Writing book index cards

How to use index cards to outline your book meagan burgess. As you read through your work, make a list of the keywords or main concepts discussed in the text. How to write a book in 2020 a stepbystep guide for new. The template for the index card was the way sarah domet presented it, and its the way i use it. How to use index cards to organize large writing projects medium. An index is an alphabetical list of keywords contained in the text of a book or other lengthy writing project. How they help freelance writers create better content. The commonplace book or knowledge box note card system. Ataglance outline the ataglance outline offers a quick way to fill in the blanks of your story.

Writing means thinking of an idea and creating content for it. With a book writing software program, your information on characters backgrounds, setting, etc. Apr 17, 2017 many writers prefer to store their index cards in a file box or a photo album. Send out an outline, script or book each card can become a. Turning notes into a novel now novel how to write a book. Completing the cards is simple, using a few pieces of standard information. If you have access to a computer and the internet, you can find a variety of sites and products that will make it easy to create recipe cards you can either print out or collect into a digital file. Oct 22, 2018 learning how to write a book fast is a matter of having a process and tools to streamline the parts of writing a book that take the most time. Pair index cards with counting bears for a fun number recognition activity. Sorrells my first novel, slated for publication with david c.

Then on the second card, he or she should write the answer beginning with. If youre writing a short story or novel, you probably wont have this problem. Im currently writing a booklength memoir about living aboard a sailboat as a teenager. Aug 01, 20 most writers dont sit down on day one of novelwriting and begin spinning a tale. Write the citation of each article, book, filmstrip or other primary material on one index card. I use index cards or postits for this, and spread them out on the dining table or the lounge rug take your stack of cards and a marker pen, and sift through all those little bits of paper from the previous step, writing each event or development on a card. Write each idea of information on its own index card or equally sized slips of paper. Index cards can be used instead of the worksheet if preferred.

Many writers use these or index cards to plan out their book plots. It includes pointers to where those keywords or concepts are mentioned in the book typically page n. Be more creative organize your book with index cards. Jan 31, 2011 scene cards can be used as an outlining tool before you begin your 30day effort, or as a daily writing and brainstorming technique. Many writing apps feature corkboard style digital index cards for various functions, while there are also many standalone mobile apps for creating index cards. Whether youre preparing for a writathon like nanowrimo or have readers breathing down your neck for your next series installment, here are ways to write a book faster. Rebecca skloot explains how she used index cards to. The aha index card method heres a writing tip that helps us create more engaging experiences with our audience in less time. Address and phone number are good, but how about birthdays and anniversaries, or the dogs name, and the neighbors names and phone numbers, or the. The benefit of using index cards for your outline is before you start writing your first draft. By using colorcoded index cards to organize your thoughts and your research, you might find the process is surprisingly enjoyable.

On how to take notes while reading or doing research by using index cards. Oct 31, 2015 one of the people who has helped me the most in moving from writing as a hobby toward writing as a profession is roz morris. It ended up getting changed because three ways to plot with index cards is a clearer, more accurate title. Could you provide some more detail on the process of your method. He said he couldnt teach us the poetry of writing, but he could. Include notes for subplots, when characters are introduced, whose point of view it is, etc. Working with index cards im now going deeper into this planning and editing of my novel than i ever anticipated and it is making me both excited and, if im really honest, a little scared. How to use index cards to outline your book writing plot, writing. Writing a novel using index cards the first question i was asked after i explained this method to a friend was. Supernotecard works on various devices and gives teachers tools to launch the lesson and manage the results. Whether hes conducting a field interview, logging evidence, or tracking range time, rite in the rain is a trusted partner and a staple of the job. Cook in early 2014, involved hours and reams of research. In one interview you mentioned your research method for your books with index cards and shoe boxes. Writers were using index cards long before personal.

An often suggested organization method for bibliographical use is to use the smaller 3inch by 5inch cards to record the title and citation information of works cited, while using larger cards for recording quotes or other data. Steve scott uses index cards to begin organizing his key ideas from the brain dump session. I love to index books, because it requires intense thinking thats like writing in reverse. I didnt have the heart to start a new address book, so i reassembled my address book on index cards in a file box. Index cards can work very well when outlining a book they can even be used for an article. Its helpful no matter what youre making, whether its a blog post, a script for video, a book, a sales page, an email or a tweet. A commonplace book is a way to keep our learning priorities in order. With the above benefits in mind, there are four steps to creating a really effective outline for your book that you will thank yourself for later. Filling out index cardsapproximately 56 index cardswill be familiar to just about anyone who has written a screenplay. Whether you are an author, screenwriter, or academic researcher, index card can help you become a more efficient, organized writer. Its realistic, honest, wise, and compassionate, as well as socially and politically astute. On the front of the card, write the topic in the top lefthand corner, and the information below.

