How do you organize your ideas?

[respheal]

"Organize". Yeah...

My working materials for Galebound are actually pretty organized in Google Docs
:

Ideas, however, are scattered mostly in Google Keep, and that's where any semblance of organization ends.

[mannykat8x]

I have like 20 Google Docs that range anywhere from timelines to updated timelines to character blurbs to AU stuff and then like one chart on the superpower combinations my cat characters could have
..I'm not all that organized
(I used to have notebooks with scribbled down ideas before)

[punkarsenic]

I like the Terry Pratchett method of just containing the whole world in my head and being lucky enough to remember. Although, when it comes to plotting, I do write out a list of events on a timeline, and then I might do another one putting things in order of telling - I usually do that with each event in a text box, and moving them about into chapter groups.

When it comes to transferring that to comic, I'll have a book where the plot is written out nicely, with all the emotion and detail in tact, then from that thumbnail out pages in my sketchbook and write a script detailing what text goes where and that. Admittedly, I mostly ignore the script if the thumbnails are good enough - and I need to make them good enough, because making shitty sketches depresses me.

[marygold]

Well, if you're still interested in the posts at the bottom of this thread...

I usually have a general idea in my head, then I script out the lines and what happens of each chapter in my notes. After that comes planning the paneling. I usually do some sketches in my sketchbook or on class notes when I'm bored of the class material 😃✌️ In my opinion that's the hardest process because I have to be concise and make the material flow well. Then I actually draw the panels in my sketchbook, scan them, then complete them digitally.

[marygold]

SAAAAMMMMEEE when I suddenly think of a good line I write it down for the future because when I have to come up with good dialogue on the spot I'm stuck and it comes out crappy

[El_Psy_Congroo]

I have a graph paper notebook I would use for planning my pages. As for story, I have two google docs that are somewhat organized in which I vomit plot ideas into when the urge arises.

[serenitysquirrel]

I toss it all in google docs.

[J.Z.Castillo]

I have a sketchbook where I do thumbnails for the comic. I sketch out pages, thinking about concepts, and write down preliminary text. Then I have another sketchbook where I draw characters and clothes. So one sketchbook's for story and all its elements, another sketchbook's for character development and studies.

[Reraser]

I try to keep specific things to their own specific programs. I don't think about Hyperdriven in detail beyond the "season" I'm working on, "season" translating pretty much exactly to "arc." But it's fun to use pretend TV terms, no?

First, like any other artist with a longform story, I hammer out the rough details, thematic events the arc needs to get done. Then I typically consult someone and go back over it, refining the details into things that make sense or are interesting to happen. Pages then get written on an individual basis, yadda yadda this has all been the regular process.

But the actual reason I'm posting is because I'm wondering if anyone else does this particular thing, where outside of the bullet points I've planned out for an arc, I have my Idea Dump notepad, specifically on my phone because I'm more of a always-has-phone guy than a carries-notebook guy.

Does anyone else have the Idea Dump? Where you open it up after thinking of something stupid or entertaining and throw it in like "I GOTTA find somewhere for that later." I'm more interested if any of the serious-er series runners in here do it, as opposed to my wackadoo comedy comic.

[Heck]

I don't know if this is the right place to ask, but does anyone know of a program for writing that I can also draw on? I like to make little doodles and circle text with arrows n stuff. I used to use onenote but the newest version is a little cumbersome for me.

[Starfestival]

It's all in my head. I usually only write something down for later when I realize I've written myself into a corner and finally figure a way out of it that can actually tie into something else.

[Tanimation]

@Heck I've never heard of a program that does that. The closest thing I could suggest, while a bit clunky, would be to write the ideas down, draw them in an external program, then paste them in the text document... but that'd probably be really tedious.

[Heck]

I actually did that for a while and it is really tedious Cx
Onenote did that for a while but this newer version has problems with me drawing things over text. I'm starting to think the best option is to find a big wall in my apartment to tack papers to and draw on!

[Tanimation]

@Heck That could work! I was originally going to suggest just using your preferred art program to jot down ideas and stuff, but it sounded like you want something more like a text editor.

Google Docs had a similar issue with placing pictures over text, so I know the pain lol. If such a program exists, I'd like to try it out.

[quakeulf]

I take a lot of notes on my phone, then compile them together on my PC in documents of various sorts, of which gradually evolves into a longer story or a universe.

[MegaVirusSpammer]

OneNote is simply the best.
I use it to make charts and outlines.

[Tamanegi]

As soon as I have a new idea, I'll type it up in point form on my phone right away since I tend to forget stuff... but I don't need to use charts and things like that because my comic doesn't have a set story with chapters and whatnot.

[ratique]

In my brain only. I guess I am thinking that if an idea does not stick around, it's not worth using it anyways. So far this has worked very well... but if I every die and my husband tries to finish my work, the poor guy will be out of luck!

[shazzbaa]

I use Evernote a lot, mostly because it lets me look at all my script notes on my phone when I'm away from my computer!

(This is the "plot thoughts" folder, I have a separate folder for Scripts)

I try not to keep thoughts just floating in my head, because there's just.... a lot of different pieces here, and a few places where if I forget something in one scene it can mess up another scene later on, and Runewriters will take me 10 years to complete. xD So every time I have a thought, whether that's working out themes, the progression of character arcs, altering something in a single scene, or just a little insight I've realised on what a character might be thinking at a particular moment, I make a note for it and jot it down.

The only real attempt at organisation I've made is to (a) tag all these disparate notes with the chapter they're relevant to and (b) try to keep the MASTERPOST outline updated every time I decide to change something, which helps me make sure my change jives with everything else I had planned.

[aswling]

oh man i feel like my process is so bare bones compared to everyone's LMAO
i carry around my sketchbook everywhere, so i draw/write random sequences or dialogues that hit me when i'm not at my desk. most of my designs/layouts/environments are in my sketchbook, so i don't really redraw them digitally (i just flip between my computer and my sketchbook when i draw out the comic). here's what a relatively neat sketchbook page looks like:

as for organizing the comic itself, i first paraphrase chapter events on a word doc then write out the dialogue when i get to that chapter. as for everything else, idk i just organize chapters and misc art into respective folders?? not too fancy 0-":