ilable in paperback, Kindle, and N www.vincenthoneil.com
Jun 08, 2015
Available in paperback, Kindle, and Nookwww.vincenthoneil.com
Using Excel to Plot Your Story
and keep track of characters, and brainstorm different ideas, and
much, much more
OUTLINE
• Introduction
• Developing an idea
• Developing a plot
• Developing alternatives
• Conclusion
Brainstorming
• Even if you have a full-blown story in your head, ready to be written, take the time to brainstorm it anyway
• Brainstorming is nothing but the process of letting one good idea lead to another
• It really pays off – and it’s fun (you get to indulge your creative side)
Standard Brainstorming
• Do some research (if applicable)
• Write phrases and words on a sheet / sheets of paper in random order
• Jot down everything that comes to mind, no matter how irrelevant it might seem
• Don’t try to connect the ideas yet
• The less sense it makes, the better
Glory Main Initial Ideas
• Story of survival
• Small cast of marooned characters
• Almost no resources -- starvation
• Barren planet
• A micro story of survival inside a macro war for survival
Brainstorming: Include everything
Scout character
How did they get there?
Role of technology
Nature of the war
Gulf between charactersWhy are we fig
hting?
Large organizations
Who is the enemy?
How long has the war been
In progress?
Just War or Unjust War?
Psychoanalyst characterFood, w
ater, weapons
LT’s motivation?
Type government?
Associate some of the ideas
Scout character
How did they get there?
Role of technology
Nature of the war
Gulf between characters
Why are they fig
hting?
Who is the enemy?
How long has the war been
In progress?
Just War or Unjust War?
Psychoanalyst character
Food, water, weapons
LT’s motivation?
Type government?
Consider Options and Develop
Scout character
How did they get there?
Role of technology Nature of the war
Gulf between characters
Why are we fightin
g?
Large organizations
Who is the enemy?
How long has the war been
In progress?
Just War or Unjust War?
Psychoanalyst character
Food, water, weapons
LT’s motivation?
Type government?Don’t know each otherDon’t know where they are
A little water and nothing else
New character: PacifistIdea: Each character has somethinghe / she is hiding or something about
him / her that’s unexpected
Revealed as story moves along
Who is the enemy?
Unknown?Similar to humans?
Alien but material?
Alien and immaterial?What do they want?
Focus on One Aspect of the Story
Then expand on them
Who is the enemy?
Unknown?Similar to humans
Alien but material
Alien and immaterialWhat do they want?
Expand on Each Item
Advantages and Disadvantages
Similar needs
Similar environments
Resemble humans?
Greatest fear
Flying blindHow to fight them?
Their needs can be a weakness
Is it acceptable?
Is it a trick?How do they fight US?
What is their power?
Visible Physical target
Food and atmosphere
Developing the Plot
• Flesh it out – identify the points and ideas you want to get across
• Index cards – write the events on separate cards; these can be easily rearranged
• Spreadsheets – computer form of index cards
• Follow the characters, events, and themes all the way through to ensure they make sense
• Identify the high points / key action as such
Outline vs. No Outline
Maybe let the rough draft write itself:
Difficult because you might end up with a LOT of re-writing to do (inconsistencies will show up in a close read-through)
Helpful because it doesn’t force the story—the real story develops as it is written, not as it is conceived
Index Cards or Excel
Write each scene / theme / character on a separate card / in a separate cellYou can rearrange them and add to them as the story develops
Jack and Jill went up the
hill
Jack fell down
Initial idea:Why were they going
up the hill?
Why is it significant that Jack fell down?
We’ve lost track of Jill.What did she do?
Index Cards or Excel
Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water
Jack fell down
Jack and Jill went up the hill
Initial idea: Developed idea:
Jack fell down and broke his
crown
And Jill came tumbling after
Why were they goingup the hill?
Why is it significant that Jack fell down?
We’ve lost track of Jill;What did she do?
