Here is a little tidbit about me that I am sure you are dying to know: I love lists.
I love the beauty and simplicity of them. I love being able to scratch things off that I have done. And I especially love having things organized so compactly so I can see at a quick glance everything I need to know.
When I am writing, I use many different kinds of lists. Of course, I have my character lists, and I have my plot outline. And I have a list keeping track of the days in my story so I have a sense of time. Based on a post by the wonderful Stephanie Perkins, I created my Love List of things I love about my current WIP and have written them all over a poster board surrounded by Google images of my characters and setting.
On my monitor, I have 4 bright yellow sticky notes:
- One that has each major character listed and their characterizing physical traits (ie: blushing, tapping fingers, tugging on ear, etc;)
- Another that reminds me how my Protag is an artist, so she will be sure to notice shades of color, textures, and materials as she describes things.
- One that simply says: Theme, Symbol, Setting. Kick it up a notch!
- And finally, the one that started the idea for this post, I have a sticky note listing the Eleven Senses.
The Eleven Senses is a concept I first heard about in blog posts referencing a talk given by Marilyn Kelly at an RWA conference. Since then, I’ve written them down and tried to include them as much as possible, but last week I decided to look more into them. I went to Ms. Kelly’s site and stumbled upon a link to a book she wrote called Eleven Senses–Who Knew? Word lists for the senses, emotions, and body language: A reference book for creative writers. I just got the book on Saturday but I can already tell it will be dog-eared and highlighted and used over and over again. This woman speaks my language! They have lists for everything! Thirty-six different ways to describe the color blue. Over sixty different ways to describe the act of looking. Two entire pages devoted to descriptive words associated with pain. Eleven pages on Body Language!
Yes, I adore this book and it was only $7. All the profits from the booklet are donated to Wikipedia, which is what brought the concept of the eleven senses to Marilyn’s attention. (side note: Wikipedia also has tons of wonderful lists that I love!)
Here are a few links that utilize lists that I use constantly in my writing process:
- The Bookshelf Muse: The playhouse for list lovers, this blog has lists for emotions, setting, colors/textures/shapes, symbolism, and coming soon, weather!
- The 16 MBTI Types: I use the Myers & Briggs personality types when doing my character sketches
- Enneagram Types: Another great resource when building your characters
- How to Write a Great Kiss: Okay, this one isn’t exactly a list, but the way it is broken down and easily explained has the beauty and simplicity of a list and I always reference this when I am writing a scene (I have it printed out and should probably laminate it lol)
- Creating SPARK in your Romance: Another great resource from My Book Therapy, I use this when I am plotting and doing my characters
- Plot and Pacing by Weronika Janczuk: While her entire 3-post break down of Plot and Pacing at WriteOnCon was wonderful, this part two is my favorite. When I rediscovered it while plotting my current WIP, it made such a difference! Not that I really changed that much, but I was able to gain confidence from this list, knowing that I included what I needed to for a successful, tight plot. Excellent Resource!
Questions for You:
Do you adore lists like I do? What are your favorite list-like resources? Do you have any bright sticky notes pasted on your computer or wall where YOU write?
Happy Writing!
