Here we have middle grade expert — and fabulous author — Kimberley Griffiths Little to help us get back to the basics of plotting.
Kimberley Griffiths-Little is a native California girl, but a current resident on a dirt road along the Rio Grande. She’s also the author of The Healing Spell and Circle of Secrets with two new titles forthcoming in 2013 (When the Butterflies Came, Scholastic, and Forbidden, Harpercollins). She has received the Southwest Book Award, the Whitney Award for Best Youth Novel of 2010, Bank Street College Best Books of 2011, Crystal Kite Finalist, and New Mexico Book Award.
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CIRCLE OF SECRETS by Kimberley Griffiths-Little: After her mother walked out on Shelby Jayne and her dad, Shelby thought she’d never speak to her mamma again. But with her dad leaving the country for work, it turns out she doesn’t have a choice: Shelby has to move back into her mamma’s house, deep in the heart of the Louisiana bayou.
Her new classmates tease and torment her, so Shelby’s relieved to finally find a friend in Gwen, a mysterious girl who lives alone on the bayou. But Shelby can’t help wondering if Gwen has something to do with the puzzling messages she finds hidden in the blue bottle tree behind her house. The only person who might be able to explain is her mamma — but Shelby’s not ready to ask. Not yet. It may take a brush with something from the beyond to help Shelby see that the power to put her own ghosts to rest is within her reach.
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THE HEALING SPELL by Kimberley Griffiths-Little: Twelve-year-old Livie is living with a secret and it’s crushing her. She knows she is responsible for her mother’s coma, but she can’t tell anyone. It’s up to her to find a way to wake her mamma up.
Stuck in the middle of three sisters, hiding a forbidden pet alligator, and afraid to disappoint her daddy, whom she loves more than anyone else, Livie struggles to find her place within her own family as she learns about the powers of faith and redemption. Livie’s powerful, emotional, and sometimes humorous story will stay with readers long after the last line is read.
Great advice! I will definitely be keeping your tips on using index cards in mind as I begin to plot out my next book. I’m a fly-by-the-seat-of-your -pants writer and absolutely freeze up at the thought of doing outlines… they suck all the creative juices out of me, but I think this might actually work.
Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to help make WriteOnCon one of the best conferences ever.
Thank you so much for this, Kimberley! Such practical, hands-on advice. I really liked the idea of color-doing the cards, too. Never thought of that before. I think I’ll try that with my WIP. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for these organization tips. I look forward to reading your books.
Time to stock up on index cards.
Kimberley, your method of managing index cards sounds a lot easier than using the board in the book Save the Cat. I think using your method would work well in reverse too–setting up the cards after the draft is written. It won’t make the rough draft easier to write, but it’s a good way to check scenes/plot points in a manageable way. Thank you for the tips!
Kimberley, I loved your thoughts and organized way of explaining the cards. I’ve used them before, but at the beginning of plotting my story. Just realized that I need to work more in my notebook first, then use the cards. Also realized why I feel overwhelmed when I begin writing the story… I have the cards all laid out! I’m definitely trying your idea about leaving them in the stack and take one scene at a time. I’m going to RELAX and enjoy the process instead of stressing. THANK YOU!!
This reminds me a lot of those “what comes next” exercises I did in elementary school. It’s like putting a puzzle together! Thanks so much for some great ideas. I have some index cards in my supply closet… I think I’ll try this as I start thinking about the next book!
Your books sound fascinating. Thanks for being part of WriteOnCon.
What a great post! Can’t wait to try your suggestions! Thanks so much.
Yay, Kimberley! Thank you for sharing your card plotting method with all of us. If you haven’t read her books, I highly recommend them!!
I got the most impressive pinboard in history at a garage sale. Now to get a bigger pack of cards.
My dear friend,
You did great!
I love the flexibility of using 3X5′s . Thanks for the great info
Thank you! I’m not much of a plotter, but I’m trying to be. 3×5 cards seem like the way to go.
Thank you1 Thank you! Thank you! This is going to really help me out!
