Why You Should Make Scene Cards While You're Drafting Your Novel

[@BoundByWords]

Do you make scene cards while you're plotting or drafting? If so, how do you use them?

[@MrRosebeing]

I did when I first started but I discovered writing a novel is a lot of hard work with little reward. Now I just write stuff online for fun, something that anyone can do and you instantly get published and sometimes applauded or derided for your prose. Just like being a real writer, even though I can't even write a coherent sentence.

[@iosyntropy]

upon clicking this video, i have a small array of items in front of me, on an otherwise very empty desk. a coffee. a tiny framed painting of the moon god diana. and a laptop. on that laptop, two documents are currently open. "draft" and "scene cards". yes. i draft with scene cards. yes i accidentally performed some kind of rite of attracting wisdom in relation to the cause at hand!!!! i really like your channel. definitely my cup! thanks for this perfect video. cant agree more. if i dont make scene cards from the chapters as i draft them, i will be much less likely to pace and vamp up the moments of pay off as well as i could by knowing the order they take place easily through a summarized index.

[@BoundByWords]

I'm happy you found the video then! It's something I started doing just one or two drafts ago and it was GAMECHANGING for the quality of my piece. I like how you mentioned that it keeps the story pace going. I think subconsciously I was using it for that too. I needed something big to write on each scene card.

[@aSnailCyclopsNamedSteve]

1. This exposition needed scene cards. A lot of information with no way to find it again without either taking notes or listening from the beginning. 2. If you use MS Word and headings (for scene names), then the navigation pane will allow you to rearrange the headings as you like. 3. Scene cards can be created both before and after you write the scene. Looking for the elements you consider important for a scene in an already written scene can also change your opinion about what needs to be edited. 4. What is written on the scene cards is not gospel; change it freely as you write. What are the advantages? 1. Watching some event can trigger a connection and an idea for a scene 10 chapters from where you are. Yes, you can write out the scene and it might be the best thing to do, but you can also write a scene card much faster. 2. Writing the first draft should likely be done freehand. Scene cards are great for editing because you can include all sorts of notes to future you, like what each character wants to get from the situation, what running themes should be prominent, how the situation gets worse and/or better, etc. I include things like stupid questions, annoying behaviour, new foods, foreshadowing, and suspicious behaviour. If there is some sort of witty wordplay I want to include, I can write a note long before I write the scene and the scene card gives me a place to put that note. If a category is empty until after I write the scene, not a problem. 3. If your story requires complex series of events, scene cards can allow you to organise those series and subseries. No doubt I repeated some things from the video, but I lost the theme, and interest, half way through. It was like watching a strong wind tear the landscape up. Maybe this comment will help others to organise their thoughts.

[@JoeyPaulOnline]

I think I'm gonna give this a go while drafting, I already do it during revisions but maybe drafting will make it easier to fathom. Great video!

[@BoundByWords]

Let me know if it helps you out!