How Pushing Paper Can Help You Plot (And More!)

These days there are so many wonderful digital tools, websites, software options and widgets to assist writers with their work. Whether you’re using good old Microsoft Word or the slightly newer more fiction-friendly Scrivener, you probably have your own process and your own spin on how you like to draft your writing.

Some writers like to mix and match their digital and their analog options, as well. I like to bounce around between Google Docs and Scrivener myself, depending on the piece I’m working on — both have an auto-save function that is undeniably useful! I also do a lot of note-taking in a designated hardcover notebook for whatever project I’m knee-deep in alongside my regular drafting.

However, there’s a particular exercise I’ve been working with lately that has proven to be extremely helpful when it comes to plotting out the story, staging individual scenes, and even fleshing out character details.

I call it: paper doll theatre.

What is “paper doll theatre”?

Paper dolls have been around for well over two hundred years in various forms, the basic premise being that there is a flat, two-dimensional figure cut out of paper that can be dressed in different clothes or poses by folding other paper cut-outs against or over it. A paper theatre or toy theatre is a similar concept, only the paper in question is constructed like a stage with curtains, scenery, and figures that can be used to recreate plays, operas, and other stories.
But what does all this have to do with writing? In short: sometimes you’ve got to add a physical paper element to your plotting, staging, and creating to give your story, characters, and structure some extra vibrance.

How does it work?

I start by taking on a pack of index cards — any size, any color(s). Or you can use regular paper if you’d like. Sometimes I may cut them into quarters or thirds to get some smaller bits. Next, I fold them in half, tent-style, and give them some handwritten details. Perhaps I might give each tent a character’s name and some details about their personality/identity within the story. These tokens can be now used to organize personalities and other character information. They can also be used to stage scenes in greater detail.

For example: I might then go on to use these tokens to signify where these characters physically are in a scene, whether they are fighting on the open deck of a sailing vessel or even just dining at the same table. And if you’ve ever planned a wedding before, you’ll know how important it is to know who sits by who — and why! Use these bits of paper to give yourself notes on who they are, who they want to sit by – and who they’d rather die than sit across from. This is where the fun details happen!

OK… but what else can you do?

As a former pantser who has in recent years become a plotter, I’ve found that writing scene premises or story beats on separate index cards can be super helpful when it comes to organizing the order of events. I like to write them in pencil (in order to erase mistakes as they happen or adjust things as I go!) and then lay out the index cards on the floor. This gives me a chance to see everything at once, as well as move index cards around one another to adjust the chronology of the story. Sometimes I even discover that a scene isn’t necessary, or I’m missing a very important moment that needs its own index card.

This activity is equally useful for creating the backstory of a character, a location, a cursed object, a talking animal companion, you name it! Write out your separate thoughts on their own index cards, lay it out, and move things around until you like what you see.

But I need definition! What if I mix things up or forget how I had it?

Take a picture! I always recommend taking advantage of the camera function on your phone at this point; taking pictures of your options can prove extra useful as well as having a photograph of your outline or staging as backup.

Pin it up! You could invest in a corkboard to pin your index cards to in the order of your choice. This is a neat option because then you can hang the corkboard on your wall where you can see it while you work.

Give yourself permission to change your mind and have fun!

I know I’m personally guilty of being so anxious about ‘getting it right’ that even my plotting notes are sometimes difficult to accomplish. Take a deep breath, my friends, and let go of that fear. Notes are just notes, and you have full freedom to change your mind, change the order of events, change the characters, or change the story! It’s your theatre, so move your paper dolls around however you like.

Whether you’ve just had a new idea for a story, or you’ve already begun writing it, you may find yourself in a position where you need to organize some thoughts and create your blocking or staging in a scene. Give paper doll theatre a try, and see what new and exciting details come through with just a little bit of paper pushing!