Visual methods of plot development?
My 9 to 5 job is in an office, which has made me very adept at using flow charts and graphs to plan out my projects.
Are there any writing methods which employ charts, graphs, or other visual mediums to show relation between aspects of a story? (something that is not a mind map)
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/q/7741. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
4 answers
This seems like an odd question to me. Instead of asking how you can use graphs and flowcharts, ask yourself what tools you need to organize your story. If a flowchart would help, then fine. But maybe what you actually want is to write each scene on a notecard and keep them in a stack. You should choose your tools to suit the task you have and the style of doing it that suits you best, not the other way around.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/18107. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
0 comment threads
You might try OmniGraffle, which is a flowchart generator for Mac. I've only seen it used once or twice so I can't speak to how well it works, but it might fit your bill.
0 comment threads
I like "The Board" as explained in Blake Snyder's book, Save the Cat. Write a summary of each scene on a flashcard and tape them to your wall in the order they should go. Make a new row when there's a turning point. It helps make sure the story is balanced. Ideally you should have 10 scenes per row, with a critical act turning point at the end of each row. Each card can have key information too, like who is in that scene, what the scene changes, and what the conflict is. Also it's fun to tape flashcards all over your wall.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/18204. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
0 comment threads
you should try mind mapping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mind_map), it is a great way to explore ideas. there are lots of applications available for desktop as well as tablet. I personally use freemind (it's free).
...and also checkout this answer.
: )
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/8702. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
0 comment threads
0 comment threads