Welcome to Day One of the 30 Day Publishing Blueprint, today we are going to get your work organized. Starting out with an organized plot is key to the 30 Day Publishing Blueprint. Today I will tell you my preferred method of organizing my stories and give you a few others that you can worth with and decide which one you like the best.
My preferred method of organization is very low tech, so low tech that I start with a notebook and a pen. I know a lot of people go high-tech, but somehow just a pen and paper helps me get my thoughts out easier while I am organizing.
So here are the three things that I do:
- I outline the story chapter by chapter.
- I summarize each chapter, I organize the big idea and make sure that the tools are in place to keep the story going.
- I go back over it and read them to make sure that it reads like a short condensed version of what I want my story to be.
With this method I always have the notebook out while I am writing and I know what is happening in the story. This also helps me write chapter by chapter, that way if I have to get to a stopping point I stop at the end of a chapter and pick up where I left off.
Also with this method if you get to a section and it doesn’t seem to be working you can rework it quickly to fix what isn’t working in your outline.
Other organizing tools that you choose instead of a notebook are:
- Sketches – You can draw out an outline of your story in a sort of diagram.
- Lists and Outlines – This works like my organization method, I also think of this as working kind of like essays that you used to write in school.
- Index cards – Sometimes when I am feeling fancy, I will do this one because I love index cards. And index card can be made for chapter or section with the big idea and summary of each chapter on the corresponding card.
- Sticky notes – Use the bigger sticky notes sort of like the index cards and organize them by ideas and chapters.
- Scrivener – This is a high-tech method that can be used sort of like the notecards. It’s a really neat feature and be used the same way as you would use paper notecards.
- Spreadsheets – Spreadsheets can be organized by chapter with the same things needed above to get your story organized and idea in place.
- Storyboards – This is an idea I recently read about and think that it could be fun. You could use Powerpoint or a similar program and organize each chapter into a “board.” Of course you would have a summary and the big idea for each chapter on their board. I could see this method as being great for those wanting to stay on task.
Now it’s time to go!
This is first day and you need to get your story organized, if you need any suggestions or help please leave me a comment and I will get back to you if not look for tomorrow’s post.
For more help organizing your work check out my Series Bible Printables to help organize stories, characters and places in your work, and don’t forget to sign up for the daily email.
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