[TIP] Using yWriter as an Outlining Tool – Good Practice Suggestions
863 views
Skip to first unread message
Gloshawk
May 5, 2009, 1:21:46 PM5/5/09
to yWriter
Some users of yWriter use an outlining tool in addition to yWriter.
davidfass for example wrote (Nov08) that he used FreeMind to organise
and yWriter to write. He thought it might be ‘nice’ if the ‘scene
notes’ feature could be integrated with some outlining software’ so
that one could ‘build the story outline in the outlining software and
then import the outline into scene notes.’
Simon does the same. ‘Ditto!,’ He says, ‘I like using Freemind for
plotting because you can keep tweaking and adding without ever having
to start from the beginning again.’
This is not to say that FreeMind is not a better outlining tool than
yWriter in some respects – it may be quicker for brainstorming and
outlining. But for novel yWriter is, to me the ultimate outlining
tool, because it integrates outlining into the actual development
environment. As you write your novel you can update the outline. When
you have completed your novel your outline and synopsis are also ready
to go off to a publisher with your query letter and sample chapters.
And all this from within yWriter.
The problem is that there is no place you can ‘look for’ yWriter’s
outlining tool – you are already looking at it – its called YWriter.
Simone himself doesn’t seem to get this. Simon said to techHIM: ‘No
outlining in yWriter – I recommend Freemind for that.’
Of course yWriter is an Integrated Development Environment for
outlining and writing. Its main look and feel is for novel writing but
it can quite easily be used for any other writing project.
Quintin Seegers got it! He wrote (Nov 08) ‘I’m working on the outline
of my next ... novel using the Chapter Details area.
Here is a step by step outline for using yWriter to outline and write
a novel.
Step 1- Open a new project (a project is really just an outline that
ends up as a full novel)
How? Project.NewProjectWizard
Step 2 - Generate the high level outline nodes.
How? Chapter.CreateMultipleChapers accept defaults.
This will create 25 chapters or high level outline markers. They are
originally called
CH Chapter 1
CH Chapter 2,
CH Chapter 3 etc. by default.
You don’t have to live with this. You can double-click Chapter 1 and
change the text anyway you like. I’ve just renamed the first four
chapters to..
CH Jack Goes Shopping
CH A Surprise at the Video Store
CH A Missing Shoe
CH What Martha didn’t know
You can use this to create an outline of chapters and you can move
them around like any outlining tool, delete and insert new chapters/
nodes at will.
Step 3 Transition to your second outline level.
How? When you double click the chapter it allows you to enter a
chapter description as well and a list of scenes in the chapter. Do
this.
You can print out this outline.
How? Reports.Synopsis.ChapterNotes.
This report will list your chapter names and short chapter
descriptions and you can print it out
Step 4 Create your second outline level
How? Highlight Chapter 1. Select Scene.CreateMultipleScenes and accept
the default. This will create 5 scenes in Chapter 1 (or whatever else
you’ve named it).
By default these are named New Scene 1, New Scene 2. But line the
chapters you can rename them any way you please.
[But the way if you select all the chapters and try to create scenes
for them altogether it does not work – it only creates the scenes in
the last chapter of the selected list – It would enhance functionality
if you could simultaneously populate all the chapters with scenes]
For example, my outline looks like this
CH The Dragon at the gate
Sc Sybil is at the gate and magics Jeff away
Sc Tram is distracted by the arrival of ‘Daggon’
Sc Brucus misses Jeff at school and the girls give him a task
Sc Brucus makes inquiries and meets Daggon
CH The Flaming Mouth
Sc Jeff’s arrival and first night in Areune
Sc In need your help
Sc Jeff wakes up
Etc,
You can print out this next level of detailed outline
How? Reports.Synopsis.FullSynopsis.
Step 5 Flesh out your outline.
How? Click on your first chapter /outline node. It will become
highlighted as will your first scene / second level outline node.
Above the text box below the list of scenes you will find a list of
tabs [Content, Descriptions, Characters etc]. By default the Content
tab is selected and the textbox will be empty unless you have begun
writing a scene. Click the Descriptions Tab, Click anywhere inside the
empty text box to make it active. Type in an outline or synopsis of
the scene – use present tense. Do this for all the scenes and
chapters.
