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Storyboard like a Detective

Storyboard like a Detective

by | Apr 2, 2019

Storyboard Like a Detective

Define the scenario, collect clues, and ultimately, resolve your questions. Capture your thinking on your storyboard.

Style

Inventor

Skill

Structuring Ideas

Time

15 – 45 minutes

THE WORKSHOP:

Storyboard Like a Detective

 Structured thinking can be difficult for Inventors. Approach the plotting process with a sense of play by tapping into your inner Sherlock Holmes. First define what you know about your storyline. Then, list your questions and choose a line of inquiry where you can start. Collect if-then clues to resolve those questions. Then, return to your list of questions. What is no longer relevant? What is still unresolved? Pick another line of inquiry, and repeat until you have a workable storyboard.

When should you storyboard your manuscript? There are a number of times in the writing process where working with a storyboard can be useful.

After idea generation, storyboarding will help you structure energetic brainstorming into a solid plan for your story. For me, the right moment is after I’ve done some full-plot brainstorming, and after I’ve drafted at least two or three scenes.

When drafting, storyboarding is an excellent get-unstuck tool. You might play a game or two to shake up your ideas and then use a storyboard to help you plug your new ideas into the plot. If you’ve already created a storyboard, you can play around with the variables to see if a change here or there might unstick your stuck moment. If not, a storyboard will give you increased clarity.

When revising, storyboarding is a powerful shortcut to help you see the effect of changes. Rather than trying to hold your entire plot in your mind while you experiment with possibilities, swap elements into and out of your storyboard to see how each change will impact your plot. Using this simplified view, you’ll be able to problem-solve with greater perspective and speed.

Materials

How to Play

  • Timer
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Colored Pencils (optional)
  • Index Cards
  • Posterboard, a White Board, or a Large Open Space (such as a wall, a tabletop, or the floor)

1. Set a timer for three minutes.

2. In that short time, capture what you know about your storyline. Stick to who, what, and where, and be as matter-of-fact as possible. Deal with any new shiny ideas the way Sherlock Holmes might … with a withering look and a dismissive attitude.

3. Considering your givens, and all of those ideas bouncing around in your mind, capture a list of questions. They might be “what if,” “why,” “how might,” or any other kind of question that needs to be solved for you to move forward.

4. Look over your list. Some questions will be related, some will be silly. Others will be clearly important. Choose a line of inquiry to follow.

5. Grab a stack of index cards. Decide how long you want to spend on the storyboard today. Save three-five minutes at the end of your work session to capture any thinking you haven’t captured on the board and don’t want to forget. Set your timer accordingly.

6. If this is your first draft of the storyboard, start your storyboard with the cards that relate to your givens. Then, use if-then thinking around your line of inquiry to define key scenes. Remember, you can always define a scene and an alternate, and decide to make your final choice later. Put one scene on each card, using an interesting title and images if you like.

7. If you’ve already created a storyboard for this project, begin with the cards on your board. Write new scenes on cards and add them to the board, pulling off cards that are no longer relevant.

8. When you reach problem spots, or gaps between one major scene and another, use your Sherlock Holmes logic to find a possible way from one scene to the next, and then test that theory. Does it work? What might strengthen it? Would an alternate option be better?

9. Depending on how much time you’ve allotted for this activity, you can spend time now experimenting with variables, or just capture the givens for a scene and plan to play with possibilities later when it’s time to draft that scene.

9. Wrap up your storyboarding session by writing yourself a quick set of notes about any outstanding questions. You might just highlight what’s left on your original list, or write a new summary.

Don’t forget! If you can’t store your storyboard as is, number your cards (in pencil) so it will be easy to lay them out in this same order again.

Try On Other Creative Styles

Storyboard Like a Coach

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Run a few quick scenarios for your idea and then choose a game plan for your storyboard.

Try This

Storyboard Like an Animator

FOR COLLABORATORS

Use the Hero’s Journey to structure your storyboard discussion with a collaborator.

Try This

Storyboard Like a Reporter

FOR ARCHITECTS

Structure your thinking about a project with a reporter’s questions. Use your discoveries to shape your storyboard.

