Like you, I’ve been resistant to using index cards–seems like still another thing to keep track of–but then I attended an Anne Lamott talk, in which she said she uses index cards to jot down snippets of dialogue, titles, images, and notes for lines that may go into her current writing projects. I still wasn’t convinced this was a good idea, and I kept inserting my notes in my journals; but then recently I couldn’t remember which, of many, journals I used to record a reference. I spent way too much time going through journals, but eventually found it.

Now? I still put most of what I want to remember in my journals, but I’m encouraging myself to use index cards. Bought a bright pink $1.00 accordion coupon file at Target to put them in. Nice an loud so it won’t get lost in my bag.

Perhaps this method will work for the different novels you’re working on.

Have fun!

Faye Quam Heimerl – Letters From the Editor http://www.FayeQuamHeimerl.wordpress.com

But this book was fairly recent and it seems like everyone’s supposed to know now that it’s all short-attention-span theater out there. I’m sorry, you have an average length of the span between commercials to grab my attention. It’s the way I was trained.

The meandering is also something to I tend see as another common Chick-Lit trait. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey. Yadda yadda yadda.

I think we’re both getting to the point where we’re able to think more objectively about what our story needs. I know I’ve been trying really hard to get past all the “and then and then” by all my various and sundry plotting methods, and I feel like I learned a lot from GMC that will help me have legitimate reason behind what happens. And some of those questions–like that’s the thing that makes my h/h finally stop resisting each other–may not be answered until I’m further into the story. But I feel like in other areas, I’m getting better anyway.