DIY: Plot Board

Calling all writers! Calling all writers!

Today, I’m going to show you how to make a writerly DIY – a plot board!

Note: I used this tutorial to make my plot board, but I tweaked it a bit when I made my own. 🙂

To do this, you’ll need a poster board – mine’s horizontal, but a vertical one will work too.

Sorry for the bad photo quality – the bad lighting wasn’t helping! 😉

You’ll also need Post-Its and a pen or pencil, although I’d suggest a pen, since they show up better on the Post-Its.

Put a Post-It near the top of the board, and write ‘Project’ on it. You can also write this directly on the board.

Then, write the name of your novel, or if you’re not sure about the title yet (like myself), just put ‘W.I.P.’.

In the top left-hand corner, I suggest making a Character Code, or a list of abbreviations for your characters’ names. This helps when space is a little limited, i.e. on the Post-Its. 😉

Next to the Character Code, if you want to, you can put notes about the novel, though not necessarily things that are going to happen in the story. For example, I put that one of my characters had a true love that died. Poor true love.

To the right of where it says ‘W.I.P’, you can the space that is commonly referred to as ‘Random-Plot-Pieces-That-I-Haven’t-Figured-Out-Where-To-Put-Yet Land’. The name pretty  much explains what it’s used for. 😉

Then, we can get on to the real plotting! In the space below, write your plot (or what you have figured out as of yet) on the Post-Its, like this:

See that blue Post-It with the arrow? You can add notes about a particular part of the plot by adding an arrow or something else that makes your note stand out. 🙂

In the bottom right-hand corner, I added a space for discarded plot bunnies or failed Post-Its.

When you’re finished, your plot board should look something like this:

Ta-da!

Some bonus pics:

Are you going to make this craft? Do you have any writerly crafts? 

Q & A Tag

I’ve been nominated for the Q & A Tag by Sarah @ Classically Yours – thank you, Sarah! 😀

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Les Rules

Thank the blogger who nominated you –> Thanks again, Sarah!🙂
Answer the questions you were given by that blogger.
Nominate 10 bloggers, give them ten new questions, and let them know they’ve been tagged.

Les Qs And Les As

– If you could change your name, what would you change it to?

Lily, maybe? But I think that something exotic would be cool too – like Zynthia or Xelia. 🙂

– What’s your dream job?

Writer and blogger. Most definitely.

– In your opinion, what’s the best animal for a school mascot?

A dragon or phoenix, for sure. That would be so cool!

– Why did you start blogging?

I wanted to try something new, and maybe share some of my writerly writings and ramblings with the world. 🙂

– This is sort of a writer-ly question — but I’m going to use it anyway. 😉 Do you have a current WIP (work in progress)? If so, I WANNA HEAR WHAT IT IS. 😂😂

I do! I wrote a lot about it in this post, and introduced you to one of my characters here.

– Favorite fandom?

HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER HARRY POTTER. Need I say more? 😉

– Favorite emoji?

❤️ ->🦄 <-❤️

– Favorite Olympic sport to watch?

Gymnastics! The tumbling is AMAZING.

– What’s the best photo you’ve ever taken? (and share it!)

Probably this one . . .

. . . Or this one . . .

– What is one thing you do when you’re bored?

Usually, I do a little writing, or read some. 🙂

I nominate anyone who loves Harry Potter! 

Nominee Qs

What’s your favorite winter drink? 

Favorite type of flower? 

Do you have any allergies?

What’s the most exotic food you’ve ever had?

Would you prefer to go somewhere in your state/area/region on a roadtrip or go somewhere far away on an airplane? 

What’s a game that you play in the car? 

What’s your dream job? 

What’s your middle name, or if you’re not comfortable giving it, what’s the initial of your middle name? If you don’t have a middle name, what was your mother’s maiden name? 

If you could be invisible for a day, what would you do? 

What did the first pair of shoes that you remember owning look like? 

 If you want to, answer all, some, or one of these questions in the comments! I’d love to hear from you! 😀

October Character Studies

I’m doing October Character Studies! *bored applause* Do I need to explain what Character Studies are . . . ? I think everybody already knows . . . But I’m not sure, so . . . I’ll explain, just in case. 😉

*clears throat*

Basically, Character Studies are when your characters answer questions about themselves. This time, one of your character will dress up as another character. Master Thomas, villainous landlord/bitter person extraordinaire, is going to be dressing up as Helga, humble/poor/quiet/kind person extraordinaire. This is going to be funny/odd, let me warn you. . .

