Anatomy of a Scene Card
We had such a great discussion on Instagram last week on my scene card post, I thought I'd explain in more detail how I use scene cards to outline/write a book.
When I first started using scene cards, it was mostly so I could look at all of the scenes from my Save the Cat! style outline and make sure they were in the order I wanted. Something about being able to physically pick up and move a scene to a different spot was easier than trying to copy/paste in a word document.
I still do this, but now I also use them to brainstorm scenes that I'm having trouble with. They also serve as a visual representation of my progress, which I love! Cards without pins are completed scenes; Blue/green pins are for scenes I've started, but still need work; Red/yellow pins are scenes I haven't written yet. Removing each pin for a finished scene is a little win!
I've also started utilizing the back of the index cards, thanks to a suggestion in this article from Mill City Press.
Starting with the back of the card:
- List all characters in this scene (not including background characters)
- List the location of the scene
Flipping over to the front of the card:
- One sentence at the top to identify the scene
- Bullet point list of all events that should happen in this scene.
You can give your scene cards as much, or as little, detail as you want. I've found that writing out the bullet points can help me decide exactly how I want a scene to play out.
Now, I'll give an example of a filled out scene card using the novel I finished in 2019, Apparition. In the finished version of this scene, Tom (the MC) and Jack (a ghost who is Tom's constant companion) are arguing over the government witness, Barbara, who Tom has been assigned to protect. They've already been ambushed once by the people who are after her, and Jack wants to cut their losses. This scene also gives us an idea of just how tightly Tom and Jack are tied together.
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