#writing apps

So, in Chapter 1, at the bottom of the file, I write [[2]] to link it to Chapter 2. At the bottom of Chapter 2, I make a link for [[3]], and so forth. This creates a chain in the Graph View.

These are literally just your scenes / chapters / whatever units of story you prefer to analyse. Looks like this:

You don't have to write a chunk of chapters before doing the next step, you can do it as you go, but to make it easier I'm showing you this way.

For this vault, you wanna toggle Tags ON in the Filter section of the Graph View's Settings.

We will using #tags to represent things like plot elements, world building, people, and so on.

For example, in this WIP, I write #tags whenever I mention or show something new, or when I repeat it. In a second you will see how this method helps me keep information relevant to the current segment or arc.

Let's say that Chapters 1-8 is the set-up for the story. Chapter 1-2 we see how character 'Gar' meets character 'Lag' in Lag's village. Gar is a warrior, and they're passing the village now and again because Gar has some quests and training to be done nearby.

What is this training? What kind of warrior? Where are they from? Who is Lag? What's their village like and why does it matters? These are elements that we start exploring during the first few chapters.

If every chapter is connected to the same #tag you're obviously overdoing something. Like, we get it, develop other aspects already! At the start, your chapters might look like a braid as you add and then reinforce new ideas down the line.

One thing this helps me with is tracking show versus tell. Like here, I realised I've been talking a lot about warriors, but I haven't shown much action! If I were writing this as I go, I might use this observation to insert more action.

I won't do this for the whole book whenever the is a battle though, because the point by Chapters 8+ will not be to battle just for the sake of SHOWING how the fights or magic system works, but to have those battles mean something. By Chapter 10, for example, I won't use the tag #warrior-show because I'm done showing. Now the point is, for example, that two characters fight! So, it's more like #gar-v-kay to represent conflict between Gar and Kay.

Why that matters is because each complete and self-sufficient Arc or segment, if well done, must eventually curve ant become a knot, like this:

For a second, this looks chaotic, but it's actually good!

THIS IS YOUR FIRST KNOT.

That's a round turn and five half-hitches right there.

This is how you know you're doing well.

This means that your segment or arc is literally tight and stitched together. If it doesn't look like this, that means the reader is waiting too long for any kind of pay-off.

In the above case, Chapters 1-8 represent my first Arc. While there's a lot of world-building and exposition to be given, that alone CANNOT be the point of an arc. So, I have added tags that represent Character Driven elements. Such as Lag and Gar bonding, or showing their individual motivations and goals, and reinforcing them repeatedly. We explore Lag's values like his love for his village, and Gar's dedication to his goal... and the growing feeling they have for each other.

Which is why, the final Chapter of this arc clearly shows those elements coming together:

Chapter 8, highlighted in blue, tells us everything we need to know. Lag and Gar bonded. Each showed their separate motivations in life. Lag loves his village, Gar is from the far away capital. They understand they cannot be together, and we as the reader also understand because we've seen these separate elements weave into each other, until we have that final pay-off and release. Gar will go back, and Lag will stay, but both of them have been changed by the experience. They go their separate ways... for now.

Chapter 9 marks the start of a new segment or arc, and it will have its own tags. You will also notice that some tags are literally loose-threads. It's for me to decide if that's good or bad.

For example, I mentioned a character named Vinji. Then, we met them. I'm cool with that because that's a set-up for later.

I will NOT link these tags later in the story because the tag isn't #vinji, it's MENTIONING them without seeing (telling) and then MEETING (showing) and now they are known. That bit is done.

Here, however, the #warriors-tell is OUTSIDE of the circle (notice how the arc literally curves into a ball, the tags ending up on the inside) meaning I just info-dumped for 3 chapters straight. I think I'm going to edit that and change it later.

When dealing with plot-lines that are long term.... we don't want them on the graph. We want the major plot-lines divided into stages.

So, one overarching major plot-line in this story is Gar x Lag love over the years. I don't just tag #gar-x-lag every time their relationship progresses because again, I would end up in one big hairball. What we want is a series of clusters (or, knots, if you will).

So, every stage of Gar x Lag can be #gar-x-lag-bonding for their first encounter, #gar-x-lag-tension for when they meet again under very bad circumstances and can't talk yet, #gar-x-lag-closer for when they're both making timid steps towards each other, #gar-x-lag-conflict for when, you guessed it, they push each other away... and so forth. Heck, each one is a perfect under-line for each arc.

Next section, or the next knot, has its own build-ups and pay-offs! Keep making those knots as you go, and each part of your story will feel rewarding to the readers and dare I say un-put-down-able.