Plot Board and Plot Board and Plot Board

I’ve seen a lot of folks coming to my blog looking for plotting board advice in the last few days, and I’ve also seen a lot of blogs directing people here, or otherwise commenting on the method.

Some are snarky, “Make sure you put on your sunglasses!” (I think referring to the fact that post it notes tend to come in neon colors?), some are skeptical, and some are supportive.

The methodology of creating a plotting board is probably one of my most frequent of frequently asked questions. I’ve answered many of them on this blog. I’m thinking of doing a big, be-all, end-all plot board post and then putting it up on my sidebar, but that will have to wait until after this week, because I’m on deadline.

But again, to answer the most common questions:

1. Different squares are for different scenes.
2. Different color Post its (and so far, folks, I’ve only seen them in neon) are for different plot threads.
3. I do this AFTER I’ve written, to help me with revisions.
4. Really, I don’t do it before. How will I know what plot thread any particular scene will touch upon before I’ve written it?
5. No, I do not see that (#4) as mutually exclusive with plotting in advance.
6. The main reason I do it is to see if I’ve been neglecting particular plot threads.
7. No, it might not work for you, and that’s okay too.