Pin by joan zabelka on index card art challenge what on earth is the index card aday challenge. Just experiment with it and see what works for you. Be more creative organize your book with index cards ive written two books, six ebooks and hundreds of articles. And the method i teach in my workshops is the tried and true index card method. Index card is a corkboard writing app that helps you craft your story. The direct quotations index card i use index cards to write direct quotations with page number and full bibliographic reference from articles, books and book chapters i find useful. Whatever youre making a blog post, a script for video, a book, a sales page, an email or a tweet heres a writing tip that helps us create more engaging experiences with our audience in. The narrative fallacy something id like to write a book about one day.

So, pollack grabbed an index card from his daughter, wrote several personal finance principles, snapped a photo with his phone and posted it online. This is a definite plus for me since im always running out of room on physical index cards, but i dont want to buy huge cards because i want to be able to fit them all on my cork board. Lets say you write down every beat and every scene you can think of, one for each index card. While napoleon hill stressed the importance of writing out your goal statement, i dont see any place where he gave instructions for using a 3 x 5 card. Notecards help students organize facts, visualize an outline and ultimately transform their research into a paper. In part three, we look at how index cards help writers organize ideas and improve storytelling. I also use an index card holder with alphabet dividers, which is great if youre working on multiple stories at once. I used to be very against outlining books novels because i thought they had to be pure and. If you are creating a page book, index cards might be overwhelming. Scene cards can also play a critical role in revision.

How to plot a novel with index cards pen and the pad. Yup, my original title was in fact three excuses to use office supplies. While it may be selfevident to many people that writing the formula on a goal card. Jan 06, 20 using index cards has the potential to get very bulky. The index card offers engaging stories, persuasive explanations, and fascinating data. Thats 4,036 pages filled with thousands of practical activities and tips that you can start using today.

How and why to keep a commonplace book thought catalog. Apr 20, 20 try writing down each of your emerging ideas such as for chapter headings, characters, plot ideas, or subjects to be included in your book, on 3x5inch lined or unlined index cards. Unique among all note taking, index card or flash card apps, index cards is focused on taking notes and providing a creative and inspiring user experience for what i would call a creative professional such as a project manager, story writer, product manager, student, creative teams or innovators. Index card magic start with index cards, organize your ideas, and share. You can also write down the characters or actions each chapter should include. Amazonbasics heavy weight ruled index cards, white, 3x5inch, 100count ideal for students, speakers, or everyday use around the home or office, amazonbasics heavy weight ruled index cards, white, 3x5inch, 100count makes it easy to get organized. Therefore, i have adapted rozs index card technique to help get ready for nanowrimo in only a few days. How to take notes using index cards for an apa formatted.

Choose a storage system that will allow you to easily move around the cards. Pantsers will hate this, but it warms the cockles of my plotter heart. You can also use postits, and the truly ocd among us use colored postits to identify various subplots by color, but i find having to make those kinds of decisions just fritzes my brain. To make an index you must ask, for every passage in a book, if i were looking for this, what words would describe what i was looking for. This week, i wanted to write about using index cards to outline your plot. In this easy guide for new writers and aspiring authors, i break book writing down stepbystep. Amazonbasics heavy weight ruled lined index cards, white, 3x5.

Whether youre a plotter or a panster, writing fiction or nonfiction, you can benefit from using index cards to plot your book ahead of time. Com images are ed and may not be copied modified in any way. Whether cataloging a small home library or a sizable archive, catalog cards can be used to organize any collection. Designed specifically for windows 10, with devices like the microsoft surface in mind, index cards will allow you to take beautiful ink notes, and organize your notes in stacks just like in real life with real index cards. Mar 22, 2017 at several thousand index cards per book, this produces a lot of different paths. Send out an outline, script or book each card can become a bullet. I am more used to writing index cards of books than of articles. Rite in the rain official site shop all weather products. Its important that you use a big marker pen and small cards. Despite this, the tips below will help you develop your notes into a book. Index cards gave me all this extra room for additional information.

Mar 17, 2017 research papers can seem like monumental tasks, but writing a strong paper is actually a rather straightforward procedure. Having died in 1977, nabokov never completed the book, and so all penguin had to publish decades later came to, as the subtitle indicates, a novel in fragments. If you have any tips or tricks for outlining your story, please let me know. Click and drag to rearrange your cards, add titles, colors, link to files on your computer or on the internet including media files. You can get index cards at most places that sell office supplies. These index cards will serve as prompts so youll always know what you need to write next in completing your book. Just write enough on each card to remind yourself of the point you want to make or refer yourself back to a resource that you will need to reference. The notecard system the key for remembering, organizing and using everything you read, an article by ryan holiday. The sublime joy of making a book index without bullshit. Take notes in the oxfordruled notebook, and write lists and other concise documents on the included index cards that are stored inside the durable polypropylene cover. It is a big project and ive got stacks of scenes, memories and facts that. It includes pointers to where those keywords or concepts are mentioned in the booktypically page n. Or you can make a card template yourself in a word processing or publishing program.

