Writing Tools: How To Plan Your Novel

Picture this: you've decided to write a novel. You have all these ideas in your head and have made the decision that coming up with a plan before you start is the best way of getting these ideas in order. How do you organise everything? What tools do you use to plan your story?

Before we start, if you're unsure if planning is for you, take a look at my previous blog post and discover the value of planning ahead.

Let's get into it. The top techniques you can use to plan your novel:

Keep It Old School - Sticky Notes

I'm sure we've all seen it or been aware of the way of the sticky note. Just jot down your idea and stick it somewhere - on the wall, on a whiteboard, in a book. Sticky notes are amazing for organising your ideas and planning your story.

They offer the ability to jot down ideas but also easily arrange and rearrange scenes/plot points as needed. Fill a wall full of sticky notes and discover how easy it is to organise. If one scene is better later in the story, just move it to that point. Alternatively, you can use different colours to represent different scenarios - for example: pink for specific scenes, yellow for important plot-driving moments and green for when your protagonist meets specific characters.

Sticky notes are small and easy to use, making for the perfect tool for marking out a plot line.

Modern is Best - Online Templates

Online templates not only offer a modern twist, but they are more environmentally friendly than stacks of sticky notes and offer a more in-depth look into your story, world or characters.

A quick Google search will reveal a plethora of different templates you can download, copy or simply upload to Word for you to use. From world-building templates to character profiles and templates for marking plot points. Useful for those who work better on a computer or prefers the ease of simply backspacing and copy/pasting whenever changes need to be made.

Go Back to School - White Board

Whiteboards may not seem like an obvious option, but they do offer ease of use and a great way of tracking ideas.

Whether you're creating a timeline, describing characters or drawing the map of your world, they can be utilised for a variety of reasons when it comes to planning a story. The ability to quickly erase ink also makes it an desired option for those who are prone to mind-changing and indecisiveness.

A Book for a Book - Journals!

Admittedly, my favourite of the tools. Journals can be used not only to jot down ideas, create character profiles or world-build, but you can carry it with you to work on on the go. Sure, online templates can also offer portability, but you may come across some hiccups or accessibility issues if you don't have an internet connection. Not to mention, it can save time just pulling out a journal and writing something down than having to load up your document and make sure it saves. Journals also offer the chance of creating your own look, without relying on templates or set designs/design elements.

They don't offer as much of an environmentally-friendly alternative, but they are a traditional tool which is still love today. You can even buy journals made to save you the time of creating one by hand and researching all the information you'll need to include.

Whatever technique you think is best, they all have their own unique benefits. You can even mix and match! Who says you can only use one technique to plan your novel? Use them all if that's what helps you make better sense of your ideas. Just remember, planning your novel is for you and no one else.