Need help developing your skills, or just need to brush up on some tips when you are having writers' block? I use these techniques everyday when I write, right from my own store of private writer's cheat sheets.
Also included are posts on creating...
I'd recently begun using Trello when I first wrote this chapter.
Trello is still amazing despite that they've recently limited how many boards you can use in it.
You can use the program for task lists, book plotting, editorial calendars, etc. And since I was asked, this chapter will show you how to use it to write a mystery.
First, you need to figure out how to divvy up the work load. Trello is amazing for that, which is why I use it. It's also free, works as an app, a widget, and a web page, and it's easier to lug around on a smart phone or tablet than it is to carry lots of pens, pencils, notebooks, highlighters, drawings, etc. There are other, similar programs, but I used this one first, and it's never failed me even a little.
Note that every book has common elements. Well, every mystery has even more in common. There are who-dunnits, suspicious persons, items for scrutiny, event locations, and The Big Question. Plus all of the regular book stuff: inciting incidents, tension, micro-tension, symbols, motifs, themes, goals, story questions, black moments, crises, etc.
When you set up a Trello Board, title it meaningfully. My board (for this chapter) is "WRITE A CHAPTER". I Have another board for my book writing called "WRITE A BOOK".
Next, title your lists:
The Big Question (and related / non-related events)
Questionable Items / Locations
Who May Have Dunnits
Key Points
Editorial Notes
The list goes on..heheh. Pun intended.
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The short version on the instruction is to fill it out, with the most important card in each list in all caps. The rest of the cards will have regular text in order to avoid confusion. The caps will make the essential core cards easier to spot. Keep those at the top of each list, and attach a colored label, sticker, or image if you prefer it.
I had a lot of fun being completely random and funny, trying to connect things that didn't even seem related. Somehow the Trello board I made gave me a workable "spine", with which I could create an outline or simply dive right into the writing itself. In a way, the board is the lightest form of an outline process you could imagine possible. It is outline, but it also isn't, so it's very freeing and very loose. Especially because you can move the elements around, and easily. Literally drag and drop from one place to the other.
I had intended a mystery example...somehow I got a comical mystery example! So I loved it more.
The Who-Dunnit list is where the board really shines. Look on the page and you'll see why.
Here's the link: https://trello.com/b/scwQpUbM/09-write-a-book-template
