Scrivener is my “go to” tool for writing, bar none. I’ve blogged about it previously. Be it fiction, non-fiction, blog posts or random notes, I adore the inherent organizational tools. In terms of plotting, I like to look at the binder as a quick summary of each scene.
But, as I noted in my first post about visual revision tools and techniques, I was looking for something visual in terms of writing technique, something that might help me really see my structure, pace, character development, and point of view in order to reveal whatever flaws and holes there might be.
Scrivener’s Corkboard
So, I turned to the corkboard interface that Scrivener offers. I know that some writers adore this feature of Scrivener, especially when it comes to plotting and revision. This is what my effort looked like.
See the binder of documents on the left, the corkboard in the middle, and the inspector on the right.
Scene Types in Color
According to James Scott Bell’s breakdown of scene “chords” or types, I’ve used the color of the index cards as follows:
Blue = Action
Grey = Setup
Green = Reaction
Pink = Deepening
I’ve set these up by customizing the first pull-down menu in the General window pane of the inspector. I can change how many index cards are in each row, such that all the index cards show, but not in a linear way, not in the way a plot might progress, beginning to end. I can get a general idea of how many actions scenes I have relative to others, although I can’t really see how the action is rising or falling, again, in a linear or chronological way.
POV in the Stamp
I’ve also used the stamp. Each card is stamped with the POV character for that scene. Again, I’m trying to establish, for the purposes of revision, if it’s lopsided, or if the ebb and flow of the different narrator voices serves a useful purpose in terms of the plot structure. I’ve customized the second pull-down menu, below the first, to accomplish this stamp.
A Wish List
But now that I’ve customized these two menus, I’m done. Unfortunately, for the purposes of analyzing the first draft, I’d also like to look at a few other things as well: I’d like to set the intensity level for a scene (numbered 0 to 10), I’d like to know the setting of the scene, and I’d even like to know where the major plot milestones are falling. Just those few things would mean that I’d need three more pull-down menus that I can customize.
Let’s just say I could have those new pull-down menus. How would they get displayed on the cards? I could possibly have a second stamp or perhaps it’s possible for the card to be colored one way and the pin a different way. Honestly, I haven’t a clue as to how my new scene information might be shown.
So my pursuit of the big picture, being able to see the entire novel at once, continues. In my final post, I find that the spreadsheet is the tool for me.
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