Thanks, Eve, I like that idea and might give it a try!

Tiger

I'm sceptical about programmes that purport to take all the hard work out of an activity where the hard work involves thinking. I used to write a lot of powerpoint presentations - for my sins - and there are plenty of templates around for those. I soon found that I spent most of my time trying to make my presentation fit the template instead of just writing the damn thing from scratch. I'm more sympathetic to the idea of some structure that acts as an aid memoir, but I still think that each of us needs to come up with our own structure, since we all have different strengths and weaknesses.
Tony

I think that's right, Tony. I know my weakness can be meandering around the plot rather than adhering to it, hence the potential lure of a 'discipline'.

Tiger

Eve, that's a superb idea, and is pretty much what you get from writers' packages. The advantage of your system is that you have the cards in your hand. You can pick them up and move them about and scribble diagrams. The speed of access of something physical can often be much faster and more reliable than a computer program.

My own gripe with these packages, in particular New Novelist, is the sort of crap they put on the packaging, ie, "The Magic of newnovelist is that it doesn't feel as if you're writing a book" - which is a way of saying it takes the work out of the process. It doesn't, it's just a tool for organising thoughts, much like Eve's card system.

Once you've done with notes and diagrams, maps and plotting, you still have to sit down and write the thing.

Colin

The speed of access of something physical can often be much faster and more reliable than a computer program.

This is so true; my old filofax'll beat anyone with a PDA. And apparently they still can't make a computer address-finding-system that a good secretary can use faster than s/he can a Rolodex.

Emma

Colin, it's by far the best system I've tried so far to keep track of what's happening. The beauty is that I bought a second set of header cards which I keep at the back of the box for charater analysis and places and other general notes and I carry a few index cards with me when I go out that I slot in if I've had a bit of inspiration. It saves me having to search about in notebooks for lines I've written or things I've thought about. I love the jigsaw aspect of sitting with these reams of cards that I shuffle about wondering the best way to put it together. Then I just sit and type going through them one after the other. It works brilliantly - much better to see and "feel" the story almost like putting together a patchwork quilt !

Eve.

This sounds fun. I'm off to WHSmith in the morning!

When I started plotting out the current novel I'm working on, which being a crime novel needs to be pretty tightly buttoned down, I went to my local stationers to buy an A3 pad. I like plotting in A3 for some reason. They only had tracing paper. I was desperate to get on with the job so I bought it. I actually found it quite useful, somehow, because I would lay different strands over each other and build up the story in layers. That is to say, I could write out one story line in a fairly gappy way on one sheet, leaving the gaps for where I knew other bits of the story would occur chronologically. Then I would lay another clean sheet of tracing paper over this and write the next story strand in some of the gappy areas. Then I would lay a third sheet over this, and fill in some more gappy areas with a different strand. It didn't matter if there was some over lap.

I used index cards too. And taped up a timeline on the wall.

Computer stuff, I don't know about. But I'm a bit of a luddite. I like stuff I can see and fiddle with and screw up and throw away then retrieve from the bin and flatten out looking for the one bit that I think will hold the key to the puzzle only not to find it because it never existed.

I also like using different coloured pens to do character sketches. The colours are coded to correspond to the plot strands they apply to.

I have looked at New Novelist from two points of view: that of a writer and that of a software developer. I didn't find it particularly successful from either.

The fundamental problem is that they have assumed you will be happy to work with the very simplistic formula that they have adopted which lays down how a novel should work. I found its facile rules about antagonists, protagonists, plot development, etc, etc, annoying. They would be OK for a one-off writing exercise but not for planning or producing a genuine novel.

From a software design point of view, the inability to do something as simple as print out what you have put down for a single character is quite inexcusable. The screen layout in Version 2 is dominated by their own 'features' which tend to overwhelm the most important area where you are actually doing the writing.

However, as software goes, it isn't that ridiculously expensive and some may like its approach.

Chris

Hi Tiger! I too am on my second book. In fact I've finished it. Like yours it's crime, but with humour and Adult stuff. It's a sequel to my first one that was published (184386178X)The first is only being sold? on the Internet, but they are NOT selling it! They all want money. And there does not seem to be any honesty around. I paid for the first one, (and how!) and all I have had is 2 royalty cheques one for £1.79. and the other for £8. 09.!! (yes really) What a reward for all that work. Where are you situated? Anyway, all the best for both of us.. Roland R.Peach

Hi Tiger,

you can download novel writing (that really should be novel organising) programmes for free at http://download.com

Emma

Thanks, Emma. I'll get that out. And yes it's the organising I need help with - only Jeffrey Archer has novel writing software!

Tiger