On Spreadsheets and Planning

Itching to write, but I'm still in the outlining and planning phase for my third draft. Currently on Scene 49, half-way through my second draft. At this rate, I think I have 98 scenes by the end of everything.

I've also updated my outlining and planning processes. Along with the scene list, I also added a spreadsheet that tracks turning points and questions raised.

Turning points is borrowed from Coyne's Story Grid and Scofield's The Scene Book. Basically, they are events that changes the mood or the fortune of a specific scene. Things either go from good to bad and vice versa. Or it can go from bad to worse and so on. I think it's beneficial to keep track of these so you can see if a scene is stagnant.

Questions raised came up as an idea and also from years of learning. Previously, I never kept track of potential questions that readers might raise while reading my stories. So in the spreadsheet, I will write up a question that could be raised such as "who is the man in black?" Next, there would be two columns: Answered/Hinted at Scenes and Unanswered.

With the example question "who is the man in black?" that could be answered or hinted at in a future scene. If it's answered in scene 12, then I enter the scene number under that column. Sometimes, you just want to give hints rather than answer a question directly. So in the example, we can sprinkles hints throughout the story. I will then enter the related scene numbers under the column (example: Hints in scene 12, 18, 20).

Other times, you might not want to answer the questions raised just to give your reader a sense of mystery. I think this works only if it is not crucial to the plot. Also, the question might be answered in another book; just not in the one you're working on. In this column, I will write down the answer as a convenience to myself and as a reference. With the same question from above, I can write an answer for myself, stating that the man in black is a magician who orchestrated a disaster (something like that).

Itching to write, but I'm still in the outlining and planning phase for my third draft. Currently on Scene 49, half-way through my second draft. At this rate, I think I have 98 scenes by the end of everything.

I've also updated my outlining and planning processes. Along with the scene list, I also added a spreadsheet that tracks turning points and questions raised.

Turning points is borrowed from Coyne's Story Grid and Scofield's The Scene Book. Basically, they are events that changes the mood or the fortune of a specific scene. Things either go from good to bad and vice versa. Or it can go from bad to worse and so on. I think it's beneficial to keep track of these so you can see if a scene is stagnant.

Questions raised came up as an idea and also from years of learning. Previously, I never kept track of potential questions that readers might raise while reading my stories. So in the spreadsheet, I will write up a question that could be raised such as "who is the man in black?" Next, there would be two columns: Answered/Hinted at Scenes and Unanswered.

With the example question "who is the man in black?" that could be answered or hinted at in a future scene. If it's answered in scene 12, then I enter the scene number under that column. Sometimes, you just want to give hints rather than answer a question directly. So in the example, we can sprinkles hints throughout the story. I will then enter the related scene numbers under the column (example: Hints in scene 12, 18, 20).

Other times, you might not want to answer the questions raised just to give your reader a sense of mystery. I think this works only if it is not crucial to the plot. Also, the question might be answered in another book; just not in the one you're working on. In this column, I will write down the answer as a convenience to myself and as a reference. With the same question from above, I can write an answer for myself, stating that the man in black is a magician who orchestrated a disaster (something like that).

Itching to write, but I'm still in the outlining and planning phase for my third draft. Currently on Scene 49, half-way through my second draft. At this rate, I think I have 98 scenes by the end of everything.

I've also updated my outlining and planning processes. Along with the scene list, I also added a spreadsheet that tracks turning points and questions raised.

Turning points is borrowed from Coyne's Story Grid and Scofield's The Scene Book. Basically, they are events that changes the mood or the fortune of a specific scene. Things either go from good to bad and vice versa. Or it can go from bad to worse and so on. I think it's beneficial to keep track of these so you can see if a scene is stagnant.

Questions raised came up as an idea and also from years of learning. Previously, I never kept track of potential questions that readers might raise while reading my stories. So in the spreadsheet, I will write up a question that could be raised such as "who is the man in black?" Next, there would be two columns: Answered/Hinted at Scenes and Unanswered.

With the example question "who is the man in black?" that could be answered or hinted at in a future scene. If it's answered in scene 12, then I enter the scene number under that column. Sometimes, you just want to give hints rather than answer a question directly. So in the example, we can sprinkles hints throughout the story. I will then enter the related scene numbers under the column (example: Hints in scene 12, 18, 20).

Other times, you might not want to answer the questions raised just to give your reader a sense of mystery. I think this works only if it is not crucial to the plot. Also, the question might be answered in another book; just not in the one you're working on. In this column, I will write down the answer as a convenience to myself and as a reference. With the same question from above, I can write an answer for myself, stating that the man in black is a magician who orchestrated a disaster (something like that).

Learning As I Go

I'm one-third in my manuscript, but still writing the scene outline for the 3rd draft. Most of my scenes had to be killed off or consolidated with other scenes. Lately I've been reading up on Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and Make A Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. These resources are helping me out greatly in planning out my scenes: they help point out my weaknesses and flaws. One thing I noticed was most of my scenes didn't have a turning points and proper scene launches.