How to use index cards to outline your book writing outline. Dont worry about writing them down in any specific order. This card is the analog equivalent of my synthetic note method. Oct 25, 2007 its some short flip books on index cards. Best paper greetings set of 100 library cards and book pockets library pockets, library card holder, book cards for public library record keeping, tracking, book borrowing, white. Every snowflake is different, just like every book that is, or ever will be, written. Change the order around, add information that you need, take away things you dont. Write down the plot piece by piece on the index cards. It guides you to answer the right questions for each area of your story, the questions that will come up fast when writing. When writing your index cards, you dont need to go into great detail. If you picked up the original of laura, vladimir nabokovs final novel, youll have seen his distinctive index card based writing method in action. Yet nabokovs books are marvels of precise writing made more improbable that even though his native language. Before you get started, make sure you have plenty of note paper, several multicolored highlighters, and a pack of multicolored index cards. Write the capital letter on one card and the lowercase on another.

Turning notes into a novel, a publishable manuscript, can seem daunting. Write the name of the viewpoint character on one side of each of their notecards. Throughine is an interactive index card program that organizes your story ideas and creative notions the way you think about them. It motivates us to look for and keep only the things we can use. For a book, include the title, the author, the year of publication, the publisher and its location. Filling out index cards approximately 56 index cards will be familiar to just about anyone who has written a screenplay. Sort the cards into what pile you feel like they might go in. Many of these you may already know off the top of your head. For an article, include the name of the journal or magazine and the page numbers on which it appears in addition to the title and author. Why personal finance doesnt have to be complicated olen, helaine, pollack, harold on. Three index cards per page this oxford index card notebook features builtin index card storage.

If youre writing a movie script, divide the cards into four piles. As i was flipping through the book, i read an opening line that intrigued me. Take a character stack, blank side up, and start writing one. Bad weather and dangerous calls have come and gone. There are a million ways to do this, but this is one idea. Unlike notes stored on a computer or other electronic device, a stack of cards on your shelf is visible and therefore easier to find and less likely to be forgotten. The main benefit of writing each idea on its own index card is that you can mix and match ideas for different projects of work. The biggest problem for word it was designed for writing anythingnot for writing books. The most difficult thing about writing isnt generating new ideas its wrangling them into coherent order. Here is how to outline a book in a way that gives you the structure you need to create the map to your manuscript. Index cards work without batteries and outside the range of cellphones, so you can use them even in the most remote corners of the globe. Index cards come in a variety of sizes, 3 by 5, 4 by 6, and 5 by 8 inches. After you finish the book, put it down for a week or so. While it may seem like a monumental project to write a research paper, it is really a straightforward process that you can follow, step by step.

Youll also get a clever tool that speeds up writing a great book that you readers will love. Joe conason, editor in chief at the national memo all parents should buy the index card for their children. Get out a pack of index cards, write the name of each character on the correct number of cards, and if youd like, on a few extras ill make eighteen for elsie and mike, ten or eleven for frisco and annabelle. The notecards on which vladimir nabokov wrote lolita. Hence, word can be tolerable for short writing jobs, however, if youre really looking for the best book writing software, and word does not measure up to its competitors. If you are already well into your first draft, then by all means, keep writing forward, too i dont want you to stop your momentum. Get a pack of index cards or post its and write down all the scenes you know about your story, and where possible, pin them onto your wip structure grid in approximately the place they will occur. Get index cards flash cards, notes, projects, flashcards. A lowtech writers tool that makes book planning much easier. Tweak the index card content last, go through your index cards and get rid of anything that either is not relevant or does not help solve a problem for the reader. These fragments he wrote on 8 cards, and the book as published includes fullcolor.

Create index cards for entries if youre indexing by hand. Most of the details included on a catalog card can usually be found in the book. Rebecca skloot, science writer and author of the immortal life of henrietta lacks, explains the index card system she used to develop the story structure for her book. Some book writing software is designed to help you organize your ideas and research by taking the place of a paper file system andor index cards. Planning to write a novel with index cards youtube. If you have already started a novel, you can now use the index cards to write down major plot points. Its an open secret that i collect office supplies, and i love coming up with excuses to use my hoard. Professional book indexers used index cards in the creation of book indexes until they were replaced by indexing software in the 1980s and 1990s. Index card allows you to write as much per card as you want.

Nov 03, 2012 theres something satisfying about writing with a narrow felttip marker on a fresh page, fleshing out each topic with information and ideas i want to share. Writing a research paper using colorcoded index cards. Love the idea, even though i prefer evernotedigital record keeping system. I also explain how you can write your book faster this year. Write a oneline synopsis of each specific scene that you think should be in your story, one scene per card.