Friday’s Findings: Two Column Method to Drafting

I’ve discovered a way to create a rough draft more quickly and conveniently. Sometimes, I’ll have a page of notes about a scene I want to write. But going back and forth from the page with my notes to the page where I’m composing my rough draft slows me down.

I tried a split screen, but that gets clunky. What to do?

I found a method where my notes and outlines are right in front of me. Here’s what I do:

• In whatever software I’m using (MS Word, Google Docs, etc.), I create a two-column table.
• In the left column, I create an outline for a scene. I write a summary, notes, outlines, dialogue samples, and so on. This column is meant to be messy. Spend time in this column to planning my scene.
• When I’m ready, I write the rough draft of my scene in the right column. I refer to the notes in the column on the right. No flipping back and forth to another document or another place in the document. It’s right there in front of me.
• When you’re happy with your rough draft, copy and paste the contents of the right column into a regularly formatted manuscript for further drafts and editing.

Here’s what it can look like:

I like to make the outline column red text. That’s just a personal preference. Also, you may want to switch sides: make the right side your notes, and the left side the composition column. Sort of like which side of the bed you prefer.

Now, If I have access to a two-screen setup, I can open a document of scene notes on one screen and compose my scene on another document on the other screen. But most of the time, I am writing on my laptop which doesn’t have a large monitor. So, this method helps me “get in the zone” more easily because I’m not stopping and starting to consult my notes.

I’m sure I’m not the first person to come up with this, but it makes writing a rough draft much more smooth. Sometimes, I’ll forget a detail but this method has reminded me about a certain action or mood more than once.

Let me know if you already use something similar to this, or if you like this idea and want to try it.

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Photo by Hisham Zayadneh: https://www.pexels.com/photo/ruins-of-ancient-temple-in-jordan-4084506/

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