Thank you for sharing your process! We have a lot of similar things - hello typing up drafts and naming file folders for drafts that make it past that initial idea stage ;) But, instead of going in “grab bag” I try to have folders with categories, themes I keep coming back to like “sharing” will have a folder or type of stories like “ghost stories” will also have a folder. I often find that my titles stick too! And quite frequently I’ll think of a title first and the story will come from that. One thing I also like to do, since I’m an illustrator, is keep a special sketchbook for each project that gets to a certain point. In there, I can put notes, character sketches, scene ideas, thumbnails, jokes, etc. so when it comes time to dummy it up, a lot of ideas are right there on paper. And sketching helps me think and often goes hand in hand with revision. Loving these tips, and will incorporate the ones I don’t do to see if that helps!
Jen, everyone's process is so different and that is so wild to me (though it makes sense)! Your sketchbook sounds fascinating! I do sometimes draw stuff out on, like, copier paper ('cause I'm basic), but then I'll just scan it and add it to the folder I made. Maybe I should keep a sketchbook for the ones I am having trouble with! Sort of a "break glass in emergency" kind of thing. Will ponder! :) (And thanks for sharing!)
Basic copier paper is fantastic! No need to be precious. I learned the “special sketchbook per project” tip from Scott Nash, longtime author & illustrator and it’s been a game-changer for me so I wanted to share. But - gasp! - I was never able to keep an actual sketchbook until a couple of years ago until I saw his shelves and shelves of little books and it clicked - aha! - they *don’t* have to be precious and… I can just get more if they’re “not good” or whatever hangup I had.
I write an idea in story form, and then go back to revise arc and structure later, partly because I THINK I am thinking in PB, partly because I've never tried drafting into a dummy - take it back, I have, but it didn't turn into a whole story a fast as a write the full-blown idea has...It's really true, we're all different. But I want to know - when does it get a name/title? Draft zero or one?
Negative First has a title that's at least a placeholder (though I'm surprised at how often I end up using that title throughout). But I don't make a special "titled folder" (which is the important part, for me) until it's a First Draft that I'm happy with. Of course, sometimes the title changes--but that's easy because I just change the folder name plus the most recent version.
Wow! This is a process! But it makes sense. And is how you get so much done! I do not at all have a process. But I will take some notes from you. I really like how you start off, with just the basic idea and then go from there, with mapping it out. I do always see my stories in my head, playing out, kind of like a movie, but then I struggle with writing them down, getting too stuck in the details, so maybe if I make it real simple, then I have a building block!
I feel like I've tried EVERY process at some point 😂 --but this is where I've landed. Like you, I see movies in my head (mine are sketchy--like the basic animations that Disney movies used to show in their "how this movie came about" bonus footages), but what I like about this is that it allows me to kind of be the director/film editor at a much earlier stage. It lets me feel less like a scribe, trying to write down what I see, and more like a director, yelling, "Action!" and telling the actors they need to emote more. I hope anything helps, but totally agree, too, that we all have to find what works for us! It's a process finding one's process!!
Thank you for sharing your process! We have a lot of similar things - hello typing up drafts and naming file folders for drafts that make it past that initial idea stage ;) But, instead of going in “grab bag” I try to have folders with categories, themes I keep coming back to like “sharing” will have a folder or type of stories like “ghost stories” will also have a folder. I often find that my titles stick too! And quite frequently I’ll think of a title first and the story will come from that. One thing I also like to do, since I’m an illustrator, is keep a special sketchbook for each project that gets to a certain point. In there, I can put notes, character sketches, scene ideas, thumbnails, jokes, etc. so when it comes time to dummy it up, a lot of ideas are right there on paper. And sketching helps me think and often goes hand in hand with revision. Loving these tips, and will incorporate the ones I don’t do to see if that helps!
Jen, everyone's process is so different and that is so wild to me (though it makes sense)! Your sketchbook sounds fascinating! I do sometimes draw stuff out on, like, copier paper ('cause I'm basic), but then I'll just scan it and add it to the folder I made. Maybe I should keep a sketchbook for the ones I am having trouble with! Sort of a "break glass in emergency" kind of thing. Will ponder! :) (And thanks for sharing!)
Basic copier paper is fantastic! No need to be precious. I learned the “special sketchbook per project” tip from Scott Nash, longtime author & illustrator and it’s been a game-changer for me so I wanted to share. But - gasp! - I was never able to keep an actual sketchbook until a couple of years ago until I saw his shelves and shelves of little books and it clicked - aha! - they *don’t* have to be precious and… I can just get more if they’re “not good” or whatever hangup I had.
I write an idea in story form, and then go back to revise arc and structure later, partly because I THINK I am thinking in PB, partly because I've never tried drafting into a dummy - take it back, I have, but it didn't turn into a whole story a fast as a write the full-blown idea has...It's really true, we're all different. But I want to know - when does it get a name/title? Draft zero or one?
Negative First has a title that's at least a placeholder (though I'm surprised at how often I end up using that title throughout). But I don't make a special "titled folder" (which is the important part, for me) until it's a First Draft that I'm happy with. Of course, sometimes the title changes--but that's easy because I just change the folder name plus the most recent version.
Wow! This is a process! But it makes sense. And is how you get so much done! I do not at all have a process. But I will take some notes from you. I really like how you start off, with just the basic idea and then go from there, with mapping it out. I do always see my stories in my head, playing out, kind of like a movie, but then I struggle with writing them down, getting too stuck in the details, so maybe if I make it real simple, then I have a building block!
I feel like I've tried EVERY process at some point 😂 --but this is where I've landed. Like you, I see movies in my head (mine are sketchy--like the basic animations that Disney movies used to show in their "how this movie came about" bonus footages), but what I like about this is that it allows me to kind of be the director/film editor at a much earlier stage. It lets me feel less like a scribe, trying to write down what I see, and more like a director, yelling, "Action!" and telling the actors they need to emote more. I hope anything helps, but totally agree, too, that we all have to find what works for us! It's a process finding one's process!!