So if you’re like me and future arcs, scenes, and twists just materialize in your head without a fixed place in the overall story, then you might find this plotting technique useful.

The basic idea is to keep the order of events fluid and easily changeable by writing arcs, events, chapters, etc. on flash cards and swapping them around as you please. You can also record little notes and reminders for things you want to accomplish in the story or specific arc that are kept along with the collection. Putting events and arcs on flash cards allows for easy order swapping, and gives a different view of the plot as a whole when it’s physically laid out in front of you.

For starters let’s work with five types of cards: Arc, Event, Chapter, Character, and Note. You can always make up new types as needed.

First we’ll start with the Arc card:

The “Arc” label goes in the top left corner, and the title of the arc in the center; a shorthand description of the arc and what is accomplished goes on the back of the card.

This is the start of an arc that various events, chapters, pieces of character development, and notes may fall under. Write the major goals for the arc on the back of the card.

Next, the Event card:

The “Event” label goes in the top left corner, the title of the relevant arc goes in the bottom left corner, and the event’s title in the middle; a shorthand description of the event and what it accomplishes goes on the back of the card.

Events can be a single scene or a series of them, and can span multiple chapters. The “Arc Title” section can be left blank until you decide which arc the event belongs to.

For individual chapters:

The “Chapter” label goes in the top left corner, the title of the relevant arc in the bottom left corner, and the chapter’s title in the middle; a basic summary of what happens in the chapter goes on the back of the card.

I find that going by chapter can be useful when dealing with stories that run on the more episodic side, with specific chapters forming their own mini-story within the larger narrative arc.

Next is the Character Development card:

The “Character Development” label goes in the top left corner, the title of the arc in the bottom left corner, and the character’s name in the middle; a basic rundown of the character’s development by the end of the arc goes on the back.

Record goals for the named character’s development by the end of the arc. These can be kept at the top or bottom of the arc’s stack, whichever is more convenient.

Last but not least, the Note card:

The “Note” label goes in the top left corner, the title of the arc in the bottom left corner, and the note’s title in the middle; shorthand notes for the arc go on the back of the card.

These cards are for more general notes, like small but important background details that run throughout the story arc. These can be kept at the top or bottom of the arc’s stack, whichever is more convenient.

I find flash card plotting to be particularly useful for writing ongoing fanfic, where you’re updating chapter to chapter without being able to edit the whole thing before publishing. I always like to have some idea of where I’m going, and this achieves that while also being malleable enough to accommodate an actively evolving plot. The fic below mostly goes event by event when it comes to the cards, while other more episodic fics I’ve done have gone chapter by chapter.

The horizontal cards have a set place in the plot, while the diagonal cards have a rough order but do not have a solid place yet.

I also suggest keeping a writing journal where you can keep more long-form descriptions of planned arcs, events, and such so you can keep the information on the backs of the cards concise and avoid losing anything as time passes. The flash cards are also a good accompaniment in that they can be used to quickly reference the highlights of previous chapters instead of having to spend time flipping through your writing journal.

I hope you find this useful in your writing endeavors! Good luck and have fun!

If you like what you see, please consider supporting the site on Patreon! I would like to keep things ad-free, so any support is deeply appreciated.

Got anything you’re curious about? Let me know down in the comments or ping me on Twitter or Tumblr!