help organizing

[shamguy4]

Ok a major issue just arose when i realized a part of my story line didn't make sense so i had to change it
its a big part
I have created this book and now its getting to sophisticated and i cant figure out what to do?

basically i have a good side and a bad
The good side is looking to find the person responsible behind all the bad stuff thats been going on
While the bad side has a plan to frame somone on the good side of being the person they are looking for
its all very confusing
see in most books the bad person has a plan and the good people have their own plan

In my book the bad guy's plan intertwines with what the good guys are doing -i have to see the story from the good and bad point of veiw and how it all comes together

I was wondering how people write out their storyline?
Do you make notes on the story? Do you plot it out in some way or in some form I dont know of

Cause my books getting confusing and before i write anymore i need to have this down pat

[Birol]

There's different ways to do it. No one way is "right" and what works for one person, or even what works for the next, might not work for you.

That said, some tried and true tips:

1. Write out a rough synopsis of what needs to happen and where the story is going before you start writing. (It's okay if things change as they happen.)

2. Write down the set points in a notebook. Set points are the major events that need to happen to get from the beginning to the end. Just one or two sentences per set point, jotted down as rough bullet points. Use the remainder of the notebook for notes, ideas, brainstorming, etc.

3. Create index cards. One index card per scene. Again, just jot down one or two rough sentences of what needs to happen. You can lay out the index cards so you can see the sequence of events and rearrange them if things aren't working. You can also color code them.

4. Write one viewpoint (the good guys) from beginning to end. Then write the other viewpoint (the bad guys) from beginning to end. After you've finished both, or got both to the same point in the story where they meet up, combine them into one manuscript.


It's also okay to use placeholders, if you know you need a scene but it's not coming together, you can just write a couple of lines and say, <Insert scene where bad guys defeat good guys by doing.... something>.

Remember, in the first draft, it does not have to be perfect; nothing's written in stone. You can change things later.

[Black Razor]

What you need is some serious organizing power....trust me on this. You need Liquid Story Binder from Black Obelisk Software. I was hesistant to purchase it at first, so I downloaded there demo. Once you get over the learning curve (which is nothing, just play with the example book to get the idea, a couple hours at most) and your gonna be more organized that you ever thought possible.

Just give it a look trust me....once i started using it my brain exploded with ideas because I had a means to organize it all.

[fire_elf20]

i agree liquid story binder is great its helped me alot and I am one of the least organized people alive.

[vintagefury]

Having worked for a company that designed organizational software, I'm hesitant to endorse any of it. You're only as organized as far as you are willing to use the software. If you are unorganized, no software can save you.

shamguy, get writing. Write down everything you think of. Get a clean sheet of paper out, and just start jotting things down. Draw arrows, circle things, draw only one line through what you don't like (you may like it again later), just get it down in front of you. Carry some paper and a pen at all times, lest you get an idea while just walking around.

If you're at this stage of organization and you're writing the story, stop. Writing while your plot is confusing is dangerous, because if you aren't sure where you're going, God help the reader. There's a difference between writing in a way that allows story to develop and writing blindly in the dark, with the vaguest idea of where your story is going. It sounds to me like you're in the latter.

That's not a bad thing. I'm not trying to be mean. Just, write outlines. Brainstorm with spider diagrams. Write a list of all your characters and character information for them. Draw timelines for events. There's a lot more planning that goes into writing a solid, long story than some people give credit for. Most of us can't pull a Kerouac and just sit down with a long roll of paper running through a typewriter. We have to really sit and think about this stuff.

Buyer beware on software. I would suggest spending two bucks on a spiral notebook and see where that takes you. The thing I love about writing is that it's probably the cheapest art you can do. Instruments cost money, I won't even talk about how much you can spend on paint, canvases, and brushes, but just about anyone can afford a pen and paper.

[shamguy4]

Thanks
I'm first going to try to use a notebook because i'm writing my book in a notebook.
I find I don't get distracted as much.

It's not like i don't have a story to tell.. its just... it keeps changing on me and parts are still blurry.

I thought I would be able to have the basic structure in my head and I would play along with it.
But after a year of trying to write the same few chapters over and over again -each time coming out totally different, starting off in totally different settings, I realized im just going to keep writing chapters and chapters unsure if its what I really want
Thats when I realized I have to stop this cycle and get down to business and write a set plot, one that I wont deviate from.

[shamguy4]

Ok
Thanks a lot Birol!
I used your idea of writing the set points.
I have once tried that before but the difference was the last time i did this i wrote out points of parts in my story that were irrelevant

You told me to write down what MUST happen and automatically it filtered out a lot of things that were clouding my head.
So thanks

I'm trying to elaborate on those points now and turn it into the story but it wont work -I'm stuck in the beginning, unsure in which direction to start my book. (does he start off in this setting, or maybe this...)
This is the problem for which I started this thread.

I know how I want my book to end just don't know where to begin. (this setting or that setting)
(I know this is sad) but I think it would be best to will start the book with the death of my characters parents. This I think will show him as what I want him to be seen as, and automatically the book is dark.
Right now the way I had it was years after his parents death and it wasn't what I wanted at all.

Entrance means everything!

So I thought it would help to build my world better.-Than I would have a better clue as to how to start.
But writing paragraphs on my world from what is in my head and what I've made up so far is a bit hard. Thats my biggest problem getting whats in my head onto paper.

So is there a good way to organize and create my world?
I have already bits and pieces and I make it up as I go along.

But I feel I need to write down the foundations of my world
-so is there a way to do this?