/// Wow – I’m using a lot of slashes. ///

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Note: When I’m being a rude author and interrupting my characters, I’ll be in italics.

First off, who are you and who are you pretending to be? What’s your relationship to the person you’re pretending to be, and why would you (or your author) pick them?

My name is Master Thomas, holder and owner of the Thomasson land, including all things, animals, and people who dwell upon it.

Well . . . Not really. You inherited the land, and that’s about it. 

Silence, fool-girl.

You have such an affectionate nickname for me, Tommy. Can I call you Tommy? Or M. T.? Hmmm . . . I think I’ll call you Tommy. Anyway, Tommy, you do know that I can do whatever I want with you, right? Including having you fall from your horse in front of everybody. So . . . Maybe you should put on your best behavior. Just a little advice.

*mutters* . . . puppeteer.

What did you say? That I’m a puppeteer? Well, I guess that’s remotely true. Anyways, let’s proceed, Tommy.

Do not call me Tommy! To answer your question, I was tricked into dressing up as that woman Helga, of all people! Her husband can’t even pay my very just rent.

. . . Your rent is overpriced.

I have no relationship to the woman. That would be ridiculous.

Are you sure? You might be related by blood . . . 

Impossible. A person with such a high rank as myself could not be related to a lowly peasant. Why was I even forced to dress up as that pauper anyways?

To torture you, my dear Tommy. And because it’s quite funny. 

To people other than myself.

What’s your fashion sense? (Or, if you want, what do you/your “costume” look like?)

I am dressed in rags not befitting an owner of vast lands. This is an insult to my reputation.

Trick or treat?

Pardon?

The answer is ‘trick’. For both of you. 

Pardon again?

*sighs* Stop playing dumb. 

I’m not.

*sighs*

What’s your opinion of yourself? (Interpret this question how you will.)

My opinion of Helga is extremely low. She is nothing but a worthless peasant.

Best thing about you? Worst thing about you?

I find no good qualities in her. Perhaps that she has been able to maintain her family despite the fact that they are paupers. The worst thing about her is everything.

You look in the mirror, and it’s mocking you. What is it saying?

Mocking me or Helga?

You decide.

It mocks me for looking like Helga. And it mocks Helga for looking the way she does.

She’s fairly pretty for being middle-aged. But according to you, anyone below your rank has every bad quality a body can possess, so I’m not surprised at your comment. 

*grunts*

Kittens or puppies?

How would I know?

You’d know. 

How?

From when she was younger. I know you’re not going to answer me, though, so for my readers’ benefit, I’ll answer for you – kittens. 

Coffee or tea?

She’s to poor to drink anything but water.

If you had to pretend to be this person for a whole week, what would you do?

You don’t want to know. It involves a grave.

I see. I’ll have to change you back then, I suppose. Your part in my novel isn’t over yet. 

You were planning to not change me back?

*smiles sneakily* Maybe.

AAAAARGH!

Bonus: Best cake flavor?

Helga is too –

Let me guess. She’s too poor to eat cake. 

Precisely.

Actually, she’s had an apple tart once. You’re wrong about that one, Tommy.

*stomps off*

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And that, lovely readers, is a taste of Master Thomas. Feel free to dislike him. 😉

 *gasps* *squeals* I have sixteen followers!? Thank you so, so much everybody! *hands out Oreos and donuts* You’re amazing. ❤️

Random Question Of The Day (RQOTD): What do you think the three top qualities of a perfect villain are? 

The Versatile Blogger Award

Hello, humans, unicorns, aliens, and elves! Sorry, goblins. 😉

I’ve been nominated for The Versatile Blogger Award by Grace from From The Tip Of Grace’s Pen  – thank you, Grace! 😀

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Rules

1. Display Award
2. Thank the person who gave this award (and include a link to their blog)
3. Share seven things about yourself
4. Nominate ten bloggers

Seven Random Facts

1. I started acrobatic ‘cloth’ dancing this year! It’s basically hanging from very long, strong pieces of cloth and doing tricks in them. I love it, it’s super fun! 😀

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2. I have never broken a bone! *crosses fingers* The biggest injury I’ve ever had was a sprained ankle this summer.

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3. I love cozy, woolly clothes. That’s one reason why I like autumn so much – I can pull out my thick socks and hoodies again! 😛

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4. My favorite types of pie are pumpkin pie and apple pie. I really want to try key lime, though, since I’ve been told that it’s really good.

