I thought it was about time I published a scene card in a format other people can use, so I did. Please feel free to download my scene card and use it to plot your novel or lay out your scenes. I make my scene cards in Powerpoint so I can save them in PNG or JPEG format and tack them on to my computer storyboard, but obviously, if you prefer excel or word, or handwriting for that matter, you’re welcome to use the template.
Enjoy, keep the feedback coming, and, as always, write madly.
Rhi
Before i explain what an image system is, let me just add; I came across an online post about image systems before I’d even been published, and I admit, in my enthusiasm I only skimmed the content before creating the most intense thirty page version you can imagine. It was useful, and still is, for everything I write. However, there’s no need to go to such lengths to add a level of symbolic and thematic depth to your writing. In fact, many of the elements you could use for thematic purposes are in your scenes already. They have to be.
An image system is a mechanism which allows you to use recurring symbols and motif to emphasize and deepen theme, mood, emotions and characters in your story.
I quote from the original article I found, though I no longer have the source. (If anyone recognizes it please let me know so I can credit the writer properly.)
In a film, an image system might include repeating shot compositions—for example, a movie might use a certain shape or image in a landscape and repeat it throughout the film. An image system often uses specific colors—some which may not be easy at first to notice or that work on a subliminal level in some way.
Great novelists know the power of motif and symbolism, often using something like a repeated word or phrase, or an object of importance to the character, to bring a richness to the story and to enhance the theme of their novel. In effect, they are creating something similar to an image system. By taking a look at some of the ways filmmakers develop image systems for their films, novelists can learn much and expand their technique.
Ask these questions about each of your scenes:
What are the main elements (or one main element) that should dominate the scene and be brought to the reader’s attention? Can these be an object or word/phrase or bit of setting that can be symbolic and repetitive in your novel?
• What should and shouldn’t be included in the scene that will help the reader focus on that element? (Think about all that unnecessary narrative or trivial dialog.)
• What meaning will be conveyed subconsciously by these elements you show?Overlying all this is your main theme or core idea. You’ve perhaps been told you should be able to sum up your premise in a sentence or two (elevator pitch). In that premise lies your core idea for your book. You may have gotten a germ of an idea for your novel, and from that you developed characters with issues and goals, and you came up with settings and scene ideas to play out your storyline. But overlying all that is your core idea.”
Personally, I like to take the following into account:
Below are some images detailing western symbolic meaning of some very common elements of scene. As always, please keep me updated.
Write madly
Rhi
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Do you find your dialogue seems to take place in spite of, not with the other elements in your scene? Perhaps you’re only considering one dimension of the context in which your conversation is taking place.
There are, in fact, five dimensions of context to bear in mind when you’re writing dialogue, and neglecting any one will detract from the realism of the conversation. There are times when the context is overbearing, and colors much of what your character say to one another, but the subtle dynamics are still there, and they do change aspects of how your characters get their message across.
Here is another spread you can use for both plot and character creation. Please note, I found much of what I’m using here on Pinterest, and have just adapted the little note I found, which I will include at the end.
Shuffle the cards and lay them out, from left to right, in two rows of three. Each card represents something you have to give your main characters.
CARD 1: SOMEONE TO CARE ABOUT
No man is an island, and giving your character someone to care about serves a number of purposes. It makes them more relatable, more likeable, and most important; it gives you as the writer, a way to raise the stakes. This person shouldn’t just be someone your character cares about when they happen to meet over coffee; it should be someone they would sacrifice a great deal for; someone who could be threatened or kidnapped. In short, you’re providing a weapon for your antagonist.
CARD 2: SOMETHING TO WANT
This card refers to your character’s goal for the course of the story. Interpret your card with the following in mind.
CARD 3: SOMETHING UNKNOWN
Depending on what you are writing, you can interpret this card in one of two ways.
CARD 4: SOMETHING TO DREAD
If you give your character something to fear, at the same time you give them an obstacle to overcome. You also add an element to their back-story, there must be a reason for their fears. Fear of anything holds character’s back. Create a situation where your character cannot achieve their goal unless they face this fear and embody this fear in your antagonist, so he has to do it all again in your climax.
CARD 5: SOMETHING TO SUFFER
Your hero should suffer more and more as you build to your climax. His suffering should be both physical and psychological and tempt him to give up his quest and return to normal life. If he could give in at any moment, your readers will keep turning the pages, wondering if he will.