Hello Kimberley! While I’ve outlined chapters on 3×5 cards during my drafting process, I haven’t used them *before* my actual writing begins. And I’m a very hands-on person (and need a break from the computer screen); I like having something tangible to flip through, rearrange, stack, and place in those beginning, middle, and end piles. So this will work for me, and I will try it for my next book!
And PS: It was so fun to see you and hear you talk with all the emailing we’ve done!
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try out this fabulous idea. I’ve been needing to get more organized and this sounds so do-able. And you are right—I love the office supply store and so does my daughter, Livie, who is also 12, like the character in your book. So neat. I can’t wait to tell her and to pick up a copy. Both the books sound wonderful. Thank you again for taking time to put such a great video together for the conference!
Kimberly–
We met briefly at Storymakers. It was a pleasure to ‘take’ your class here.
Thank you for your helpful hints. I agree–I’ll take a pass on the mall–but I LOVE Staples and Office Max and stores with colorful paper, and writing instruments.
Thanks for making this look so do-able.
Thanks for the tips! What an interesting way to plot out a manuscript.
This was awesome!
I feel like a broken record in my comments, but I’m a picture book writer who has been harboring fugitives (MG Novel ideas!) for a while now, and I am learning new techniques entirely different from the set I use when writing a picture book. This is such a helpful way to organize things! I’m going out to buy cards now!
I really like this slightly messy way of organizing a plot. It seems so much more flexible than outlining on paper.
Thanks, Kimberly. I’ve used index cards for picture books dummies, but never tried them on a novel. Anything to organize scattered thoughts gets an A+ in my book!
I really love seeing this method!!! I always get tripped up trying to organize everything before I start. I love the idea of scattering scenes around and then organizing them on the back end.
Yay Kimberley!!!!
I am not much of a paper user, but I could really see times when this would help me. Thanks for reminding me of this method.
I’m definitely going to use this plotting method when I go to write my next book. Thank you so much, Kimberley!
Wow, I *love* all these comments, everyone! I’m so pleased y’all have found the video helpful. Thank you for the kudos, too, and I hope it helps you with your own book projects. I like all the other suggestions, too, like Theresa’s, etc. Good stuff! I have a feeling we’re all gonna be bumping into each other at the nearest Staples . . .
I have some further thoughts and tips on 3×5 card plotting that I will be blogging about next week so come on over if you get a chance: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.blogspot.com
Find me on Facebook and Twitter, too, I love meeting new friends here at WOC as well as seeing my darling *old* friends.
Hasn’t this conference been stupendous?!! A huge shout-out to our self-less and hard-working organizers!!!
(More goodies and fab book trailers on my website: http://www.kimberleygriffithslittle.com)
I love your writing style genuinely loving this site.
I think it was a former college professor of mine who told me that the writer John McPhee would write copious notes on 3×5 cards throughout his research process. Then, when it was time to start writing, he would lay the cards out, ordering and reordering until he had the story outlined to his satisfaction.
– Tom
I absolutely LOVED this. So easy and yet I know will make all the difference in the world in my WIP. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!!!
I’ve always wanted to see someone do this. Awesome video. Thanks
I’m such a pantster that this whole thing seems so foreign to me, but I might give it a try for my next NaNo novel. Thank you for the tutorial!
thank you! I am going to start with this method
Hi, Kimberley! I enjoyed the vlog. LOTS of great information. I’ll definitely be giving the 3 x 5 plotting a try. It will make the writing process a lot easier.
: )
Loved seeing a friendly face and seeing this as a video!
I love this strategy – I’m going to try it with my next novel.
I love using 3x5s. It makes the actual writing process flow, because you always know where you’re going next.
I can certainly see how using index cards is helpful in planning and writing a book. When I finished
typing the first draft of my first novel, I ended up cutting and pasting pages, which is similar to
your demonstration. (I’d written it over several years, and it was a mess!)
Also, when I took education classes in college, we were taught to use index cards to store away ideas
for teaching. I still have the little case I bought to keep them in, and now I can use it for my writing.
Thank you for your insights!