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5. My personality type is INFJ-T, an Advocate. I’m an introvert. *runs to hide in a corner* *starts reading*

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6. I’m a feminist. Have any of you read I Am Malala? It’s sort of a feminist book. 😉

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7. I’d love to visit Mexico. Burritos for the win! *bursts open a piñata* *throws a fiesta*

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I tag anyone who is reading this!

What sport do you play?

Have you ever broken a bone?

Do you like winter clothes or summer clothes best? 

What’s you favorite type of pie?

Are you an introvert or an extrovert? 

Are you a feminist? 

Where would you like to travel?

 

Beautiful Books

Hello, my amazing readers! 😀

I saw a post called Beautiful Books on Kellyn’s blog, Reveries recently, and it looked so fun that I decided to try it myself! Basically, you answer questions about a novel that you’re working on, and… that’s about it. 😛

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What inspired the idea for your novel, and how long have you had that idea?

Well, to be quite honest, I don’t really remember. 😛 My novel is about a medieval girl who goes into a convent-y place and learns to read, thus helping her be smarter than a lot of men back then… I think that a year or so ago I was (well, I still am) into books set in the Middle Ages, and that just sparked the idea.  🙂

Describe what your novel is about!

If I was a lazy person, I’d just put ‘^see above^’. Since I am a lazy person…

^see above^

Basically, it’s about a young girl named Agatha who gets taken away from her village by an evil landlord. She then gets put in a convent, where she learns to read, write and live God. This helps her become more intelligent and… yeah. #whenideassoundbetterinyourhead #whenyoucantexplainyournovel

What is your book’s aesthetic? Use words or photos or whatever you like!

I tried to find photos, but there didn’t seem to be any on the Internet that were what I was looking for, so words it is. 😉

dreary village

rain pouring down

a girl’s crying inside

the man’s crying harder with bitter tears

victims and prices

silent resolution

light shining to far to see

God’s gentle hand guiding her tenderly

So, there you go! I’m afraid I made it sound depressing, didn’t I? It’s not as bad as you think! 😉

Introduce us to each of your characters!

Agatha, MC, eleven years

Except for the dress, this is almost exactly how she is!

Warrin, father of MC

This image was actually taken from a book that I read a few years ago. 😀 Just ignore the horse and everything, and make his beard a little more bushy and have his expression be ferocious, and you’ve got Warrin. 😉

Helga, mother of MC

This is more or less how I imagine her, maybe a little older and her with hair up. 🙂

Milly, sister of MC, six years

Milly is sort of a cross between these two cuties. Agatha also has a baby brother, Geoffrey, but I didn’t include him here. He basically looks like any other infant, maybe a little thinner.

Master Thomas, greedy landlord extraordinaire 

Yes, I do realize that this is a picture of Severus Snape. 😉 This is kind of what Master Thomas is like inside. He’s troubled, but he’s strong in his own way. His hair is also very greasy. 😉

How do you prepare to write?

By procrastinating. ‘Nuff said.

What are you most looking forward to about this novel?

Just having fun writing it, and exploring my own imagination. 🙂

List 3 things about your novel’s setting.

It’s set in England, during the Middle Ages, on a moor. 🙂

What’s your character’s goal and who (or what) stands in the way?

At the beginning of the book, she wants to help her family pay off their rent – if they don’t manage to pay it, they get thrown out of their house. Their greedy landlord stands in the way, asking for higher and higher prices. Her goals change throughout the book, though.

How does your protagonist change by the end of the novel?

Well, she learns to read and write. But most importantly, she becomes closer to God. 🙂

What are your book’s themes? How do you want readers to feel when the story is over?

I want my book to be slightly melancholy, but mostly hopeful. I think that I want my readers to feel that they have gained something from the book, but I’m not really sure yet.

Are you working on a novel? 

Thank you so much to everyone who checked out and followed this little blog – you make my day! 😀

Welcome, amazing people!

Hello there! *waves*

*puts out welcome mat* *polishes doorbell* Wait, why would you polish a doorbell? 

Anyway, welcome to my blog, Daythinker, Nightdreamer!

I’m Jordan, a girl who loves writing, reading, and life in general! And Harry Potter.

On this blog, I’m hoping to post some short stories, poems, and maybe some ramblings!

Kick your feet up and stay awhile! And click that follow button, if you want. 😉