CARD 6: SOMETHING TO LEARN
Your character’s lesson is the backbone of your arc, and should link directly to your themes for the maximum effect. Ideally, the lesson should be twofold; he should learn something about himself, and about the society in which he lives. This ah- ha moment should occur just before your climax, when he has all but given up. It is this lesson that gives him the courage to fight the final battle.
As always, I hope this helps, and look forward to your feedback.
Keep writing madly.
Rhi
CARTOMANCY
Cartomancy is basically Tarot Card reading, but with a pack of normal, every day playing cards. I came across this idea accidentally while doing research for one of my own writing projects, Voodoo Carnival. Not only did it add another element of depth, and simplicity, which was surprising, but I was provided with a great deal of inspiration for the plot, and for creating the characters themselves. It’s so easy, and the readings can be interpreted to suit your novel to a point of course which is marvelous.
There are so many different spreads out there, to cater for the various questions in an actual reading. But I find they can be easily adapted to suit whatever element of your writing you’d like to enrich.
Before you start, I’ve compiled a PDF file to outline the meanings of each card in the deck. Please excuse any repetitions, I’m so excited about this I just wanted to share so others could start benefiting too! An edited version is on the way.
Are you wondering what next? Or where a character should go? Or what choice they should make? Or even what obstacle to add to the mix that raises the stakes? If you want a quick answer to a question, the one card reading is the way to go. Just shuffle the cards and focus on your question, pull one card and interpret using my guide to meanings below. Simple. If the card you draw doesn’t fit. Just draw another one.
This spread can even be used to add depth to your setting if interpreted as such. Again, shuffle the cards while focusing on your question, lay out your three cards from left to right.
CARD 1: The Past,
This can be in reference to
CARD 2: The present
This can refer to
CARD 3: The future
This can refer to:
CARD READINGS FOR ENRICHING CHARACTERS
This is a six card spread that outlines your character’s internal and external goals, motivations and conflicts. Shuffle the cards and lay out two rows of three, from left to right.
Card 1: Internal Goal
Card 2: Internal Motivation
Card 3: Internal Conflict
Card 4: External Goal
What does your character want, consciously and tangibly?
Card 5: External Motivation
Card 6: External Conflict
Before starting, select a card representing your character using the guide. If you need to create a character, shuffle the relevant cards and choose one at random.
CARD 1- INDIVIDUALITY: The true nature of your character
CARD 2- DUALITY: Your Character’s relationships with others
CARD 3- STABILITY: What is stable in your character’s life
CARD 4- TENACITY: What beliefs and behaviors are most important to your character, the things they wont compromise on.
CARD 5- POTENTIALITY: Who your Character is, or in some cases, who he or she could, or wants to be at the conclusion of your piece
CARD 6- OPPORTUNITY: What opportunities does this character’s personality present.
CARD 7- SPIRITUALITY: Your character’s religious/ spiritual beliefs, or the degree of religious/ spiritual influence on their lives
CARD 8- NEGATIVITY: The character’s weaknesses
CARD 9- POSITIVITY: The character’s strengths
This spread outlines your character’s development throughout your piece. It is laid out from back to front as I find it easier to outline character arcs from the end back, but please feel free to change the order if you wish.
Shuffle the cards and lay the out as per the illustration, from right to left this time.
Card 1: Final State
Card 2: Moment of truth
Cards 3, 4 and 5: escalation or Build
What series of events bring your character to solving their knot?
Card 6: The knot
Card 7: Initial State
Your character’s state of stasis and stagnation at the beginning.
This spread is just a simple way to focus your scene before you start writing. Shuffle your cards and lay three out from left to right and use them to answer the following questions:
This is a seven card spread, and can be used for specific elements of your plot, your major plot points, or an overview of your plot in it’s entirety. Shuffle and spread the cards in a fan shape as indicated
CARD 1: PAST INFLUENCES AFFECTING THE CURRENT PROBLEMS AND SITUATION
This can refer to the back story of the characters involved, what has happened in your piece up to this point, or what happened in or to your current setting.
CARD 2: OPTIONS & ALTERNATIVES
The choices available to your character to deal with or resolve the specific problem they face.
CARD 3: STABILITY OF THE SITUATION
I use this card firstly, to assess what is not going to change in the situation, and secondly, to look at external influences (other characters, setting, obstacles) which may impact the outcome of the situation, or make it more unstable.
CARD 4: CHALLENGES
What internal and external elements impede the character from concluding this situation in such a way they achieve their goal.