You can of course at this point in time begin writing your novel or
you can flesh out your outline further or (as I sometimes do, do both
as a kind if iterative process including drafing bits of actual scenes
– you can’t do this is you’re outlining in FreeMind and writing in
yWriter.
When you are done with this process print out a detailed outline.
(Reports.Synopsis.FullSynopsis) and hey there is the complete outline
of your novel
The outline is roughly like this:
CH The Dragon at the gate
Short chapter description
Sc Sybil is at the gate and magics Jeff away
Short scene description
Sc Tram is distracted by the arrival of ‘Daggon’
Short scene description
Sc Brucus misses Jeff at school and the girls give him a task
Short scene description
Sc Brucus makes inquiries and meets Daggon
Short scene description
CH The Flaming Mouth
Short chapter description
Sc Jeff’s arrival and first night in Areune
Short scene description
Sc In need your help
Short scene description
Sc Jeff wakes up
Short scene description
Step 6 Write your novel
How: With your printout beside you begin writing the actual novel by
creating each scene.
You can do this in three ways
a) Use yWriters inbuilt text editor (double click the scene and it
will open)
b) Use your default RTF writer – mine is Ms Word How? Right click on
the scene select ‘Open content with default RTF editor’. When you’ve
finished and saved the RTF file into your project right click the
scene again and select ‘Finished with external Editor or
c) use any other text editing app, save as txt or rtf and import into
yWriter. I use Q10 and Simon uses yEdit. Both allow you to set a word
target and count down till you’ve had your target. How? Select the
Chapter/outline node into which you wish to import the scene. Select
Project.ImportIntoCurrentProject.Scenes select the txt or rtf and
enter.
Step 7 Housekeeping.
As you write your scenes update your chapter titles, short chapter
descriptions scene manes and scene descriptions. This way you continue
to integrate outline development and writing progress. Also keep your
characters, locations items up to date as you proceed through the
outlining and writing processes. You end up with a completed novel and
current synopsis.
davidfass for example wrote (Nov08) that he used FreeMind to organise
and yWriter to write. He thought it might be ‘nice’ if the ‘scene
notes’ feature could be integrated with some outlining software’ so
that one could ‘build the story outline in the outlining software and
then import the outline into scene notes.’
Simon does the same. ‘Ditto!,’ He says, ‘I like using Freemind for
plotting because you can keep tweaking and adding without ever having
to start from the beginning again.’
This is not to say that FreeMind is not a better outlining tool than
yWriter in some respects – it may be quicker for brainstorming and
outlining. But for novel yWriter is, to me the ultimate outlining
tool, because it integrates outlining into the actual development
environment. As you write your novel you can update the outline. When
you have completed your novel your outline and synopsis are also ready
to go off to a publisher with your query letter and sample chapters.
And all this from within yWriter.
The problem is that there is no place you can ‘look for’ yWriter’s
outlining tool – you are already looking at it – its called YWriter.
Simone himself doesn’t seem to get this. Simon said to techHIM: ‘No
outlining in yWriter – I recommend Freemind for that.’
Of course yWriter is an Integrated Development Environment for
outlining and writing. Its main look and feel is for novel writing but
it can quite easily be used for any other writing project.
Quintin Seegers got it! He wrote (Nov 08) ‘I’m working on the outline
of my next ... novel using the Chapter Details area.
Here is a step by step outline for using yWriter to outline and write
a novel.
Step 1- Open a new project (a project is really just an outline that
ends up as a full novel)
How? Project.NewProjectWizard
Step 2 - Generate the high level outline nodes.
How? Chapter.CreateMultipleChapers accept defaults.
This will create 25 chapters or high level outline markers. They are
originally called
CH Chapter 1
CH Chapter 2,
CH Chapter 3 etc. by default.
You don’t have to live with this. You can double-click Chapter 1 and
change the text anyway you like. I’ve just renamed the first four
chapters to..
CH Jack Goes Shopping
CH A Surprise at the Video Store
CH A Missing Shoe
CH What Martha didn’t know
You can use this to create an outline of chapters and you can move
them around like any outlining tool, delete and insert new chapters/
nodes at will.
Step 3 Transition to your second outline level.
How? When you double click the chapter it allows you to enter a
chapter description as well and a list of scenes in the chapter. Do
this.
