Tip IV: Get Off of Your Computer

A Series of Tips to Keep You Writing

4. Try using index cards.

Writing is a messy business. It’s rare to find a writer who writes their story completely in order, from start to finish. Instead we often skip around, writing different parts of the story, and then piecing it all together later. The only problem with this is it can make it hard to stay organized.

Our suggestion? Try Vladamir Nabokov’s technique of writing each entire scene by hand on a notecard:

“[Nabokov] does his writing on filing cards, which are gradually copied, expanded, and rearranged util they become his novels.”

Okay, maybe you don’t have to take it this far. Just try putting each defined scene on an index card, maybe as you go, maybe after you have a draft. The index cards don’t have to be incredibly detailed…they just need to encapsulate the scene.

Once you’ve gotten the cards written out, it will make shuffling the order of the thing a cinch. Also, it will encourage you to clearly define your scenes.

We’ll be posting a series of writing tips that will help you keep writing, no matter where you are in your project. These tips were developed in response to issues faced by writers in our novel writing program. We think they’ll be helpful for you too.