Bobbie Pyron (THE RING---about a troubled girl who takes up boxing), Paul Genesse (DRAGON HUNTERS/Golden Cord series), me @ Salt Lake City Public Library on Saturday. This turned out to be a great event, the kind you always hope for but don't always get. Thank you Paul (from whom I got this picture), Bobbie, library staff, and audience!
For process nerds: draft revision set-up. On left, paper manuscript covered in context-specific notes. Index-card outline of new draft in Scrivener, on big monitor. On right, laptop with general revision notes on TaskPaper. I took this picture with Pano, an iPhone app that lets you take panoramic photos. Fancy. Of course it is too wide to actually display at decent size here. Oh well. This is my office desk.
I laughed when I noticed this coffee ring on my manuscript, because it's such a big old writer cliche. (I wouldn't want to spoil plot for you, hence the blurrage.) The little leather journal in the top of the frame is from Exacompta (through shopwritersbloc.com). The refillable insides are made from Clairefontaine quadrille paper---sooo nice with the fountain pen. I'm keeping a bit of a revision/writing life journal in it, having recently destroyed a bunch of journals that may have been filled with incriminating secrets. You'll never know. This is my home desk.
8 comments for this post
So you use index cards to hammer out the plot? I’ve been thinking of doing that. It seems like having the freedom to rearrange and shuffle would help me better than just making static outlines on paper like I’ve been doing.
Sara Reply:
February 15th, 2010 at 1:40 pm
@Katie, This is actually the first time I’ve done this. I’ve had Scrivener awhile but never availed myself of index card feature. I like it a lot – I have a card for every chapter, the major things that happen, and the major things that need to be added/subtracted/fixed in next draft. Scrivener has kind of a steep learning curve, but of course you could do this with real index cards with NO learning curve.
Katie Reply:
February 15th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
@Sara,
Well hope it works for you! I’ve heard good things about Scrivener but don’t really know anything about it.
As I’m terrible at organization, I have been needing a better system when it comes to writing. Mainly I am hoping the cards (I’m going to use actual index cards I can lay out on the floor and shuffle around) will let me sort of eagle-eye view my plot, to get a better gist of the general flow and pacing. It’s so hard to tell if I’m getting pacing right just staring at the individual pages.
BTW, loved Once Was Lost. My cousins are pastor’s kids. I thought you captured the sense of loneliness that can come from that position really well.
Sara Reply:
February 15th, 2010 at 1:51 pm
@Katie, I like using all kinds of tools to manipulate things and help me think. I’ve always got combo of paper and electronic going on in process…
And thanks so much re: OWL. Good to hear.
I hate plotting. So far it is my true nemesis. Maybe I’ll try index cards. After all, I need all the help I can get.
I just read Sweethearts. Loved it!!!!
Sara Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
@DeAnn Campbell, Thank you!
You have actual writing software. Does that automatically put you in the Real Writer category? It looks impressive, anyway. I’m still working on a laptop.
Sara Reply:
February 18th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
Heheh – software does not give you automatic pass. You can be a Real Writer with a chisel and stone tablet, and you can be a big old fake with all the software in the world….