C – the first word that pops into the head of a writer is character, and I wrote a really nice post about how I create realistic characters. It obviously works for the a2z series, but it’s so predictable. Then, yesterday, I was working on my manuscript and had SO MUCH FUN using note cards and Sharpies that I decided to write a different “C” post.

C is for Color Coding
There aren’t many species of office supplies that I don’t like. When I have free time, I love roaming th aisles at Staples and Office Depot. Considering my career, however, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that one of my favorite supplies is the writing utensil, specifically colored ones. 
Being a visual learner, it always helped me organize my notes and thoughts when I used color. I tried to find some of my college notes for you – I used different color pens to write the notes, then used a specific highlighting pattern when studying. It was a bright, colorful mess, and it worked well for me.
Scene-by-scene break down by POV.
The colors help me see who’s getting the most page time.
Now that I’m working on my manuscript, I’m learning that the best techniques for me are the same techniques I used in college. I recently started outlining my novel. Now I’m adding the color.
As you can see by my masterpiece to the right, I started the novel with altering character POVs, but as it gets toward the end … it’s pretty one-sided. I suspected it was happening, but I needed to see it (and flipping through pages on the computer screen doesn’t work well for me). By laying out the cards and assigning each character a color, I’m able to literally see what’s happening in each chapter.
I like it, but I’m not done yet.
I fully plan on adding more color. I can go back and use more markers, stickers, and highlighters to help me see a lot of other things:
– Beginning, Middle, End chapters
– Doorways (from Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell)
– Action, Reaction, Set-up, and Deepening scenes (P&S by JSB … check it out)
– Character Arcs
– And more!
I need to see my areas of weakness, and keeping it colorful keeps me interested. I’m looking forward to getting through this manuscript, then going back to the beginning and adding more color to those little cards (I can’t wait to show them to you when I’m done). Then I’ll have a nice picture to go with my tens of thousands of words.
QUESTION: Are you a visual person? If so, how are you using color to help you organize your work (or how are you going to start using it)? If not … I’ll take your extra highlighters.