This is a presentation I gave at the 50th annual "Boskone" literary science fiction convention in Boston, Massachusetts in February, 2013. It covers the different ways that Excel can be used to aid in brainstorming, developing an idea, building a plot, and considering alternatives when writing a story

1. Available in paperback, Kindle, and Nook
www.vincenthoneil.com

2. Using Excel to Plot Your Story
and keep track of characters, and
brainstorm different ideas, and
much, much more

3. OUTLINE
• Introduction
• Developing an idea
• Developing a plot
• Developing alternatives
• Conclusion

4. Brainstorming
• Even if you have a full-blown story in your
head, ready to be written, take the time to
brainstorm it anyway
• Brainstorming is nothing but the process
of letting one good idea lead to another
• It really pays off – and it’s fun (you get to
indulge your creative side)

5. Standard Brainstorming
• Do some research (if applicable)
• Write phrases and words on a sheet /
sheets of paper in random order
• Jot down everything that comes to mind,
no matter how irrelevant it might seem
• Don’t try to connect the ideas yet
• The less sense it makes, the better

6. Glory Main Initial Ideas
• Story of survival
• Small cast of marooned characters
• Almost no resources -- starvation
• Barren planet
• A micro story of survival inside a macro
war for survival

7. Brainstorming: Include everything
n s
i z atio y
n log
o rga no Na
e h
L arg f tec tu re
o o
Role f th
ew
Sco Jus ar
u t ch tW
arac ar o
ter r Un s
j us p on
tW
ar? w ea
,
How did they get there? ter
LT , wa
’s d
m Foo
ot
Psychoanalyst character iva
ti o ?
n? t in g
Gu
lf b f igh
etw we
een
y are
ch a
rac n Wh
y? ter
s r b ee
en em e wa
i s the
h a s th Type government?
W ho n g s?
o
w l gres
Ho ro
p

8. Associate some of the ideas
Na
How did they get there? tu re
y
olog o f th
chn ew
Foo o f te ar
d , wa le
ter, Ro
w ea Jus
pon tW
s ar o
r Un
j us
Type government? tW
ar?
r been
How long has the w a
?
In progress? ht in g
LT’s motivation? ig
Sco yf
ut cha the
ract
er y are
Wh
Gu m y?
lf bet Psychoanalyst character e ene
we
en oi s th
cha Wh
rac
ter
s

9. Consider Options and Develop
y Na
How did they get there? olog tu re
n s
Food, water, weapons ft ech a tion o f th
le o aniz Just W ew
Ro org ar ar
ge or U
Don’t know each other Lar nju
Type government? st W
Don’t know where they are ar?
A little water and nothing else
ar been
How long has the w
?
In progress? t in g
igh
Revealed as story w ef
moves along are
hy y?
W en em
the
o is
LT’s motivation? Wh
Scout charac
ter
New character: Pacifist
Psychoanalyst character Idea: Each character has something
he / she is hiding or something about
Gulf between characters
him / her that’s unexpected

10. Focus on One Aspect of the Story
Similar to humans?
Unknown?
Who is Alien but material?
the enemy?
What do they want?
Alien and immaterial?
Then expand on them

11. Expand on Each Item
Similar needs
Greatest fear Similar environments
How to fight them?
Flying blind Resemble humans?
Similar to humans
Unknown?
Who is Alien but material
the enemy?
Visible Physical target
Is it acceptable? Food and atmosphere
What do they want?
Alien and immaterial
Their needs can be
a weakness Is it a trick? Advantages and Disadvantages
How do they fight US?
What is their power?

12. Developing the Plot
• Flesh it out – identify the points and ideas you want to
get across
• Index cards – write the events on separate cards; these
can be easily rearranged
• Spreadsheets – computer form of index cards
• Follow the characters, events, and themes all the way
through to ensure they make sense
• Identify the high points / key action as such

13. Outline vs. No Outline
Maybe let the rough draft write itself:
Difficult because you might end up with a LOT
of re-writing to do (inconsistencies will show
up in a close read-through)
Helpful because it doesn’t force the story—the
real story develops as it is written, not as it is
conceived

14. Index Cards or Excel
Write each scene / theme / character on a separate card / in a separate cell
You can rearrange them and add to them as the story develops
Initial idea:
Why were they going
Jack and Jill up the hill?
went up the
hill
Why is it significant
Jack fell that Jack fell down?
We’ve lost track of Jill. down
What did she do?