Try This

Storyboard like a Coach

Storyboard like a Coach

by | Apr 2, 2019

Storyboard Like a Coach

Run a few quick scenarios for your idea and then choose a game plan.

Style

Special Agent

Skill

Structuring Ideas

Time

15 -30 mins

THE WORKSHOP:

Storyboard Like a Coach

Imagine yourself in a locker room with a white board, going over game play with your coach. In this version of storyboarding, you sketch your possibilities out as quickly as possible, and then snap a photo of what you think will work better. You don’t have to know all the specifics, just the general movements across the field. Plus, you can plan for the surprises that might pop up along the way.

When should you storyboard your manuscript? There are a number of times in the writing process where working with a storyboard can be useful.

After idea generation, storyboarding will help you structure energetic brainstorming into a solid plan for your story. For me, the right moment is after I’ve done some full-plot brainstorming, and after I’ve drafted at least two or three scenes.

When drafting, storyboarding is an excellent get-unstuck tool. You might play a game or two to shake up your ideas and then use a storyboard to help you plug your new ideas into the plot. If you’ve already created a storyboard, you can play around with the variables to see if a change here or there might unstick your stuck moment. If not, a storyboard will give you increased clarity.

When revising, storyboarding is a powerful shortcut to help you see the effect of changes. Rather than trying to hold your entire plot in your mind while you experiment with possibilities, swap elements into and out of your storyboard to see how each change will impact your plot. Using this simplified view, you’ll be able to problem-solve with greater perspective and speed.

Materials

How to Play

  • Timer
  • White Board
  • Dry erase markers
  • Camera

1. Set a timer for three minutes.

2. In that short time, mentally play through your story.

  • How does the story begin?
  • What key things happen in the middle?
  • Where and how does the climax take place?
  • Why does this problem or opportunity matter to your character?
  • How does the story resolve?

3. Once the time is up, it’s time to storyboard. Grab your dry erase markers. Decide how long you want to spend on the storyboard today. Save three-five minutes at the end of your work session to capture any thinking you haven’t captured on the board and don’t want to forget. Set your timer accordingly.

4. If this is your first draft of the storyboard, draw out a simple map of your story on the board. Use simple symbols, as a coach would (think x’s and o’s), and labels where they’re helpful.

5. If you’ve already created a storyboard for this project, reference your past material. You might have a photo or the actual board. You can use those pieces of info to help sketch this map.

6. When you reach problem spots, or gaps between one major scene and another, think like a play-maker. If this problem arises, how might I bypass it? How might I use it to my benefit?

7. Depending on how much time you’ve allotted for this activity, you can spend time now experimenting with variables, or just capture the givens for a scene and plan to play with possibilities later when it’s time to draft that scene.

8. Wrap up your storyboarding session by writing yourself a quick set of notes. What is left to be considered? Are certain sections of the plan weaker than others? Note whatever you don’t want to forget and keep those notes with your photo of the completed white board.

Try On Other Creative Styles

Storyboard Like a Detective

FOR INVENTORS

Define the scenario, collect clues, and ultimately, resolve your questions. Capture your thinking on your storyboard.

Try This

Storyboard Like an Animator

FOR COLLABORATORS

Use the Hero’s Journey to structure your storyboard discussion with a collaborator.

Try This

Storyboard Like a Reporter

FOR ARCHITECTS

Structure your thinking about a project with a reporter’s questions. Use your discoveries to shape your storyboard.

Try This

Storyboard like a Reporter

Storyboard like a Reporter

by | Apr 2, 2019

Storyboard like a Reporter

Structure your thinking about a project with a reporter’s “w” questions and then use your discoveries to shape your storyboard.

Style

Architect

Skill

Structuring Ideas

Time

15 – 45 minutes

THE WORKSHOP:

Storyboard like a Reporter

 

When reporters gather the elements of a story, they look for the who, what, where, when, why, and how. As an Architect, you can play to your strengths by using these questions in both phases of the storyboarding process. When you’re storyboarding your overall plot arc, use these categories to guide your big-picture thinking to make sure you’ve covered your bases. When you’re dealing with the details of each scene and problem-solving, use the categories to focus your attention on what matters most.

