How to Use a Plot Notebook When Writing a Book
A Simple Plotting Tool to Make Fiction Writing Easier
Sep 11, 2009
The plot notebook should be something a writer can scribble ideas into, cart around in a backpack or a handbag, throw in the glovebox of the car or keep (all friendly-looking and dog-eared) next to the computer.
The emphasis is on user-friendly. Face it, anything that looks too formal and imposing is not likely to be used... like those oh-so-beautiful notebooks that writers love to give each other as gifts, which then stay on the shelf because they're too nice to write in!
What Kind of Notebook Works Well for Plotting Your Book?
It's best to start with a book that's divided into sections already. A5 is a good size (compact enough to fit into a decent-sized handbag, and small enough to open up comfortably in a small space next to a computer). It should be easy to find a spiral-bound book (spiral binding is good because it opens out flat) that has 2 – 5 cardboard dividers with pockets.
Individual writers will find the way that works best for them, but here are a few suggestions:
- Keep the first section of the Plot Notebook for plot ideas, and scribble them down whenever they occur.
- Use one section for character notes
- Use one section for notes on different scenes that need to be written
- Use any remaining sections for whatever will be of use for the work in progress.
Naturally writers won't always have their plot notebooks with them, but a little forethought will ensure that there is a handy collection of sticky notes everywhere they are likely to go. Keep a pack in the car, in a handbag, in the pantry, in the bedroom, at work… and make sure there's a pen near them, of course.
Writers should get into the habit of scribbling down whatever occurs to them in regard to the story plot and then stick the note into their plot notebook when they get home. The notes can be copied into the appropriate section when there is time. (Of course, it's possible to just leave it as a stick-on note, but after a while the plot notebook will get too fat to close properly!)
What Works Best for Writing Books – a Plot Notebook or a Writer's Notebook?
A plot notebook is somewhat different from a writer's notebook. Quite a number of writers like to keep a writer's notebook, but they often use it for warm-up writing exercises, random jottings about the world at large, unrelated story ideas, and even as a daily diary. While a writer's notebook may include ideas about plotting, it is not exclusively about plotting.
The plot notebook is all about plotting a novel. It can include rough character sketches and ideas, but these will all be related to the work in progress.
How One Writer Uses a Plot NoteBook
Plot notebooks are as individual as the writers who use them.
Jody Hedlund, an author of inspirational historical romances, always uses a plot notebook, but makes sure that it is functional. In her interview on the Romance Writers On the Journey Blog, Jody comments: "My plot notebook is nothing too fancy—just the blank pages of a 5-cent, college-ruled, spiral notebook. Before I start writing, I fill up the first third with plot points. My hero and heroine each have a page devoted to three main plot strands: external plot, internal/spiritual plot, relationship plot. I devote a page or two to both subplot ideas and set pieces (major scenes/conflict). I also develop a story timeline with a very brief outline of the chapters and where they fit into the timeline. And finally, I devote a few pages to the story premise, book hook ideas, and back cover blurb."
Jody uses the last two-thirds of her plot notebook for chapter-by-chapter outlines. What goes in these outlines? First, details of each scene in the chapter - usually between one and three scenes. These scene outlines cover the basics: time; setting; POV (point of view); hook; ROP (read-on prompt... the scene ending that makes the reader want to turn the page and keep reading); sensory and historical details to include, and then all of the scene goals/conflict.
Any writer who has never thought of using a plot notebook would be well advised to give it a try. It makes writing a book a lot less painful - there's always a place to look for that last plot idea! It's also easy to see how all the story threads are brought together, and how each scene in the novel fits in. By adding a fold-out timeline to the back of the plot notebook, a writer is able to keep control of the way the story unfolds.
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