15. Index Cards or Excel
Fill in the blanks by asking the Five W’s and adding the answers
Initial idea: Developed idea:
Jack and Jill
Jack and Jill Why were they going went up the hill
went up the hill up the hill?
To fetch a pail
of water
Why is it significant Jack fell down
Jack fell down that Jack fell down? and broke his
crown
We’ve lost track of Jill; And Jill came
What did she do? tumbling after

16. Basic Plot in Excel
You now have a long column describing
all of the main events of the story
Jack and Jill
went up the hill
To fetch a pail
of water
Jack fell down
and broke his
crown
And Jill came
tumbling after

17. Character and Plot Matrix
Characters Morning Afternoon Evening
Time
Jack Asked Jill if she Went up the hill In the hospital
would go with him with Jill. Fell and
to fetch a pail of hurt himself
water
Jill Agreed to go with Tripped while Explained what
Jack running for help happened
Doctor Seeing routine Summoned by Jill Treated Jack
patients
This can show you where an overlooked or missing character is needed

18. Glory Main Plot Creation
Find themselves
marooned
on a barren planet
Characters meet;
scout
wants to leave
Search the lifeboat
and
then abandon it
Go to higher ground to
determine where they
are

19. Concepts Tab (Excel)
The Conflict Characters Situation Themes
Intergalacti New LT Marooned; Survival
c war little water,
no food, no
weapons
Long Jaded Scout Don’t know Maximize
duration where they resources
are
This can also be a useful arrangement of your research

20. Characters Tab (Excel)
New LT Jaded Scout Psychoanalyst
Basic officer Serving against Not allowed to
training; leader in his will; distrusts perform her usual
sports in college higher authority job
Ignorant but Self-reliant; Has learned many
learns fast; good would want to skills outside her
leader leave the others job
These separate tabs can be combined to form matrices

21. Cut & Paste Information
Events
Timeline can be event-driven
Event 1 Or actually time (Monday, Tuesday,
Day 1, Day 2, etc.)
Event 2
Event 3 Event 1 Event 2 Event 3
Character A
Characters
Character B
Character A
Character C
Character B
Character C
Fill the matrix with detail about what each
character is doing / thinking / feeling

22. Combine Tabs to Create a Matrix
Cut and paste information you’ve already considered
Character Tab Events / Plot Tab
Marooned Abandon lifeboat High Ground
The Lieutenant Taking stock of Convinces the Realizes he is in
the situation scout to stay with over his head
them
The Scout Attempts to leave Leads them to Figures out what
the group high ground planet they’re on
The Argues with the Annoys the Grudging respect
Psychoanalyst scout lieutenant for the scout’s
abilities
The Pacifist Obeys orders Helping out Pleased by
developments
Expand and fill in from Events / Plot Tab

23. More Advantages of Excel (1)
The matrix allows you to switch actions from one character to another
Marooned Abandon lifeboat Higher Ground
The Lieutenant Taking stock of Convinces the Realizes he is in
the situation scout to stay with over his head
them
The Scout Attempts to leave Leads them to Figures out what
the group high ground planet they’re on
The Argues with the Annoys the Grudging respect
Psychoanalyst scout lieutenant for the scout’s
abilities
The Pacifist Obeys orders Helping out Pleased by
developments

24. More Advantages of Excel (2)
Switching actions can help develop characters and the story
Marooned Abandon lifeboat High Ground
The Lieutenant Taking stock of Convinces the Impressed by the
the situation scout to stay mapmaker’s skills
The Scout Attempts to leave Leads them to Sees they have a
the group high ground chance
The Argues with the Annoys the Sees the pacifist
Psychoanalyst scout lieutenant as a potential ally
The Pacifist as a Helping out in any Sketches a chart Figures out what
mapmaker way of the area planet they’re on

25. Identify the High Points
• If you consider a segment to be a high point or key area,
the reader should feel the same way
• Build it up, make it clear, or just hit them with it, but a
high point really shouldn’t feel the same way as
explanatory passages
High Points
Beginning End

26. Other Technology
The beauty of the “Find” function

27. The beauty of the “Find” function
• Track characters all the way through
• Make sure characters’ names stay
consistent
• Go anywhere in the book quickly if you
have a question about that sequence

28. The ‘Making Of’ Approach
Imagine you’re being interviewed
on a variety of topics, (characters,
plot twists, settings, events,
intentions, etc.) as if it’s the
‘Making of’ part of a DVD

29. The ‘Making Of’ Approach (2)
The “I imagined the town as a living thing, a body
with a fatal illness . . .”
Town
“At first the gun was just the murder weapon,
The but then I asked, ‘Where would this average
Gun guy GET an untraceable gun?’”
The “I’ve always felt that murders came in two
varieties: Planned and Unplanned.”
Murder

30. The ‘Decision Tree’ Approach
You have LOTS of choices . . .
Start with Write out the pluses and minuses of the big decisions:
-1st person versus 3rd person
the big -‘Whodunnit’ versus a story wrapped around a murder
ones
A little more specific (once you have some ideas):
A little later -The murder weapon: Found / not found
-Witnesses: Saw but won’t talk / saw but undiscovered
Circle back and reconsider:
-What if they DID find the murder weapon?
Much later -What if there were no witnesses? (Play with this;
what could happen if there were no witnesses at first, but then
they found one?)

31. Conclusion
• Get an idea by brainstorming or letting the
research inspire you
• Decide how you are going to get your idea
across or tell your tale
• Flesh it out using an outline, index cards,
a spreadsheet, or whatever works for you
• Follow the characters / events all the way
through

32. Available in paperback, Kindle, and Nook
www.vincenthoneil.com