Index cards are a feature of my daily routine at the moment. Each day I fill out two more with writing for my next book. In theory, once I have many hundreds of these index cards completed they can be shuffled and arranged and put to use as the blueprint to allow an unbroken 'run' at the first draft.
On the cards I write a basic sketch of a scene, or a section of dialogue, a character description, or occasionally a condensed precise of the overall story.
There is a great freedom from this approach as I can write ideas and mini scenes and not get caught up with internal doubts or debates about whether or not this is the right place for this piece of action, or if it is even worth including, etc.
The sifting comes later. At the end of the index carding process all the component parts can be reassessed and then moved around - or discarded - to form a cohesive and natural rhythm to the story.
Another great beauty of this approach is making each card 'eventful' and having an identifiable part to play in moving the story forward. They are like mini episodes of action. Having these at my fingertips when I reach the point of slotting all the pieces together in the first draft should ensure a flowing storyline without much (or any) drag.
For now it is a couple of index cards each day. The 'done' pile is still relatively small, but as I warm up the speed at which I can fill out the cards should increase. The aim is to end up with between 500 and 1,000 good cards (having sifted out the naff ones) before heading into the first draft. In the picture above is my current pile and, for reference, an unopened pack of 100 index cards. There is a fair bit of work still ahead.
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