As it’s the midpoint of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), I’m reprising a guest post I wrote for author Robyn Bachar’s 31 Days of NaNoWriMo 2015 Prep.

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I love NaNo, but one of the drawbacks I find in writing fast and furiously is the inability to hold all the details of a manuscript in my head. To combat that, I’ve come up with a solution that keeps important information near at hand.

This suggestion is going to be low-tech and old-school, but it’s something that works for me, and I hope you’ll find it helpful, too.

My go-to for this system is a plain and simple 8 ½-by-11-inch lined notepad. You can use a Word file or spreadsheet if you prefer. I break down the manuscript scene by scene, and this is the information I’ve found it handy to include:

In the left margin, note the day of the week, time or time frame, and the location of the scene, using abbreviations to keep things concise. Example: Sat, late aft, diner; Mon, 10 a.m., lawyer’s office; one week later/Fri, early eve, Tina’s bedroom.

If you transition from one scene to another without a change in location—for instance, if you’re simply switching point of view or beginning a new chapter—it’s easy to list this as: immed foll (immediately following) or whatever abbreviation works for you.

Each scene covers three lines of the notepad, with a blank line between scenes:

Line 1 – list the chapter/scene number, then briefly describe the main action of the scene, usually beginning with the point-of-view (POV) character’s name or initial. (Using abbreviations, dropping words, and using symbols will all come in handy here, too.) Example from A Rancher of Her Own:

1-2 – Pete + Jane meet face-to-face again for first time in yrs when grandfather coerces P into becoming J’s temp assistant.

Line 2 – list the POV character’s internal/emotional response in the scene and the scene kicker or takeaway. Example:

P unhappy at own reaction at seeing Jane all grown up.

Line 3 – leave blank when writing your initial draft. This space is used to include ideas for possible revisions or to jot down the final info once revisions are done.

On the right side of the page, beside each set of lines (that is, each scene) or simply next to the final scene of the chapter, indicate the ending page number.

Below is a sample of an actual outline page for my upcoming release, The Lawman’s Christmas Proposal.

As you can see, it’s not necessary to get too fancy or too wrapped up in making any of this perfect. (In the example, I missed the extra space between two scenes! 😉 ) The guideline or cheat sheet is for your eyes only.

I’ve found many advantages to using the system:

• Seeing the entire story laid out on just a few pages makes it easy to locate scenes and events.
• Line 2 of each scene provides a way to track the emotional and/or plot high points of the story.
• Starting each description with the point of view character’s name or initial lets you see how often you’re in a character’s POV.
• If you’re a plotter, you can also use the system to lay out several scenes in advance or even to chart your entire book at once based on your synopsis.
• If you’re a pantser or winging it for NaNo, you can work only a scene ahead or fill in the blank lines after you’ve written the scene.
• Whenever I’m writing a new book, I tend to jot the notes after the scene is done. My synopsis is my writing guide; the three-line outline is my cheat sheet for the actual manuscript. During NaNo, I modify the system, updating it each night with brief notes for the next day’s scenes.
• Having the story outlined this way can come in handy when you receive a revision letter from your editor or are working through revisions of your own.

There are many variations that could be made to these guidelines. I hope you’ll try out the system and find a way to make it work for you. And I’d love to hear what you think of the idea.

Good luck with this and with your NaNo project!

My original post appeared here:  Three-Line Outlining.

And you can check out the featured posts in Robyn’s recap of the Prep Month at her blog.

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Speaking of blogging, I’m on the schedule to do several guests posts this week, and one has a giveaway. I’d love to have you drop in, so keep an eye on this blog for more details as the week goes by.

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Finally, just a reminder of two great deals that close Nov. 17:

Harlequin’s 10,000 books digital sale ends tomorrow. See the November 10 post for details my titles available for only $1.99.

And check out the Events tab at the top of your screen for the “Best Swag Ever” giveaway, which also ends tomorrow.

Happy Monday!

All my best,

Barbara