Flow chart as a plot discovery device

I love this idea! I always use blank computer paper (no lines) to do any sort of brainstorming and I also work very visually. The index card thing didn't work out for me but this seems like it would be very helpful. Thanks for sharing!

Oooooooooooo. This could be good. I have corkboards at home so I might buy another one and test this out for my next WIP!

Cool beans!

That's kind of brilliant. I think that might actually solve a problem I've been having with a short story.

I've done that with white boards and it has helped a lot. This sort of flow chart idea is pretty extensively used in Project Management, so there's even software available for it. Some people call it mind mapping, and here's a list of some of the more popular software platforms to consider with varying degrees of cost if you would like to do this sort of thing digitally :

Microsoft Visio
MindJet
iMindQ
XMind
Idearium
FreeMind
Compendium
OmniGiraffe

That's a very interesting idea...I'll have to try it. Thanks for sharing!

This is a tremendously helpful tool, not only for tracking the main plot but also for holding together the threads of subplots and parallel storylines, and getting you out of that mid-story block. Thank you for sharing, L.C.

(I have a large corkboard and a huge stack of old, yellowing blank index cards I use for each story I write, as well as for the beta reads I take on.)


ETA: I meant to add that this can be a very helpful visual for finding those pesky plot holes, too.

You can use a corkboard, a stack of index cards on the floor or table, a pad of sticky notes and a wall, or software for mind-mapping.

People use the Corkboard in Scrivener for this, too.

I've used a program called Scapple for this, available on MacOS and Windows.

Scapple is very free-wheeling, very fluid in letting you tie boxes together in flow-chart fashion, write whatever you like in those boxes, and move them around.

It's not a good timeline tool, but it's pretty decent for "virtual whiteboarding".

Great advice. Currently going through story to check on a subplot that is kind of in the form of a mystery that is solved.
Lots of working out where clues can most effectively and subtely be dropped in. And a few red herrings.
I use Scrivener, it's cork board really helps in these situations.

Ohhhhhhh this is a great freaking idea!!!! I need a whiteboard so I can do this anytime I get stuck in a plot!

I do this using butcher block paper, esp. when I'm doing reverse planning, which is really helpful with a mystery to ensure you didn't forget to put the clues in the right order. So I start at the top and pyramid out and eventually work it back down to a point at the bottom (where the story starts) and then go through and cross out all the "don't like that"s, the "doesn't make sense"s or the "my MC would never do that"s. By the time I've done that, I usually have one path left that hits all the high points, but still let the plot bunnies run rampant (and hopefully wore them out enough to let me write the story).

I also find out a timeline goes well with this method. I'll set up a calendar on white board and start marking off stuff. Hmm, travel from point a to point b takes six days, but the villain starts his plot about here, so the hero has now X-2 days to discover the plot before the villain succeeds, oh, but the annoying kid started his thing on this day, which means subplot C will intersect the main plot here and here ....

In fewer words, it helps me ensure things move at a realistic/reasonable rate through the book so plot points don't get rushed or shoehorned in because I'm running out of word count.

I am going to try this as soon as I get my "depressed because winter is coming block" sorted out..

Summer89 said:

I am going to try this as soon as I get my "depressed because winter is coming block" sorted out..

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"Winter is coming" seems to me to be a great stream of consciousness topic for unlocking the block on your current WIP or for starting one . . . and I thank you!*


*Off to see what I can do with "winter is coming" for an M/S/T story.

Ari Meermans said:

"Winter is coming" seems to me to be a great stream of consciousness topic for unlocking the block on your current WIP or for starting one . . . and I thank you!*


*Off to see what I can do with "winter is coming" for an M/S/T story.

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Happy to help