Let's Make a Plotting Board | Molly Harper, Author

Every time I start a new book, I make what my family calls “Mom’s Scary Serial Killer Tracking Board.”

Or a “plotting board" if you're less judge-y.

OK, I admit, it's sort of scary-looking. You know that "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" meme? Yes, that.

I apologize in advance for the handwriting shown, it’s terrible. It's always been terrible.

Also the skeletons shown in the photos are merely decorative. I was informed by the Halloween decor committee that moving Bony Stark and Femur Fred while I was working could cause major disruptions to our home’s energy flow.

Planning out a book boils down to "plotting" or "pantsing." Plotters are generally much more organized people (than myself.) Some plotters have been known to write outlines of more than twenty pages, which I cannot even imagine doing. Pantsing is basically starting a book with no plan, letting the story carry you.

I wasn’t always a plotter. To be honest, I found the prospect overwhelming. I would start with a general three-page outline. I knew how the story started, And the beginning is the fun part. Everything is new and you're super-excited about the story. When that wears off a little, you can think about the ending, how all the things you set up in the beginning are going to pay off. If you don't have a plan, it's the middle that gets you. You don't know where these characters are going to go or how they're going to get there.

I pantsed my way through about 12 books before my agent gently suggested I give it a try just to reduce my stress. Thus, the Serial Killer Tracking Board Method was born. This exercise isn’t for everyone. It just helps my brain organize the information in a visual way.

You're going to need neon index cards, white bar-ruled index cards with rainbow stripes across the top, Sharpies, ergonomically comfortable pens, the beverage of your choice, lip balm, a large table and patient loved ones.

For some people, lip balm is considered an essential work tool.

So how do you get started?

Years ago, I went to a workshop hosted by Alexandra Sokoloff, where she provided a plotting timeline comparable to a three-act film structure. Using that timeline, which she describes fully in her book, SCREENWRITING TRICKS FOR AUTHORS, I write out major plotting arc events on the neon cards.

ACT ONE
SEQUENCE ONE CLIMAX
FIRST ACT CLIMAX
ACT TWO
MIDPOINT
SECOND ACT CLIMAX
ACT THREE
FINAL BATTLE
RESOLUTION

I use bright yellow for those cards, and then three other neon colors to denote the first, second and third acts. Pink for Act 1. Green for Act 2. Orange for Act 3.

Then I create a color-coding system for plot events. I use Red for Romance, Blue for Action, Orange for the Mystery element of the plot, Green for Background (whether it’s the character or the setting), and Yellow for the Lore of your world.

You do not need to use these color codes. You can use whatever system that works for you.

Using the neon cards, I make chapter header cards with coordinating "act-matching" cards. Each chapter header card contains bullet pointed plot events throughout that chapter:

The Meet-Cute. The Inciting Incident. The Introduction of the Villain. The Main Character Crossing the Threshold into Their New World, Gathering Allies, The First Kiss, The Final Battle, The Aftermath.

Anything that moves the plot forward.

I use the color-coded white index cards to write slightly more verbose descriptions of the events of the chapter.

This is where I usually come up with material that will answer the plot holes. It's also where I come up with the more interesting plot improvisations. (Ingenuity is often born of desperation.) How are characters getting from one place to another? What are their relationships like? Is the planned (fictional) murder weapon plausible?

I know it sounds sort of tedious, copying this all out, especially in my awful hand-writing - but it serves a purpose later.

Then, I lay the timeline out on the table.

I examine the “color map” of my story. Is there too much of one color in an area of the plot? Is there too little?

I watch out for leaving too much Background Green, ie, Infodump* And if it’s a romance novel, but I don’t see a lot of Romance Red, I should probably rethink that. If the Romance Red points are too close together, I'm probably not spacing out the romance arc in a believable way.

The great thing about this system is that you can move events of the plot around without a lot of trouble.

It’s like a big puzzle, you’re just working until it fits.

When you’re finished with your cards, sit back and admire your handiwork. Think about anything you want to add or subtract.

Transcribe the cards into a word document or similar, so you can keep track of the improvisations you came up with.

You have your plot. Now get to work!

*Did you know that there are some professions where they have never use the word, “infodump?” Weird.