I am a planner. By nature, I am a huge planner.
Not sure what it is, but I get the greatest joy out of buying a new planner each year. (Well, this year is such a bust when it comes to using a planner, but that is another story for another day.)
There is this rush of adrenaline when I purchase new washi tape or stickers (yes, I’m a grown woman and I still use stickers) in order to try and make my menial tasks like laundry, grocery shopping, or paying bills more exciting.
Given this, it shouldn’t be a real surprise that I am a huge planner when it comes to writing.
I have notebooks, notecards, Moleskin journals, and more with my ideas jotted down, and colored coded.
While I rely mostly on paper to do my personal planning, I have both an electronic and paper arsenal ready for my story planning.
Here are a few products and software I rely on to help make the process a little easier.
(None of what I am going to share is a paid ad. I just really like the products and they have been helpful to me.)
Plot Your Work, The Writer’s Project Planner
This was a gift from my husband. He gave it to me for Christmas and I have really enjoyed using it.
Inside of this folio is three different notebooks.
The first one is your “plotting notebook.” It helps you by providing prompts to sketch your characters, develop your setting, world build, and so much more.
The second notebook is a “scene planning notebook.” It provides you with pages that will ask for various scene information like chapter number, purpose, emotion, tension/conflict, etc.
The last notebook I have is called “The Series Bible.” This allows the writer to plot the overarching storyline for the entire series of your books. It’s helpful in tying together plot holes.
You can customize what you want inside your folio or you can buy just one notebook. It’s up to you.
Plus, they also have cute little charms like the one you see on mine.
Campfire Pro
This is a piece of software that is still new to me. I just started using it, but I can say that I like what I see.
Several components enable the writer to take a deep dive into various aspects of your story. Character guides, timeline, relationships, maps, and more help you think of every possible detail before you begin writing. It is also helpful while you write in case you need to reference details.
There is an additional World Building pack you can purchase.
Scrivener
This piece of software is probably one of the most talked-about when it comes to AuthorTube. (That is where I heard about it first.)
Remember the notecards that I said I loved earlier, well Scrivener gives you the ability to use electronic notecards on a bulletin board so you can see all your information at once.
It also helps breakdown your story to as many bite-sized pieces as you need.
I will use Campfire Pro to extensively pre-plan, then plan and write in Scrivener.
There are a few other things like notecards and highlighters that I also use to plan, but that is another blog for another day.
Leave a comment below and let me know what you use to pre-plan your work.