I used to hate index cards. Seriously loathed them. My dislike started in the sixth-grade when we were assigned the task of writing our first essays, homework that had to be backed up with research notes meticulously recorded on lined cards and filed in a little metal box.
I couldn't do it, or at least not very well. No matter how hard I tried, my cards were always grubby, covered in crossed-out, badly-erased references that made absolutely zero sense to me, even less for my teachers. My ineptitude continued through high school and university, eventually hitting rock bottom when I studied screenwriting and discovered index cards were considered so essential to plot development that apparently no script was ever written without one.
Essential or not, they never helped me, not once, not ever. They did not help me move my story forward, they did not help me find my story's "beats," a technique popularly promoted by Blake Snyder in his excellent book, Save the Cat.
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The real problem with index cards for me was that I never truly understood why I was meant to need them, or why I was supposed to tape them to my walls (and who has all that empty wall space?). I mean, wasn't it easier to just type a story on normal-sized paper and call it a day? Looking back, I sometimes think I abandoned screenplay writing solely because I could never get a handle on how to write up, or arrange, a series of legible cards.
A little while back, however, all that changed and not in the way I expected. I was in the grocery store passing through the stationery section when suddenly I saw a pack of cards for 99 cents and for some inexplicable reason, I wanted them. Not as an aid for writing but for:
1. Testing paint colors and brushstrokes. Index cards are perfect for color swatching and testing which brush to use (flat? Round? Dagger?) before applying paint to "good paper." (Tip: don't throw the test cards away. They can be recycled for future collage projects.)
2. Another useful art discovery has been to use index cards for "thumbnail sketches," those little mini-compositions for testing out a visual idea before turning it into a full-size work. The rectangular shape can be for both "portrait" (vertical) or "landscape" (horizontal) orientations (my art teacher Gary Sanchez always called it "hot dog" or "hamburger") and once again they can save pages and pages of expensive sketchbook paper.
3. Making affirmation and goal cards. Having a bad day? Nothing going right? Everything in a mess? Sometimes there's nothing more motivating than writing down a series of positive statements on a few blank cards and assuring yourself that yes, "You can do it!"
4. Found poetry. Whether it's an exercise to get the creative day going, or a more focused literary attempt, I've always been a big fan of found poetry. Sometimes my efforts make sense, often they don't (!), but to me the pleasure, and surprise, is in making the effort. All you need is an old magazine or two, a pair of scissors, a glue stick, and a pack of cards.
5. Mini-collage. Similar to the found poetry exercise, making a mini-collage on the other side of the card is quick, easy, and fun! Collage cards also make excellent bookmarks.
6. Creating a synopsis after you write.
My primary difficulty using index cards to plot out a story probably
came from the fact I'm a dedicated pantster. When I write, I don't like to know in advance what is going to happen. But using the cards after
I've written a manuscript has been a life-changer. Using index cards to list story events and the
sequence in which they appear has been one of the easiest ways
I've found to create an instant, and very natural, synopsis.The cards have also been useful for making notes of characters' names, ages, and significant life turning-points, but again, after writing my story.
7. Mini-to-do lists. Where would I be without lists? I write them for travel and packing; I write them for the books I want to read; I write them to list the art supplies I need to take for an outdoor sketching session. I also have a tendency to start a list but then begin to include so many things to do or pack that what began as a way to organize a few morning tasks quickly spirals into a life plan for the next five years. By writing my lists onto index cards, I can remind myself to keep things simple. If my tasks don't fit on a single card, then they'll never fit into a single day.
Tip of the Day: Index cards are portable--and disposable. Rather than waste a good sketchbook or journal recording ideas I may, or may not use, I like to instead carry a few index cards with me wherever I go. They're much lighter than hauling a notebook around, so lately I've been tucking half a dozen cards into my bag before leaving home. You never know when inspiration will strike and index cards are the perfect way to collect--then toss--ideas for full-fledged projects.
