Clear ARC
I keep trying to write a novel, but I seem to have it finished before even the first chapter is done! This is because I can’t bring myself to plan the whole thing out first.
So I broke the concept down into its smallest parts, then put it back together in a way that made sense to me.
I know I need chapters, so the software lets me create them one after another. I can name them what I like, but it’s actually easier just use Chapter 1, Chapter 2 (I don’t want to waste time dreaming up fancy chapter titles before I even know how it’s going to pan out, I just want to get stuck in!)
I could have left it at that of course, but planning really is more than a bunch of chapters.
So I added a hierarchy system: Books > Chapters > Scenes > Events (what screenwriters call ‘beats’).
The idea is to split the chapter into simpler parts starting with scenes. A scene, just like in a movie or theatre, usually happens in one place. And when that’s done, we move on to another place (another scene).
This helps because it creates a rule I can use – if I decide the action is going to move to another place, that’s the time to add a new scene. And right now, I may as well call those scenes ‘Scene 1’, ‘Scene 2’ etc. (I can add a more meaningful name later – if I want – it could just be the name of the place, something simple).
Obviously if all the action in your book happens in the same place from beginning to end, you probably won’t bother with scenes (or maybe just one for the sheer hell of it!).
Once you have your scenes (if you chose to), you can get down to the nitty gritty, and that is events. An event is a single happening. You know the kind of thing: a knock at the door, you open it, and the ghost of your great great gran appears.
Then another event happens – you slam the door and the ghost walks straight through it.
Since you only need to describe the minimum at every step, in no time at all, you have built your entire book from a series of sentences (events).
And with that done, one click, and you have a complete timeline to guide you (or a browsable HTML file of your whole book if you want to export it).
Which means, for the first time ever (if you’re like me) you’ll get to finish chapter 1, and chapter 2, and who knows, maybe all of it.
So where does all this ARC stuff come in? Simple. You can add character, places, and items wherever you want, and whenever you do, you can append a reason for that action.
The reason could be “Dave’s mood right now is complacency”. In a later event you might add “Dave is starting to get worried, complaceny level is dropping fast”, and later, “Dave is now full on stressed”. Obviously you describe traits anyway you like, but when you view them sequentially on a timeline along with all the other information, the ARC starts coming to life.
It’s out now and available on subscription. Better still, you get 14 days without paying a penny to try it.
The ICA
There are organisations for pretty much every industry in the world. This one’s dedicated to teaching copywriters how to write more persuasively in an ethical way and make more money doing it.
Join the International Copywriters Association and you’ll get membership of ProCopyClub (my premier copywriter training program) and a whole bunch of AI tools included.
If you have any questions about the ICA, please feel free to use our support portal. You can also book one-on-one time direct with me.
Quentin Pain
PS. This page was inspired by Derek Sivers’ Now Page Movement