The Bros. McElroy is moving right along, so I thought I would take the time to update an article I had written earlier to give you insight into what my process is as a writer, and what I look for as an editor.
You’ve got a great idea, wonderful characters, a mcguffin, and a plot is starting to formulate in your head. How do you go from an idea to script? An outline is the tool for the job. Some writers don’t use an outline, and after years of sellable writing under your belt, you may not need to either, but you may find that without one, you will end up either writing yourself into a corner, or finding your story nowhere near what you wanted it to be. Lots of writers do it differently, but I’m going to let you in on how I do it. My method was created through the amalgamation of a few techniques, picking and choosing what I liked and assimilating them into my repertoire.
Go out and buy some ruled index cards. I would recommend the 4″x6″ size, although it’s up to you. I always stock up in September (along with my note and sketch books) during back to school sales. You will likely want start with around 100 of them. Also go out and get a recipe or coupon organizer, and make sure that it fits whatever size cards you purchased. You will want one that has at least 5 sections, but the more the better. Also make sure that the organizer covers the cards totally, protecting them from spills and other mishaps. Some organizers come with labels to name each section. If yours does, here is what I would start out with:
Characters
World
Props
Plot
Questions
Done? Good. Now let’s get started.
Grab an index card, and on the ruled side write the name of one of your characters. Underneath, fill in some of their vitals, such as eye and hair color, height, weight, nationality, or anything else you may think is important. If they are a superhero, put down his alias, powers, where his hideout is, and even the names of some of his rogue gallery. You can reference other cards you may have. For example, if you were creating a card for Batman, you could put World: Batcave or Prop: Batmobile on it. Repeat this for your entire main and supporting cast. If you run out of room, grab a new card, and just label them 1 and 2. Treat your supporting cast with just as much care and thought as you do your main one. Flat characters (even red-shirts) can ruin your book as much as having your 3 yr old nephew draw it. The opposite side of your card should be blank, giving you the perfect opportunity to doodle a little character sketch. It doesn’t have to be pretty as you’re the only one who is going to see it, but it can give you an overall impression of what your character should look like. Your other choice is to find a printer that can print on the cards, and find reference pictures on the net. Is your character like Angelina Jolie in Mr. and Mrs. Smith? Put a picture of her on the back. Cut pictures out of magazines and glue them on if you have to. Take all your characters and put them in the Characters section of your organizer.
Grab a fresh card. Write down the name of an important location within your story. Using the example of Batman again, I would create a card for Wayne Manor, the Batcave, Gotham City Police Headquarters, The Joker’s hideout, and the Gotham Toy Museum (where the crime will happen). Put down everything important you will need to know about these locations, such as where they are located, physical description, and why they are important to the story. You can also reference other cards like you did with your characters. Once again, the blank side of the card gives you a great opportunity to put a little sketch on it, or reference photos from magazines or the net. Once you are done these, put them in the World section.
Props are anything your characters use or touch that is of importance. A generic prop does not need a card, but unique or important ones do. I include vehicles (batmobile, batwing, bat-mars rover), weapons (batarang, grappling line), accessories (bat-shark repellant), and such things as what the villain is trying to steal or manipulate (the world’s largest cotton candy machine). I would recommend referencing who or what uses the props somewhere on the card as well. Put a sketch on the back, and drop them in the Prop section.
Congratulations, you’re done the foundation. Now you can start crafting your outline. Grab some more cards and stack them in front of you. Start writing down ideas for scenes or panel progressions as they come to you. Don’t worry about the order just yet. Once you have a bunch finished, spread them out on a flat surface in front of you. Move them around and try to put them in some semblance of order. Move them around again and see if there is a better fit. Once you have them laid out how you like them, read over them. Do you find a scene gap between two of the cards that you think needs something to link the two? Grab another card and create that scene, then place it between the cards. Pretty soon you will have your entire series, novel, or story arc laid out in front of you. When you are content with the order, number your cards in pencil.
Now you can take your story, and break it up into sections, such as chapters or issues. While doing this, you may find that you have too much or too little to fill your requirement. Don’t try to force it or pad it. Can you extend or shrink your chapter or issue numbers? If you need to shrink it, can you combine two scenes, or create a new scene that can take the place of two? If you need to expand it, can you think of any more scenes that you can add to you story that won’t simply pad it, but contribute something meaningful? If you can’t, you should seriously consider shrinking it. Once you are content with the breakdown of your story, renumber your cards by issue/chapter and then scene number (i.e. book/chapter 1 scene 1). Now take your cards and put them in the Plot holder.
The questions section is something I heard about through Denny O’Neil. While you are writing or creating your cards, write down any questions that pop into your head about your story. Keep the questions out in front of you while you continue writing. This will ensure that you will answer them later on in the story refinement process. I also use this section to jot down ideas.
This is only one method you can use to lay the foundation for your story. In the end, use whatever works best for you. I prefer this method because it allows me to change stuff around on a whim while being able to revert it later. It also allows for portability. If I’m sitting at a diner and something I see triggers an idea for a scene, character, or prop, I pull out my organizer and pull out a fresh card.
I hope this helps someone out, and I can’t wait to read all the great stories on here. Next week I will talk about crafting a pitch that will help sell your idea to a publisher.
Cheers,
j
