Outline & Organize Plot Points in Scrivener // how i go in depth with plotwork

[@ArcticBanshee]

This is amazingly succinct! I followed someone else’s video months ago but got lost in their process. Yours is much easier for me to understand. Thank you for taking us step by step, and for the template. This is showing love to the writing community and I appreciate it!!

[@reetle4440]

Thank you SO MUCH. This is exactly what I've been searching for. Great video. I love the separate plot folder and how you leave them intact and copy over parts into the plot weaving. I can't wait to try this.

[@deannabrooks8140]

Your videos are so helpful. Thank you for taking the time to make such information-packed videos!

[@tcsfitness641]

Wow. This is well organized, Jessica. What I enjoyed is your "take you by the hand" approach. I definitely needed it. Keep up the good work.

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

So glad you found it helpful!

[@amyelizabeth4058]

Thank you so, so much! This is EXACTLY what I've been looking for. I'm working on a Substack essay about prepping my creative projects, and I am going to link this video!

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

delighted it was helpful! 💕

[@rupambarthakur4876]

I just wanted to say a huge thank you for this great resource. Your videos explaining the plotting and how to plot with Scrivener have been made with care and have truly helpe.

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

You're very welcome! Thanks for taking the time to let me know you found it valuable!

[@theeoddname]

Excellent Template here! Far better than many of the other "free" templates I've downloaded. Thank you @Jessica

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Yay! I’m so glad you found it helpful 😊

[@janeragavan]

Thanks for the template. Good alternative to plotting and organising the outline.

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Thanks for taking the time to comment. I'm so stoked you liked it! 😊

[@theeoddname]

@jessica Lynn Medina I have a suggestion: In the "Weave Folder" rather than Copy and Pasting the plot points for the weave, you could create a text document and then "link to" the various plot points of interest within a sequential ordered list. This way, the desired order of the weave is maintained while being able to make edits to the plot points with a double pane view of the two documents open allowing you to see the order of the plot points and the details of a selected plot point. I hope this makes sense.

[@theeoddname]

not a "better" way ... just a different way. The advantage of your shown method is the "weaved" view to show the story at a high level with the full mix from the cork board cards synapsis of the plot points -- but you have to re-copy/paste to the weaved folder if changes are needed in the details of the plot point documents to keep things current. My suggested way has the advantage of making changes to the documents easier and in one place ... but as far as I can figure out at the moment does not allow for the auto weave summary. Now, Can we get both? :thinking:

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Omg such a good suggestion! That would work great as you go through and make changes, to update everywhere it's referenced. Thanks so much for the tip!

[@reginaldforthright805]

I don’t think that feature is available on iOS. But I guess the weave folder could serve just as an outline with summaries only and the individual plotline folders could contain all the details?

[@theeoddname]

@@reginaldforthright805 I don't know off hand actually. I know it worked on my mac but I rarely write on my iOS anymore -- I may have to try it out on the iPad and see.

[@SHONNER]

13:58 I like that part. I keep forgetting that Scrivener lets you split screens like that.

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Oh yes! One of my staples for the program - so useful! Glad you found it helpful. 😊

[@agingerwrites]

Ooh. I like how you do this, thanks for sharing!

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Thanks for the feedback! I’m so happy you found it helpful 💕

[@SuzetteWelling]

Thank you this was wonderful!

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

You're very welcome! I'm excited to hear you like it!

[@scarlettgarner3568]

Amazing video! Very helpful! The template download doesn't work for me :( it's saying there's either an error with the url or the page has been deleted/moved

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Thanks so much for letting me know! Should be fixed now 😊

[@H.K.Firebelly]

This is awesome and thanks so much for your template. I wonder if you'd consider doing a Part 2 of this where you explain how you chose your Weaving folders and the content of each of these folders? For instance, the "Wizard Arrives" folder doesn't seem to necessarily correspond to one of the 7 plot points in the overall story, nor is it a "chapter." You seem to be weaving in several character plot points under one section heading. How would you define these sections? And...could you give an example (maybe this is another video) of how one weaves in plot points for the protagonist and antogonist in a scene? e.g. What would it look like for the protagonist's and antagonists's pinch point 1 to both exist in the same scene?

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

You're absolutely right - my folders are in general what's happening at the point that my plot threads cross. Sometimes I'll have things crossing at a point in the story that isn't part of one my main threads, and that's where you'll see a folder that doesn't necessarily correspond with any major "points." Thanks for asking this and your other queries - I will absolutely clarify and put these on my list for new vids this year! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave me a comment!

[@scarlettgarner3568]

I've watched this a few times now and I just wanted to discuss something! Would you consider the action plot more along the lines of the external plot/conflict that happens and the character plot is the internal plot/conflict? For example say the inciting incident for the action plot would be a village gets attacked, while the inciting incident for the protagonist plot would be something that happens during the attack which directly effects their internal plot?

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Yes you interpreted it exactly - that's how I define the action plot thread for certain. Sometimes they can overlap, but internal vs external is right on the money.

[@ArtofCodaleia]

wow thank you so much ! This blew my mind ! Too bad I'm finishing my 1st draft now because I'm dying to try it right now xD I wish I had this method before ! I'll definitively try this for the next one ! Though I have a question about the copying/Pasting or duplicating the plot cards for the weaving. You may need to change your card after copying it / duplicating for the plot weaving if you want to add details, precise events or else. I don't know if having to dig into all the files to be up to date everywhere would be exhausting. I know I wrote a synopsis of all my characters + the overall story synopsis and some parts had to change during the writing of the 1st draft. There were so many places I would have to modify to keep everything up to date that I lost myself in it. I don't know if you see what I mean. I'm just wondering if there's an easier way or it's just me who is messy xD

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Hmmmm yeah I think you'd have to just accept you'll need to make changes on those cards. Tbh with my process I don't do that much. I'm pretty set on my plot by the time I get it into Scrivener, and certainly by the time I begin drafting.

[@claricesmyth]

Awesome.

[@adrianwebster3249]

Nice video, but as Scarlett points out, the link doesn't work.

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

Thanks so much for letting me know! Should be fixed now 😊

[@theeoddname]

@@JessicaLynnMedina I'm getting a "could not be opened" error. Specifically this is what Scrivener 3 is giving me on my MacOS: "7 Point Template.scrivx" is the main structure file for a project, but other required files for this project could not be found: the /Files/Data and /Settings folders are missing. Could this be a result of attempting to open from DropBox? Not sure why though.

[@JessicaLynnMedina]

@@theeoddname thanks for the question - you actually have to download the entire .scriv folder (which I now realize that Google had opened instead of allowing you to download in its entirety) But good news - I fixed it! I've changed it to a zip drive instead so download that, unzip, and you should be good to go! It will contain all those subfolders mentioned in that error.

[@theeoddname]

@@JessicaLynnMedina Sweet Pickles and Cheese! It works. Thank you Jessica. ~William

[@theeoddname]

And complete with download instructions as pdf! =) idiot proofed it for me :P Sometime I feel like a complete dope when attempting to use new software. Many Thanks again.