I love making lists. I make lists of things to do, things to get at the store, and things I want to accomplish for the year.
And, as I mentioned in this post in September, I frequently use lists while writing, too. To recap that post, I’ve found that making lists can help me advance my plot when I don’t have much time (I can list all the ways I can think of…from zany to useful…to approach the next scene), or to make my setting come alive (a list of one particular setting, using each of the five senses to describe it), or to develop my character or my understanding of a character (top 5 things my character cares about, top 5 things that keeps my protagonist up at night.)
My writing friend Jemi Fraser of the Just Jemi blog posted recently on her frustration with her lack of writing time lately. She’s frequently getting only twenty minutes a day or fewer to work on her book.
The nice thing about lists is that you can keep a small notebook with you and even if you only have 5 minutes to write, you can make some short lists of things like your character’s traits, ways the character can grow during the course of the book, possible subplots, etc.
I’ve also found that making lists has made me a less-tentative writer. I used to obsess a little over my book’s beginning and ending. I would write several different options for the first chapter and the closing chapter of the book, then choose which I liked best.
When you make lists of your possibilities instead, I’ve found that somehow it puts my anxiety to rest—and I can more quickly explore the different options and see which is better.
You can also curb your desire to stop writing and research part of your book by listing the different things you need to look up. Not happy with a character name or the name of your fictitious town? You don’t have to fix it right then…just start a list called “names” and add to it when you come across them. You can always call a character A or B and fill the names in later.
Making lists also comes in handy when you have plot holes. My editor emailed me last week and pointed out a problem area with the third Memphis Barbeque book. Somehow I hadn’t noticed it during my revisions, but it was definitely something that needed to be fixed.
I made a list of all the different ways I could think of to work my way out of the mess. When I thought I’d come up with all of them, I kept on going and found some additional solutions. It was easy to come up with the strongest solution when I saw the possibilities together.
Are you a list-maker, too? Have you tried using lists to help write your story?
ELizabeth – I’m a list-maker, too, when it comes to managing my non-writing life. To be honest, though, I hadn’t thought of how useful lists can be for writing. Like Jemi, I don’t always have a lot of time in a day to write, and I can see how lists would be really useful in helping to focus the short time I do have. What a great insight! Thanks!
And with today’s technology, you don’t even have to use pen and paper. When I’m writing (and I do this when I’m doing my “day job,”), it’s easy to just open another word doc. next to the manuscript to serve as a list and toggle between them.
I couldn’t pass up anything about list making! Since I began the year with new writing goals, I’m learning the value of making lists about my WIP. These suggestions give me new ideas. Thanks.
I, too, live by lists. However, I’ve never used a list for writing. I think I’ll try it. Nothing else is working these days. Thanks, Elizabeth.
I might have to succumb; I jot notes on a computer document (and since I’m almost always home, it’s worked so far), but I might go over to the low-tech side.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
Me too. I live to make lists. I love them and they are helpful to make when my mind fills up with thoughts and I’m trying to sleep. My problem lately is too many lists. I can’t find half of them.
In most of my life I’m organized. But not my listing life. :)
Lists help to keep my head above the sea of chaos. I do make lists for my writing which do help me remember where I am or what needs to come next. It helps to start my writing time feeling one step ahead.
I live by lists, but only when it comes to writing. As much as I try to implement them in other areas of my life, they don’t seem to help that much so I stopped using them.
Writing, however, is a whole different ball-game. Maybe it’s the creative aspect of it, who knows. But I can’t remember what I did five minutes ago or what I need to do five minutes from now if I don’t write it down.
Oh, yes! I love making lists! It helps a lot for me to see what I need to do in a concise, neat way, and makes it easier to find solutions.
I do grocery lists and want-to-read lists, but I like your story list ideas. A friend recently gave me a lovely little notebook and now I know exactly how I am going to make use of it.
I make lists before and during the first draft. If something’s not working or I think of a better twist, I write it down. I’ve always a list on my characters and it continues to grow as I write.
I open a separate word.doc and add to it as I write. It is the only way for me to do it.
Nancy
N. R. Williams, fantasy author
For me it totally depends–with mystery, the suspects and clues are absolutely list things. And I made a list last weekend of many of the students in the ‘reform school’ for my Kahlotus revision. And I totally makes lists of things to add on the revision. I’ve never listed options though–it seems like it might be a good approach. I just haven’t tried it.
Love the idea though, of generating lists when you have a little time. nice tiny notebook in the pocket, so when you are in line or somehting…. yes, I like that a lot.
Margot–Very good point! And if someone wants to use their phone to keep up with their lists, I’ll recommend the EverNote free app for Droid and iPhone. Good stuff there and you can sync it to your computer.
Steven–Oh, you and me both! I’m stuck with the worst memory, and it sure isn’t getting any better as I get older.
Laura–It’s nice seeing them all in one place, isn’t it?
Carol–Aren’t lists great? Have fun. :)
Karen–Hope it’ll help you out!
Terry–I make the lists online sometimes, but I think I prefer these on paper for some reason.
Jane–Oh good! Hope it helps. :)
Teresa–I have lists that explain to me where my lists are! Ha!
Alex–I do the same with characters to keep track of them…forgot about plot twists! Yes, I do make lists to think up plot twists.
Elspeth–Exactly. Helps me collect my thoughts and not feel scattered when I start to write.
Nancy–That sounds like a good plan. :)
Hart–I guess it’s really sort of a brainstorming technique, but just an easy one. We’re all good at making lists, so it’s just another way to do it.
It helps fill that dead time. Although I know we’re all supposed to take a deep breath in those dead moments and not try to multi-task…but I can’t seem to do that anymore!
I laughed when I saw this today Elizabeth. After mulling over your comment on my blog, I decided to try this out. I’ve now got a pretty little notebook that’s going to go with me from hither to yon that I’m going to try using in those free moments…. as long as I don’t lose it! :)
Thanks for the mention :)
Think I need to make some lists pretty soon, lists of likes and dislikes and other features of my characters (in-my so-called novel). I’ve started messing up things with too much inconsistency.
Cold As Heaven
I just started using the list idea with revisions on my WIP. It helped me get an overview of what each chapter was about, MC goals and then sparked action and dialogue. I’m in love with the list idea!
I’m a lister from way back–nice to read your blog & see that I’m not alone.
When my daughter was about 3, I found about half a ream of printer paper in her room, covered with neat columns of scribbles. Nature or nurture? Or did she just know a good idea when she saw it?
Your blog is a wonderful help to writers. Thanks, and keep up the good work!
Cold As Heaven–Easy mistakes to make, but easy to fix, too.
Cat–There are so many different ways of using lists, and the great thing is they can be made in such short segments of time. :)
Texanne–I have kids like that, too! Yay for Type A! Seriously, it helps with organization more than any other tool.
Jemi–Hope it helps you out a little. Time is a frequent problem for me (right now I’ve had the kids home all week…school canceled for snow) and lists are all I’ve been able to do!
No, I am not really a list maker, but I think it may be useful for me to try right now. I feel I have some characters I don´t know well enough so a few lists with info about Rhapsody´s new neighbours may be a good idea.
I am a list maker in other areas but I fear if I used it in writing it would become a form of procrastination. By that I mean it would likely trick my brain into thinking I’ve done the actual writing, when in reality what I’ve done is the working out…
My mother is the listmaker in the family. If I made a list, I would probably lose it. But yes, sicne I am cribbing about not enough time, maybe I should be doing some of the things you suggest.