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This ain’t my first rodeo.

And while I’ve always roped the calf, this is the first time I’ve done it in record time!

HA!

Okay, no more rodeo references.

I validated my Camp NaNo word count on July 20^th—which means I met my goal—but the book wasn’t done.

Guess what?

July 2018 Camp NaNoWriMo is the first time I’ve COMPLETED THE BOOK DURING THE CHALLENGE!

Check out the scene board!

Very jazzed about this.

As a pantser, it hasn’t been easy finding an outline/planning method that worked for me. I’ve tried several, and while they all had their good points, I disconnected with some aspect of each of them which hindered the process.

Story-boarding is not a new concept but for this challenge, I followed a planning tool from Alexandra Sokoloff’s Screenwriting Tricks for Authors, specifically, the post on NaNoWriMo Prep: The Index Card Method and Structure Grid.

SUCCESS!

At first glance, the method looked involved and like more work than I wanted to be bothered with.

I was wrong. Once I knew my early scenes, the method actually helped me map out the rest.

I started out with index cards but soon realized before I finished with the set-up; it was labor-intensive.

I prefer using Post-It Notes because it’s faster and… this is very important…. You can move scenes around! This was a time-saver. Making adjustments on the board to get the right flow meant less time spent writing and re-writing.

Sokoloff’s method also helps with chronology and continuity.

Like many writers, I don’t write chronologically, but seeing the story in-sequence while writing helps me not lose focus and or be redundant. Or lose entire scenes altogether because… it’s happened.

If you’re searching for a prep method, give this one a try. You’ve got nothing to lose and you may even score a win like me. Twice.

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Day 25 word count – 43,402

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©2018 Felicia Denise, All Rights Reserved