my plan through. All I have to do is sit down, get to work, and get the job done!
Do you have any creative methods to help you get your work done?
Let me know!
Writing My Career 