When should you storyboard your manuscript? There are a number of times in the writing process where working with a storyboard can be useful.

After idea generation, storyboarding will help you structure energetic brainstorming into a solid plan for your story. For me, the right moment is after I’ve done some full-plot brainstorming, and after I’ve drafted at least two or three scenes.

When drafting, storyboarding is an excellent get-unstuck tool. You might play a game or two to shake up your ideas and then use a storyboard to help you plug your new ideas into the plot. If you’ve already created a storyboard, you can play around with the variables to see if a change here or there might unstick your stuck moment. If not, a storyboard will give you increased clarity.

When revising, storyboarding is a powerful shortcut to help you see the effect of changes. Rather than trying to hold your entire plot in your mind while you experiment with possibilities, swap elements into and out of your storyboard to see how each change will impact your plot. Using this simplified view, you’ll be able to problem-solve with greater perspective and speed.

Materials

How to Play

  • Timer
  • Paper
  • Pencil
  • Index Cards
  • Posterboard, a White Board, or a Large Open Space (such as a wall, a tabletop, or the floor)

1. Set a timer for three minutes.

2. In that short time, summarize your story by answering the following questions. Make sure to use quick bullet points rather than long-form sentences.

  • Who is your story about?
  • What problem or opportunity shows up in the story?
  • Where and when (in general) does the story take place?
  • Why does this problem or opportunity matter to your character?
  • How do they tackle it? How does the story resolve?

3. Once the time is up, it’s time to storyboard. Grab a stack of index cards. Decide how long you want to spend on the storyboard today. Save three-five minutes at the end of your work session to capture any thinking you haven’t captured on the board and don’t want to forget. Set your timer accordingly.

4. If this is your first draft of the storyboard, use your summary to spark ideas for the scenes you need. Put one scene on each card, using an interesting title.

5. If you’ve already created a storyboard for this project, compare your current summary to the cards on your board. Write new scenes on cards and add them to the board, pulling off cards that are no longer relevant.

6. When you reach problem spots, or gaps between one major scene and another, use your reporter questions to define scene possibilities.

  • Who could be in the scene?
  • What needs to happen?
  • Where and when might the scene take place?
  • Why would it be important to your character?
  • How would your main character act? How would others in the scene act?

7. Depending on how much time you’ve allotted for this activity, you can spend time now experimenting with variables, or just capture the givens for a scene and plan to play with possibilities later when it’s time to draft that scene.

8. Wrap up your storyboarding session by writing yourself a quick set of notes about any outstanding issues.

  • Who needs additional scenes or growth in the story?
  • What scenes need to be developed more strongly, reconsidered, or added?
  • Is there any room to experiment with your where and when in particular areas of your story?
  • Is the why ever unclear? What motivations should you spend more time thinking about?
  • How strong are the actions of your key characters? Are there areas where you’d like to take a second look?

Don’t forget! If you can’t store your storyboard as is, number your cards (in pencil) so it will be easy to lay them out in this same order again.

Try On Other Creative Styles

Storyboard Like a Detective

FOR INVENTORS

Define the scenario, collect clues, and ultimately, resolve your questions. Capture your thinking on your storyboard.

Try This

Storyboard Like an Animator

FOR COLLABORATORS

Use the Hero’s Journey to structure your storyboard discussion with a collaborator.

Try This

Storyboard Like a Coach

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Run a few quick scenarios for your idea and then choose a game plan for your storyboard.

Try This

And Down the Stretch They Come

And Down the Stretch They Come

by | Apr 2, 2019

And Down the Stretch They Come

Choose the frontrunner issues and tackle them head-on with a quick-listing exercise.

Style

Special Agent

Skill

Applying Feedback

Time

20 mins

THE CAFE:

And Down the Stretch They Come

As a Special Agent, your strong intuition is likely to kick in before a feedback session is even done. Chances are high that you already know which problems are the front-runners.