You can print out this outline.
How? Reports.Synopsis.ChapterNotes.
This report will list your chapter names and short chapter
descriptions and you can print it out
Step 4 Create your second outline level
How? Highlight Chapter 1. Select Scene.CreateMultipleScenes and accept
the default. This will create 5 scenes in Chapter 1 (or whatever else
you’ve named it).
By default these are named New Scene 1, New Scene 2. But line the
chapters you can rename them any way you please.
[But the way if you select all the chapters and try to create scenes
for them altogether it does not work – it only creates the scenes in
the last chapter of the selected list – It would enhance functionality
if you could simultaneously populate all the chapters with scenes]
For example, my outline looks like this
CH The Dragon at the gate
Sc Sybil is at the gate and magics Jeff away
Sc Tram is distracted by the arrival of ‘Daggon’
Sc Brucus misses Jeff at school and the girls give him a task
Sc Brucus makes inquiries and meets Daggon
CH The Flaming Mouth
Sc Jeff’s arrival and first night in Areune
Sc In need your help
Sc Jeff wakes up
Etc,
You can print out this next level of detailed outline
How? Reports.Synopsis.FullSynopsis.
Step 5 Flesh out your outline.
How? Click on your first chapter /outline node. It will become
highlighted as will your first scene / second level outline node.
Above the text box below the list of scenes you will find a list of
tabs [Content, Descriptions, Characters etc]. By default the Content
tab is selected and the textbox will be empty unless you have begun
writing a scene. Click the Descriptions Tab, Click anywhere inside the
empty text box to make it active. Type in an outline or synopsis of
the scene – use present tense. Do this for all the scenes and
chapters.
You can of course at this point in time begin writing your novel or
you can flesh out your outline further or (as I sometimes do, do both
as a kind if iterative process including drafing bits of actual scenes
– you can’t do this is you’re outlining in FreeMind and writing in
yWriter.
When you are done with this process print out a detailed outline.
(Reports.Synopsis.FullSynopsis) and hey there is the complete outline
of your novel
The outline is roughly like this:
CH The Dragon at the gate
Short chapter description
Sc Sybil is at the gate and magics Jeff away
Short scene description
Sc Tram is distracted by the arrival of ‘Daggon’
Short scene description
Sc Brucus misses Jeff at school and the girls give him a task
Short scene description
Sc Brucus makes inquiries and meets Daggon
Short scene description
CH The Flaming Mouth
Short chapter description
Sc Jeff’s arrival and first night in Areune
Short scene description
Sc In need your help
Short scene description
Sc Jeff wakes up
Short scene description
Step 6 Write your novel
How: With your printout beside you begin writing the actual novel by
creating each scene.
You can do this in three ways
a) Use yWriters inbuilt text editor (double click the scene and it
will open)
b) Use your default RTF writer – mine is Ms Word How? Right click on
the scene select ‘Open content with default RTF editor’. When you’ve
finished and saved the RTF file into your project right click the
scene again and select ‘Finished with external Editor or
c) use any other text editing app, save as txt or rtf and import into
yWriter. I use Q10 and Simon uses yEdit. Both allow you to set a word
target and count down till you’ve had your target. How? Select the
Chapter/outline node into which you wish to import the scene. Select
Project.ImportIntoCurrentProject.Scenes select the txt or rtf and
enter.
Step 7 Housekeeping.
As you write your scenes update your chapter titles, short chapter
descriptions scene manes and scene descriptions. This way you continue
to integrate outline development and writing progress. Also keep your
characters, locations items up to date as you proceed through the
outlining and writing processes. You end up with a completed novel and
current synopsis.
Matthew Rasnake
May 5, 2009, 1:48:13 PM5/5/09
to ywr...@googlegroups.com
This was a great tip!
With my current novel, I did use Freemind for the initial brainstorming and organizing. Once this was done, I moved the outline into a text document to have a simple one-page breakdown. Here I wrote brief chapter descriptions, and did some further tweaking to the organization and flow. Once I was satisfied with this outline, I moved into yWriter, creating all the chapters and their descriptions. I didn't outline down to the scene level, and am writing them as inspiration, and the story dictate.
