In step # 5 we learned how to outline a novel with a plot board and index cards.

I taught you how to outline your chapters by jotting down the key things that need to happen in that chapter.

If you’ve done that, then you have a poster board loaded with taped on index cards. (If you haven’t done that, I recommend you read that post. They go together) https://thetimeiswrite.com/step-5-how-to-make-a-plot-board/

Now we’re going to talk about what to do with those index cards.

It’s time to turn them into chapters, so go get yourself a fresh notebook and let’s get started.

Step 1:

Take the first index card or any one to which you feel drawn. I like to go in order. You don’t have to but I need to or it confuses me. I don’t like getting all my chapters out of order. Do whatever feels right to you.

Step 2:

Paper clip the index card you’ve chosen to the inside cover of your notebook or wherever you’ll see it easily for reference. Read it a few times to put yourself into the scene you originally envisioned.

Step 3:

Now, take a few minutes and think of everything else that needs to happen in that scene. Let yourself mentally expand upon what you initially wrote.

Consider using all of the senses when expanding a scene. I like to use bullet points. I take an index card off my plot board, then I elaborate using bullet points in my notebook, then I begin to write the scene.

Let me give you an example.

How I Go from an Index Card to a Written Scene:

Here’s one of my index cards briefly outlining a scene, which is from my upcoming novel, “Healer of Souls.”

• Aralyn is home looking around her room wondering for the first time why she has a talking cat and has healing abilities
• She calls her dad, Cole, and asks him to come over. She needs answers
• She wants to confront her dad about her mother whom she’s never met. He agrees to come
• He never arrives
• After he doesn’t show, she is unable to reach him
• She runs to get help looking for him. She senses something is terribly wrong

That’s my overview of a potential scene. If I look at that and don’t want to make any changes, I now create another bullet list to elaborate.

It Could Look Something Like This:

• Explain why Aralyn’s in her room
• Describe the room; colors, decor, etc., briefly
• Show her thought process about her magic, thoughts, frustrations, gestures
• Show the phone conversation with her father
• Have her do things while waiting for him
• Show her getting worried when he doesn’t show
• Decide how she learns he’s missing or in trouble
• Show her frantic state
• where does she go now, if anywhere?
• How to end the scene (I would write that here)

That’s an example of how I typically expand my initial outline of a scene.

Now, by doing it the way I have, I can usually follow step by step my bullet lists and write out the actual scene.

By doing it in steps, I can get an idea of what i want to happen, then expand that. I can then write the scene easily. Take everything you’ve written and write it all out into an actual scene. Read it out loud after you’ve finished to give you a better sense of how it sounds. It helps to read it out loud. It makes mistakes and missing content stand out more.

The steps I’ve written take the guesswork out of what needs to occur and gives me time to see the scene develop. I can really see whether or not I accomplished what I wanted, to create a well-rounded scene with enough showing, using all of the senses.

You really want each scene to be felt by your reader, so much so, they don’t want it to end. Have fun. Contact me for help if you need.

If you need help creating an amazing protagonist, consider my mini eBook. It’s only $2.99. Here’s the link https://www.amazon.com/Create-Protagonist-Readers-Never-Forget-ebook/dp/B082T4PK1B/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=gina+burke&qid=1577735957&sr=8-1

Happy Writing!