I've learned that turning points are crucial to make a scene work. Each scene needs a turning point so it doesn't come across as dull. This was mentioned by Shawn Coyne and also Sandra Scofield in her book The Scene Book (what a humdrum title). Coyne, however, has a complex method with regards to turning points; he talks about Value Shifts, Polarity Shifts and Turning Point (see here: http://www.storygrid.com/tracking-the-scene). As for Scofield, she calls it the Focal Point, a moment where the momentum shifts, where things change from good to bad and vice-verse.

And going through my draft, I've noticed that my narrative summaries were all over the place. I've since planned them out and placed them in strategic scenes where they could elicit the best drama for the novel.

I'm learning as I go, and it's great. When I started this novel early last year, I told myself that the time I spent on it was my "tuition fee." Hope I graduate this year with a complete manuscript.

I'm one-third in my manuscript, but still writing the scene outline for the 3rd draft. Most of my scenes had to be killed off or consolidated with other scenes. Lately I've been reading up on Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and Make A Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. These resources are helping me out greatly in planning out my scenes; they help point out my weaknesses and flaws. One thing I noticed was most of my scenes didn't have a turning points and proper scene launches.

I've learned that turning points are crucial to make a scene work. This was mentioned by Shawn Coyne and also Sandra Scofield in her book The Scene Book (what a humdrum title). Coyne, however, has a complex method with regards to turning points; he talks about Value Shifts, Polarity Shifts and Turning Point (see here: http://www.storygrid.com/tracking-the-scene). As for Scofield, she calls it the Focal Point, a moment where the momentum shifts, where things change from good to bad and vice-verse. Each scene needs a turning point so it doesn't come across as dull.

And going through my draft, I've noticed that my narrative summaries were all over the place. I've since planned them out and placed them in strategic scenes where they could elicit the best drama for the novel.

I'm learning as I go, and it's great. When I started this novel early last year, I told myself that the time I spent on it was my "tuition fee." Hope I graduate this year with a complete manuscript.

I'm one-third in my manuscript, but still writing the scene outline for the 3rd draft. Most of my scenes had to be killed off or consolidated with other scenes. Lately I've been reading up on Story Grid by Shawn Coyne and Make A Scene by Jordan Rosenfeld. These resources are helping me out greatly in planning out my scenes; they help point out my weaknesses and flaws. One thing I noticed was most of my scenes didn't have a turning points and proper scene launches.

I've learned that turning points are crucial to make a scene work. This was mentioned by Shawn Coyne and also Sandra Scofield in her book The Scene Book (what a humdrum title). Coyne, however, has a complex method with regards to turning points; he talks about Value Shifts, Polarity Shifts and Turning Point (see here: http://www.storygrid.com/tracking-the-scene). As for Scofield, she calls it the Focal Point, a moment where the momentum shifts, where things change from good to bad and vice-verse. Each scene needs a turning point so it doesn't come across as dull.

And going through my draft, I've noticed that my narrative summaries were all over the place. I've since planned them out and placed them in strategic scenes where they could elicit the best drama for the novel.

I'm learning as I go, and it's great. When I started this novel early last year, I told myself that the time I spent on it was my "tuition fee." Hope I graduate this year with a complete manuscript.

Here we go...

2nd Draft manuscript... yikes.

I've already begun the revision process. Basically, I'm curating my scenes, making sure they have a function and purpose, and not just there as filler or fluff.

The first three chapters were garbage, but I've planned how to revise them. Hopefully they'll look good when I do fix them. After those chapters, the writing and the structure got better compared to the garbage, which somehow surprised me. I hope it still true on the next chapters. Really psyched on how everything will pan out.


My initial estimates of finishing this thing by March might not be feasible, but we'll see. Two days in already, and I've gone through 50 pages, but that's only reading it and creating the outline for the scenes. Actual edits have not happened yet. 

Anyway, I wanted to share to you guys how I organize my scene:

START--LOGLINE--Narrator talking about superhero origins.

Ezra IS BORED because the batteries in his Gameboy dies. He THINKS about climbing the tree in their backyard. Aries ASKS if he wants to play with his action figures and OFFERS his toy Wolverine.

Ezra WANTS TO CLIMB the tree because he had always wanted to. Ezra STARTS for the tree, BUT Aries tells him to stop.

SUCCESS--Ezra is climbing the tree, BUT as he goes further up, his foothold breaks under him.

Aries IS CONCERNED for his twin brother; Ezra IS AFRAID that he’ll land on Aries (clue on how their powers work). Ezra FALLS with his right arm outstretched. It BREAKS and then HEALS immediately. Aries IS CRYING. Ezra DISCOVERS that Aries’ arm is broken. The neighbors FIND the boys in this situation and TELLS Ezra to wake his mother up.

Ezra NEEDS TO WAKE his mother up, BUT Gracie is drunk, high or both. (SHOW the inside of the living room: bottles, pills, cigarettes). Ezra SHAKES and SCREAMS at her, BUT she’s barely stiring.

SUCCESS--Ezra SLAPS her awake.

END--VISUAL DESCRIPTION--Gracie freaks out and argues with the EMTs; the neighbor offers Gracie and Ezra a ride to the hospital; Ezra appears worried; Ezra scratches his arm.​