Play to those strengths and tackle the big issues first. You know that 20% of the effort achieves 80% of the results, so focus on those areas where your efforts will pay off most. As far as solutions go, take that same approach. Go with your gut, and remember that you think and write fast. For you, writing a scene and then, if necessary, writing it again, is much faster than procrastinating in the decision-making process.

 

Materials

How to Play

  • Feedback
  • Timer
  • Paper
  • Pen

 NOTE: Once you receive feedback, you may choose to process it with a collaborator, or to take it to a quiet place where you can think it through. Both approaches can be effective as part of your Cafe toolbox.

 

1. Review the feedback you received. You may have your own notes, written thoughts from someone else, or you might be quickly jotting down feedback you just heard.

2. Set a timer for three – five minutes, depending on how long you’d like.

3. On a clean piece of paper, list the top three issues you see highlighted in the feedback.

4. Set the timer again, this time for three – five minutes per issue. Quick list a variety of solutions for each of these three problems.

5. Even if you come up with a strong idea first, keep listing. Remember that a little ahead-of-time thinking can save you time later.

6. Choose your solutions, make a quick plan of action, and make sure to start solving the first problem right away. Momentum is your friend!

Try On Other Creative Styles

Pin the Heart on the Problem

FOR INVENTORS

List the issues raised and then use “Why …?” to narrow in on the heart of the problem.

Try This

The Question Queue

FOR ARCHITECTS

Line up your questions and address them one by one in this structured revision approach.

Try This

Scramble and Sort

FOR COLLABORATORS

After collecting feedback, scramble and sort it into new categories so the group can help the writer choose a starting place for a revision.

Try This

Pin the Heart on the Problem

Pin the Heart on the Problem

by | Apr 2, 2019

Pin the Heart on the Problem

List the issues raised and then use “Why …?” to narrow in on the heart of the problem.

Style

Inventor

Skill

Applying Feedback

Time

20 minutes

THE CAFE:

Pin the Heart on the Problem

As an Inventor, ideas are your jam. When others offer you an idea, you often resist using it because using someone else’s thought can feel like cheating. For this reason, feedback sessions often turn into a tug of war for you. Someone wants you to change your ideas, and you don’t feel like using the suggestions they’re pushing on you.

What’s happening when someone tells you to cut a particular character, or suggests that someone take a different action in your story? They’re not saying they don’t like your ideas. They’re not saying their ideas are better than yours. They’re trying to tell you that something is amiss.

In this activity, we’ll use a series of “Why …?” questions to get to the heart of what feedback means. Then, you can put that idea generating genius of yours to work on a solution that feels creative, exciting, and fitting to you.

 

 

Materials

How to Play

  • Post-it notes
  • Paper
  • Pen

NOTE: Once you receive feedback, you may choose to process it with a collaborator, or to take it to a quiet place where you can think it through. Both approaches can be effective as part of your Cafe toolbox.

 

1. Review the feedback you received. You may have your own notes, written thoughts from someone else, or you might be quickly jotting down feedback you just heard.

2. For each issue raised, ask yourself “Why is this a problem?”

3. If you can identify a clear problem (such as, x character is distracting) list that problem on a post-it. Create whimsical titles for each issue listed. The issue might become “X character hogs the spotlight for no good reason.”

4. If you can’t identify a clear problem, list the issue as a question. “Why doesn’t x like x character?” Once your list is complete, the answer to your question is likely to become more clear.

5. Look over your post-its and sort the problems in an order that makes sense to you. You might see character problems, setting problems, tone problems, tension problems, clarity problems, etc. Stick your related post-its on one page together, and title the page with the overarching problem.

6. Choose one paper as your starting point, and brainstorm solutions for the overarching problem, or for each individual one. Consider inviting a collaborator to a brainstorming session to turn the idea-generation process into a game!

Try On Other Creative Styles

Scramble and Sort

FOR COLLABORATORS

After collecting feedback, scramble and sort it into new categories so the group can help the writer choose a starting place for a revision.

Try This

The Question Queue

FOR ARCHITECTS

Line up your questions and address them one by one in this structured revision approach.

Try This

And Down the Stretch they Come

FOR SPECIAL AGENTS

Choose the frontrunner issues and tackle them head-on with a quick-listing exercise.

Try This