CARD 5: HELP OR HINDRANCES
Elements in the situation which help or hinder your main character to achieve their goal. These could be:
CARD 6: FRIENDS OR ADVERSARIES
CARD 7: AFTERMATH
Shuffle cards and lay out six at a diagonal, upward from left to right, as per the picture, the seventh card is placed beneath card 6. Then, at the bottom, lay out four more cards in a straight line from left to right.
Card 1: Basic Situation
Your character in the normal world, before anything happens.
Card 2: Inciting Incident
What happens that makes everything different?
Your character may not know, but their world has changed
This incident is what sends your protagonist off in pursuit of their goal
Card 3: Conflict
Who and what prevents your character from reaching their goal? Consider the following:
Card 4: Obstacles
What stands in your characters way? Or who?
Card 5: Problems/ Complications
Card 6: Climax
The protagonist is in the final face off, the moment of truth, they now face the antagonist and themselves in a last stand
Resolution:
Card 8: main Characters
Your protagonist and antagonist
Card 9: other characters
Card 10: setting
Card 11: Mood
What is the mood and atmosphere throughout?
Lay one card in the middle, that is the centre of your circle. Then encircle that card with a further ten cards as per the illustration.
Card 1: Goal
What is your character;s goal for this mini plot?
Card 2: plan
How do they plan to achieve it?
Card 3: what stands in the way
Card 4: is there a temporary success?
Card 5: what goes wrong?
Card 6: what trait/ weakness causes your character to fail?
Card 7: How does the character learn to overcome this flaw?
Card 8: How do they react to failure?
Card 9: How does their failure raise the stakes?
Card 10: What motivates your character to try again?
Card 11: What is your character’s new goal?
This spread simply mirrors the basic structure of scenes, and in many ways resembles the try/ fail circle above. Shuffle and lay out six cards from left to right in two rows of three. The top row is your scene, and underneath, the sequel.
I hope this fabulous and novel approach brings you as much fun as it did me. As always, I appreciate your feedback. There’s more on the way.
KEEP WRITING MADLY
I love lists, which is partially why I prefer this method. In truth, I find the process rather enjoyable. Undiagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder aside, I find splitting my novel into such small pieces provides plenty of ticks in boxes, which is encouraging on a bad day.
Above is my starting point which is usually spread out, something like this, and color coded, but i shortened the headings, to fit everything on one page, should anyone want to use it.
Here, therefore, is the key:
And at last, the prize; Completion. I adore this box.
I use the same, miniaturized method, even for flash fiction and short stories, more to make sure I’m editing correctly, and inclusive. All in all, It’s made me twice as productive. If you choose to give it a try, please let me know how you feel about it.
When I first started my novel, I battled constantly to get my scenes to make sense, and wasted countless hours scanning the internet for a step-by-step method. I am one of those people who adore checking things off a list, and eventually this method materialized. I use it to this day, and find even when I’m about as inspired as an octogenarian sloth; I still manage to put words on the page.
I’ve included the worksheet I use. I use Excel, and just save each new scene under the appropriate name. Feel free to use the worksheet if it helps.
STEP 1: LAYOUT WORKSHEET
I fill this in first to be sure I don’t miss anything.
POVC is my pilfered shorthand for Point of View Character.
For the sake of my timeline I include the location, Interior or Exterior (INT/EXT) and the time, since the previous scene took place.
What is the POVC feeling at the start of the scene? And what are they feeling at the end. (E.g. Angry – Determined, Betrayed)
OBSTACLES AND COMPLICATIONS
MRU’s (Motivation Reaction Units)
MAKE THINGS MORE DIFFICULT
STEP 2: SENSORY DESCRIPTIONS
If you look at the point where you’ve listed the actions in your scene, you’ve already set up all the turning points in your scene. Fill them in at the top of your table below and add your sensory descriptions for each turning point.
Obviously, each element can’t exist for each turning point, or your scenes becomes a novel, but add as much as you can to transport the reader into the POVC’s world.
STEP 3: PEN TO PAPER
Once I’ve filled in the two tables I open a word Document and use the same turning point headings I used to add my sensory descriptions as subheadings, which I delete later, for example:
ROUGH JUSTICE CHAPTER 3 SCENE 1
GOES INTO CAFE
MEETS EX
THEY ARGUE
And so on.
Then fill in the information you put in the layout table where it fits best.
Add sensory descriptions and make it flow.
Viola, there’s a first draft. I hope this helps, please give some feedback and let me know,
rhiwritesmadly 