March of the Cogsmen stepsheet

When it comes to writing, I’m a planner. When I’m starting a new project, typically I’ll spend a few weeks plotting it out before I start writing the first draft. For the most part this takes the form of long walks, letting my mind wander, taking notes into my phone.

Note: If you haven’t yet read March of the Cogsmen and plan to eventually do so, this entry contains major spoilers.

At some point I take the various digital audio files, note cards, and loose notebook pages, and compile them together into a Scrivener project file. As an example, here’s the stepsheet I did for the Galvanic Century mystery story March of the Cogsmen.

Each bullet point represents an event rather than a scene; scenes may cover multiple entries, or a single entry may involve multiple scenes. If it seems terse, keep in mind that I have separate note files for each character and setting element. Perhaps, if there’s interest, I’ll showcase those in a future blog post.

Bartleby and James arrive at the station, Bartleby drunk. He gets talked to by the Constable, who backs off when he discovers who it is.
The Valet drives Bartleby and James to the house. Talking about the town, the Fiskes, etc. James is enthused.
Arrival. Introduced to Fiske. He doesn’t mention the drunkenness. Aldora does, disparaging. Gives him the task of greeting guests.
Aldora has word with her father, then visits her mother. We get a glimpse of her home life.
Aldora oversees Penny + Lian. Thoughts drift to Turky. Discussing Penny’s father, which exposes a moment of vulnerability to Alton.
Aldora watches Bartleby greet. Reflections on their relationship.
Bartleby greets constable. Mentions disappearances. Bartleby investigates, given go-ahead by mother.
Bartleby questioning people. Gets a feeling for the nature of the company town. No one wants to talk about the Fiskes.
Bartleby gets sidetracked by shipping manifest discrepancies. Constable questions. Bartleby explains his process.
Sobering up, goes drinking. Constable calls him out. Expounds on nature of wedding and relationship with Aldora.
Grayson arrives at the wedding. This is shocking to Aldora, as her brother is dead. She challenges him.
He is physically accosted, and his state is revealed. Mass Panic ensues.
Grayson attacks. The Valet holds him off while Aldora and her parents escape.
Aldora and her parents flee while Grayson pursues them throughout their home. Cat and mouse game. Scares galore. Grayson seems impervious to injury.
They find temporary safety somewhere. Aldora cops to killing Grayson as “how she knew” he wasn’t himself. Her parents reject her.
Grayson takes James’ daughter. He goes berserk. Utterly destroys the former man.
Bartleby returns. Is brought up to speed. Aldora tears him down for not being there.
James is examining the corpse. Discussing its workings. Bartleby reveals his own discoveries.
Cogsmen break into the lab. B&J beat them off. They barricade themselves in the estate with Aldora, Fiskes, and the guests while the cogsmen amass outside.
There’s a near mutiny as guests freak out despite Aldora’s attempts to keep control.
Bartleby rises to the occasion. Organizes a defense. The cogsmen are held off.
Jago makes himself known through the cogsmen. Issues demands.
Bartleby comes up with plan. Aldora is resistant. They come to terms. She is to seek out Jago while James + Fiske search for frequency and Bartleby and Guests fend of cogsmen.
Aldora sneaks out. Evades cogsmen. Reflects on who they used to be.
Bartleby gets word that she’s left estate. Pep talks. Rebuffs Regina, and shows loyalty to Aldora. B & J at transmitter; give coordinates of Jago. Relays.
Aldora confronts Jago. They spar. He’s winning. Then Bartleby shows up, reveals the weakness, which Jago uses. Aldora defeats him; lets him live.
Epilogue: Fiske has Jago executed. Cold, dark speech.

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