The easiest way for me to brainstorm--whether it's a new story or one I'm trying to finish-- is longhand. But sometimes I need to have a more concrete worksheet to go from. I am a huge mess-maker when it comes to flow charts, which is counterproductive to my brain, so software works for me to keep me organized.
I prefer FreeMind for its simplicty of use. It's also FREE, plus, one of the label icons is a penguin (for Linux, I know, but still, it's adorable).
So what can this program do for me, you might ask. I can't tell you that, but here's how I use it.
During the initial "What-if" stage, where the story is in its infancy, I use the software to follow different story threads simultaneously, searching for the one I like best. I like being able to compare ideas side-by-side, and because the roots are collapsible with a click, I can hide the nodes I'm not currently working on-- the alternate realms of possibility. Once I have all my potential ideas organized, I find an ending that works for me, and work toward it.
For those honest-to-goodness outliners, it's easy to format a mind map into your standard three act structure-- or the beginning, middle, and end, if you prefer. Because of the ability to create so many child nodes, as the program calls them, you can continue adding story ideas as you write to flesh the story out further and keep yourself organized.
Another way I like to use it for plotting is as a character development tool. I usually try to plan my main characters around their purpose in the story: antagonist, obstacle character, double-crosser, etc. You can make a node for each character, give their relation to the main character or protagonist, and add character traits, quirks, physical features, and their role in the story. I tend to make one outlining each character's motivation, as well.
The right tool for the right job, as my father always used to say. At least this one is a multi-tasker.
Anyone use any other free online software for writing besides wordle and mind maps?
9 comments:
This is awesome! I could definitely use some organization in my writing and this seems pretty versatile. Very cool! Thanks, Tere! :)
Fix your links, missy! ;) The link for Freemind goes to Wikipedia. Just thought you'd like to know that.
That's cool. Maybe I can become an outliner with something like that. Is it expensive?
No Idea! Thanks though! The sticky notes were getting crazy!
Oops, fixed the link. The FreeMind download site looks a lot like a wiki page. Must have slipped my mind...
And, Susan, I fix-ded my post to reflect the ne other thing that's so awesome about FreeMind-- it's FREE! I rarely pay for anything like that. Don't want to pay for Photoshop? Download GIMP. While it doesn't have all of the features of CS4 or anything, it's perfect for the everyday gaphics project.
Suze, I still have Postits coming out the wazoo, but that's because I write a lot on my lunchbreak or on public transportation. FreeMind really replaces the graph paper I used to use to plot.
Hope this helps!
Ooh! This looks so cool! We'll definitely try this for our next project. I'm already sort of freaking out about having to write another mystery. I think this will really help us to get organized.
OH my goodness!!! This looks unbelievably cool. I can't wait to try it out. Thanks for sharing!!!
sf
Thanks for the tip--I've been looking for a better method. I was using index cards, which worked pretty well until the rubber band broke in my laptop case and they shuffled all out of order (grrrr). I will definitely be giving this a try. :)
Once you figure out how to use the features, it's pretty user-friendly, and I can go pretty fast using keyboard shortcuts.
It's fun because I can convince myself it's a stalling tactic, when in fact I'm actually getting work done. ;)
Post a Comment