Fill in the blanks by asking the Five W’s and adding the answers
Basic Plot in Excel
To fetch a pail of water
Jack and Jill went up the hill
Jack fell down and broke his
crown
And Jill came tumbling after
You now have a long column describing all of the main events of the story
Character and Plot Matrix
Morning Afternoon Evening
Jack Asked Jill if she would go with him to fetch a pail of
water
Went up the hill with Jill. Fell and
hurt himself
In the hospital
Jill Agreed to go with Jack
Tripped while running for help
Explained what happened
Doctor Seeing routine patients
Summoned by Jill Treated Jack
Characters
Time
This can show you where an overlooked or missing character is needed
Glory Main Plot Creation
Find themselves marooned
on a barren planet
Characters meet; scout
wants to leave
Search the lifeboat and
then abandon it
Go to higher ground to
determine where they are
Concepts Tab (Excel)
The Conflict Characters Situation Themes
Intergalactic war
New LT Marooned; little water, no food, no weapons
Survival
Long duration
Jaded Scout Don’t know where they
are
Maximize resources
This can also be a useful arrangement of your research
Characters Tab (Excel)
New LT Jaded Scout Psychoanalyst
Basic officer training; leader
in sports in college
Serving against his will; distrusts higher authority
Not allowed to perform her
usual job
Ignorant but learns fast; good leader
Self-reliant; would want to
leave the others
Has learned many skills
outside her job
These separate tabs can be combined to form matrices
Cut & Paste Information
Characters
Character A
Character B
Character C
Events
Event 1
Event 2
Event 3 Event 1 Event 2 Event 3
Character A
Character B
Character C
Timeline can be event-driven Or actually time (Monday, Tuesday,
Day 1, Day 2, etc.)
Fill the matrix with detail about what each character is doing / thinking / feeling
Combine Tabs to Create a Matrix
The Lieutenant Taking stock of the situation
Convinces the scout to stay with
them
Realizes he is in over his head
The Scout Attempts to leave the group
Leads them to high ground
Figures out what planet they’re on
The Psychoanalyst
Argues with the scout
Annoys the lieutenant
Grudging respect for the scout’s
abilities
The Pacifist Obeys orders Helping out Pleased by developments
Cut and paste information you’ve already considered
Marooned Abandon lifeboat High Ground
Character Tab Events / Plot Tab
Expand and fill in from Events / Plot Tab
More Advantages of Excel (1)
The Lieutenant Taking stock of the situation
Convinces the scout to stay with
them
Realizes he is in over his head
The Scout Attempts to leave the group
Leads them to high ground
Figures out what planet they’re on
The Psychoanalyst
Argues with the scout
Annoys the lieutenant
Grudging respect for the scout’s
abilities
The Pacifist Obeys orders Helping out Pleased by developments
The matrix allows you to switch actions from one character to another
Marooned Abandon lifeboat Higher Ground
More Advantages of Excel (2)
The Lieutenant Taking stock of the situation
Convinces the scout to stay
Impressed by the mapmaker’s skills
The Scout Attempts to leave the group
Leads them to high ground
Sees they have a chance
The Psychoanalyst
Argues with the scout
Annoys the lieutenant
Sees the pacifist as a potential ally
The Pacifist as a mapmaker
Helping out in any way
Sketches a chart of the area
Figures out what planet they’re on
Switching actions can help develop characters and the story
Marooned Abandon lifeboat High Ground
Identify the High Points
• If you consider a segment to be a high point or key area, the reader should feel the same way
• Build it up, make it clear, or just hit them with it, but a high point really shouldn’t feel the same way as explanatory passages
High Points
Beginning End
Other TechnologyThe beauty of the “Find” function
The beauty of the “Find” function
• Track characters all the way through
• Make sure characters’ names stay consistent
• Go anywhere in the book quickly if you have a question about that sequence
The ‘Making Of’ Approach
Imagine you’re being interviewed on a variety of topics, (characters,
plot twists, settings, events, intentions, etc.) as if it’s the ‘Making of’ part of a DVD
The ‘Making Of’ Approach (2)
The Town
“I imagined the town as a living thing, a bodywith a fatal illness . . .”
The Gun
“At first the gun was just the murder weapon,but then I asked, ‘Where would this averageguy GET an untraceable gun?’”
“I’ve always felt that murders came in two varieties: Planned and Unplanned.”
The Murder
The ‘Decision Tree’ Approach
Start withthe big ones
Write out the pluses and minuses of the big decisions:-1st person versus 3rd person-‘Whodunnit’ versus a story wrapped around a murder
A little laterA little more specific (once you have some ideas):
-The murder weapon: Found / not found-Witnesses: Saw but won’t talk / saw but undiscovered
Circle back and reconsider:-What if they DID find the murder weapon?-What if there were no witnesses? (Play with this;
what could happen if there were no witnesses at first, but then they found one?)
Much later
You have LOTS of choices . . .
Conclusion
• Get an idea by brainstorming or letting the research inspire you
• Decide how you are going to get your idea across or tell your tale
• Flesh it out using an outline, index cards, a spreadsheet, or whatever works for you
• Follow the characters / events all the way through
Available in paperback, Kindle, and Nookwww.vincenthoneil.com