What techniques are used to plot long (multi-novel) story arcs?

Question

As a very visual person, I have always considered plotting a story to be somewhat like knitting or macrame. How do series authors handle multi novel story arcs? Do they just keep throwing out lines and pick them up when they feel the need to pull together a connection, or is it all planned out well in advance? Is there a technique for keeping track of the loose threads or plotting out a series that is better than notecards/stickies/or a huge whiteboard?

Answer 1

When writing a story I choose a method that works well for me. I start with an outline of what it will consist of, I jot down my thoughts in areas of what it is about and then find my starter, finally I pick what I want and put it in order until it actually starts to make sense.

I found that my bubbles (the important pieces) come in handy for me. It reminds me what I am trying to say and the story I am trying to get the readers to envision; I love writing.