I may, however, have to give your method a try for the next one.
rock on,
m@
-----------------
With my current novel, I did use Freemind for the initial brainstorming and organizing. Once this was done, I moved the outline into a text document to have a simple one-page breakdown. Here I wrote brief chapter descriptions, and did some further tweaking to the organization and flow. Once I was satisfied with this outline, I moved into yWriter, creating all the chapters and their descriptions. I didn't outline down to the scene level, and am writing them as inspiration, and the story dictate.
I may, however, have to give your method a try for the next one.
rock on,
m@
-----------------
"Every man, wherever he goes, is encompassed by a cloud of comforting convictions, which move with him like flies on a summer day." -- Bertrand Russell
On Tue, May 5, 2009 at 1:21 PM, Gloshawk <wei...@eject.co.za> wrote:
Some users of yWriter use an outlining tool in addition to yWriter.
Linda Bell
May 5, 2009, 3:10:18 PM5/5/09
to ywr...@googlegroups.com
|
I have my 1st scene as a reaction scene.
I have it set as a reaction scene.
I have
Reaction: Hurt leg
Dilemma: Should she tell DB
Decision: No.
It "prints" out as:
Goal: Hurt leg Conflict: Should she tell DB Outcome: No. I don't know if it does that all the time because I haven't gotten much farther. Linda Bell | |||
|
|
Gloshawk
May 5, 2009, 5:23:25 PM5/5/09
to yWriter
If you have a look at Simons sample chapter you can see that he has
not made use of the Chapter Name or Discription fields - He only
enters the summaries of the Scenes (in the Scene Dsiccription text box
(and yu can see these as read only in the Chapter info area. I'm
assuming because he has used FreeMind to creat his original outline
and when he boots up yWriter he is ready to get down to the scene
level.
not made use of the Chapter Name or Discription fields - He only
enters the summaries of the Scenes (in the Scene Dsiccription text box
(and yu can see these as read only in the Chapter info area. I'm
assuming because he has used FreeMind to creat his original outline
and when he boots up yWriter he is ready to get down to the scene
level.
retrorocket59
May 6, 2009, 8:38:36 AM5/6/09
to yWriter
Awesome method, I was basically doing this already as I need structure
to work out my Scifi story line. and using the "Reports>synopsis>full
synopsis" to read the outline/summary is great for me, as I never lose
my place in the bigger editing picture! Subplots I will have to track
another way though. As the final output I will simply rename the
chapters. Thanks
On May 5, 12:21 pm, Gloshawk <wei...@eject.co.za> wrote:
> Some users of yWriter use an outlining tool in addition to yWriter.
to work out my Scifi story line. and using the "Reports>synopsis>full
synopsis" to read the outline/summary is great for me, as I never lose
my place in the bigger editing picture! Subplots I will have to track
another way though. As the final output I will simply rename the
chapters. Thanks
On May 5, 12:21 pm, Gloshawk <wei...@eject.co.za> wrote:
> Some users of yWriter use an outlining tool in addition to yWriter.
kimbarra
May 7, 2009, 8:25:25 AM5/7/09
to yWriter
Where is simons sample chapter as I have downloaded the latest update
and can't find it. Appreciate someone pointing me in the right
direction.
Many thanks,
kimbarra
> > current synopsis.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
and can't find it. Appreciate someone pointing me in the right
direction.
Many thanks,
kimbarra
>
> - Show quoted text -
Dave Shaw
May 7, 2009, 12:44:36 PM5/7/09
to ywr...@googlegroups.com
If you chose to install the sample when you installed the program update,
there should be a folder named yWriter5 Sample in your documents folder.
The sample project is contained in that.
there should be a folder named yWriter5 Sample in your documents folder.
The sample project is contained in that.
Dave Shaw
--
People are more violently opposed to furs than leather because it's safer to
harrass rich women than motorcycle gangs.
Johnny Wing
Jun 2, 2014, 6:30:20 PM6/2/14
to ywr...@googlegroups.com
Many thanks. It seems to work very well. Although, the chapter description is not appearing in the report. Only chapter name, scene name and scene description.
I believe it is a bug. Since the example given by the the main author of this post (2009) shows us that the chapter description should be in the report. I'm currently using 5.2.0.9.
Tks.
Johnny.
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages