Sequencing For the Creative and Their Audience

Let’s dive into the deep of “sequencing” as both a creative tool and an audience experience strategy, framed through life’s chaotic realities. We will explore how intentional ordering transforms your process and your final product and the story of Katherine Mansfield. 

Welcome Beyond the Template- the more than “just-talk” podcast. 

More on Katherine Mansfield, Expander of the Week: 

The Collected Stories of Katherine Mansfield – the essential collection of her major works. 

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/796878/the-collected-stories-of-katherine-mansfield-by-katherine-mansfield/ 

The Katherine Mansfield Society – a robust hub of scholarship, biography, and archival materials. 

https://katherinemansfieldsociety.org/ 

Katherine Mansfield: The Story-Teller by Kathleen Jones – an excellent biography. 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9736720-katherine-mansfield 

The National Library of New Zealand’s digital collection of Mansfield’s letters, manuscripts, and photos. 

https://natlib.govt.nz/collections/a-z/manuscripts-collection 

New Zealand On Screen- NZOS documentary 

https://www.nzonscreen.com/title/a-portrait-of-katherine-mansfield-1986 

BBC documentary segment “Katherine Mansfield: A Portrait” (available through BBC archives or educational distributors). 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21p3QAiVxU4 

If you’re ready to explore what real partnership could look like for your project, your business, or your creative direction, I invite you to reach out.

You can email me directly at camelieleboeuf@gmail.com to book a FREE, 30-min 1:1 with me to explore how I can help.

And if you want to learn more about some of the ways I work with my clients, you can visit www.amecollaborative.com where Âme Collaborative is continuing to take shape.

You don’t have to do this alone. I don’t believe you were ever meant to.

Keep it up. Keep it Creative!

- C.

Transcript

Welcome to Beyond the Template, the more than “just talk” podcast, created by me, Caroline Amelie- a writer, artist, counselor, and learning designer. 

This podcast was built for those who are ready to tackle something new in their lives, but need small steps, encouragement, accountability and community to get there. 

This week, Let’s dive into the deep of “sequencing” as both a creative tool and an audience experience strategy, framed through life’s chaotic realities. We will explore how intentional ordering transforms your process and your final product and the story of Katherine Mansfield. 

It has been a wild week. Not the elegant, horse whipping its mane while running along a coastline kind of wild. More like being at the beck and call for the urges of ten different people, handed six pages of tasks, and given deadline calendar blocks stacked like uneven bricks, all the while there is a growing sense that everything is urgent all at the same time and could all fall apart at any moment.  Can you relate?  I bet you can! 

In the last 11 days: 

I have had five different inspections of my home, prepped to sell belongings I can’t take with me, worked to stay on top of client needs, posted to social media every day  (an ongoing pivot), practiced new podcasting and new work abroad set up with new technology I invested in, started packing up my belongings into four different groups (non-essentials for storage, priceless items for the car, carry-on and personal bag items, and checked items), I had a meeting with the family I am going to housesit for in Auckland, I took an online voiceover course through Udemy, I have been researching courses to take abroad for voiceover and production, and I am still working through issues popping up with my 1947 cottage (typical of this time of year).  And, here I am still creating our 11th episode! 

I know in my soul that my listeners and clients are cut from the same cloth as me.  And what I am going through right now mirrors what it’s like for the full-time parent, the 9-5 worker, or someone managing a ton of responsibility while also desiring to express themselves creatively and produce something new in their lives.  

Life often makes very little room for creativity.  We have been taught that creative pursuits are not “real” pursuits or that those who make creativity their life calling are exceptions to a rule the rest of us must follow, being a part of the societal machine instead of tapping into the very best thing which makes us human- creation. 

So, how can one consistently show up for themselves and their creative work when life seems to be throwing obstacle after obstacle in the way of success?  

This, I think is the hardest thing that people experience… prioritizing the creative work, process, and desire.  It is so easy to give up.  I gave up for decades… it wasn’t until I quit my 8-6 job that I found myself and my true essence again. It is heartbreaking that the world has turned in on itself.  Not everyone is an artist.  Not everyone is a designer.  Not everyone is meant to bring magic into the world.  But for those of you who are innately talented and hold vision… I am doing this to support you in bringing your ideas to life. 

It’s Thursday.  And I am just sitting down to outline, write, record, edit, and produce this episode.  At this point I would have finished the writing… but… as we all know… life happens.  Sometimes you get to sit down to outline an episode about sequencing… a graceful, intentional, orderly concept… but then realize that your life at the moment is anything but.  And right in the middle of the chaos, you’re trying to create something meaningful, something that lands with your listeners in the way you hope it will. 

But that contrast is the perfect entry point into sequencing. Because sequencing isn’t something you talk about while gazing at a neatly arranged desk. Sequencing shows its real value inside weeks like this…when the chaos is loud and the stakes are real, and your only option is to break everything into workable steps so that you can move forward without burning out.  

I talk a lot about baby steps in this podcast… which still (sort of) follows the tedious learning design structure of ADDIE… something I believe all creatives can use to their benefit.  I have said over and over again that any progress is progress.  And just making small movements and actions is important.  The literal design of this podcast (35-weeks from start to finish) is meant to exemplify that you can begin at zero and in less than a year accomplish more than you realize.  

What I don’t encourage is the concept of quick and dirty with your creativity when life is being life at you.  Everyone thinks good creativity happens easily and quickly because we as audience members just see the final product.  But I have heard writers, directors and producers all say repeatedly- this took years and years.  Most people, when balancing everything else, are not be able to complete their vision in a week.  That’s the truth of it.  

So today I want to explore sequencing not as a technical instructional-design concept, but as a survival tool. A creative tool. A clarity tool. And ultimately, as something that helps you shape the experience your audience has with your work. 

Let’s start with the most basic question: Can sequencing improve your audience’s experience of what you make, and your own ability to construct it with intention? 

Absolutely. When you work in sequence, you create a path both you and your audience can follow. Instead of leaping from idea to idea, you’re guiding them. You’re building anticipation, resolution, rhythm, and comprehension. Sequencing is the difference between someone feeling guided through a story and someone feeling like they are being pushed through a pinball machine. 

You’ve probably felt this before without even naming it. When you listen to a podcast episode that unfolds naturally, or follow a tutorial that makes you think, “Wow, I get it now,” or read a book that seems to click into place one chapter at a time—that’s sequencing at work. 

But here’s an important nuance: you are already sequencing, even when you don’t think you are. I just realized that my 6-page list of “to-dos” is a sequence in itself… broken down individual steps to take for each area I am working on right now… in order to meet my deadlines. Your brain creates order subconsciously. It organizes thoughts, sorts stimuli, and tries to structure ideas in real time. The problem is that without conscious guidance, that structure can be patchy or inconsistent. And when your schedule is as busy as mine has been this week, relying on subconscious sequencing can lead to a whole lot of overwhelm. 

So the real question becomes: What sequencing strategies are you already comfortable with, and which ones might you need to practice? 

For many creatives, the comfortable strategies might include basic chronological order, outlining steps from beginning to end, or grouping like with ideas, tasks, themes, or actions that naturally belong together. Those are familiar. They’re intuitive. 

But there are other strategies that feel less comfortable at first. Things like backwards sequencing, where you starting from the end goal and working backwards until you reach the beginning (Hint: Remember the episodes on establishing objectives?). Or emotional sequencing where you might order your content based on how you want your audience to feel at each stage. Or complexity sequencing…starting simple and progressively adding layers, the way a teacher scaffolds learning. 

Some strategies stretch us. They force us to pause and ask: where does this idea fit? What does it depend on? What is its function in the whole? 

This leads us to the next question: What should come first, second, third, and so on? 

That’s the heart of sequencing. And it’s rarely a fixed answer. Sometimes the first step is research. Other times it’s sketching an outline or writing the last scene or drafting the messy middle. Sometimes the first step is simply clearing mental space so you don’t mistake stress for inspiration.  If you have been following along you can see how what I have shared so far connects with this.  It’s great to make a plan!  It’s great to be prepared!  And checking those steps off is important.  But pivots, side steps, side quests… they are just as crucial. 

Sequencing is a living process rather than a rigid plan. You evaluate the needs of the project (Needs!), the expectations of your audience (Audience, Context, Skills and Knowledge!), your ultimate goals (Procedures, Taks and Objectives!)… but then you needed to consider the reality of your own bandwidth. Based on all of that, the order that moves the work forward with the least resistance will unfold. 

Which brings us to another important reflection: When is the right time to start sequencing? Do you jump straight in, or do you return to the previous step of defining your objectives again? 

This is the trap many creatives fall into. We try to sequence before we know what the sequence is supposed to accomplish. But sequencing without objectives is like pulling out all the ingredients before reading the recipe… doesn’t make much sense, does it? 

So, the right moment to start sequencing is after you understand your goals. Your objectives shape everything. They act as your north star. They tell you why this piece exists and what you want your listener, viewer, reader, or learner to walk away with. 

Once you have your objectives, sequencing becomes natural. It becomes purposeful. It becomes easier to decide what information needs to come first, what needs context, what needs space, and what needs emotional buildup. You stop guessing and start designing (which is our next big phase!). 

And that brings us to why sequencing matters at all: What are the benefits for you and your audience? 

For you as the creator, sequencing turns a mountain into a staircase. It reduces overwhelm. It gives you measurable progress. It lets you track what’s done, what’s next, and what’s critical. It transforms chaos into clarity. 

For your audience, sequencing creates coherence. It builds trust. It takes them on a journey where each step prepares them for the next. Their comprehension deepens, their engagement grows, and the final experience feels complete. 

Which brings us to today’s Expander of the Week: someone whose work demanded sequencing in an almost visceral way…Katherine Mansfield. 

I chose Katherine Mansfield because I am (hopefully, if I can sell this house and move in the next 12 days) about to live in Auckland, New Zealand starting in December and Wellington, New Zealand at the end of January, where Katherine Mansfield is from.  With this crazy week, I needed some inspiration and encouragement myself because I have been feeling the most overwhelmed, exhausted, and anxiety ridden.  Hearing about someone who was able to continue despite the odds helps me with perspective and grounds me in my own pursuit of creative expression in writing and speaking and expanding in my experiences and knowledge. I also feel that Mansfield’s story connects perfectly for those needing a strong example of sequencing in action. 

Now, let’s hear the ever so short story of Katherine Mansfield… 

Katherine Mansfield wasn’t a novelist, though she lived in literary circles dominated by novelists. Instead, she was a master of the short story… compact, distilled, emotionally charged moments in time.  For some, the short story is more challenging than the novel.  Every sentence carries weight and nothing can be wasted. Because of that, sequencing wasn’t just part of Mansfield’s craft. It was her craft. 

Mansfield was born in Wellington, New Zealand in 1888, and passed away a mere thirty-four years later.  Her life itself, was a short story, but during her years on earth she produced some of the most influential work of the early twentieth century. She reshaped how short fiction could function… moving past plot-driven sequencing into emotional and psychological. Her work was built of small human moments and revelations. 

What made Mansfield extraordinary wasn’t only her command of language, but the way she observed life. She watched people closely…their gestures, hesitations, contradictions, the tiny betrayals and kindnesses that reveal who they really were. She gathered these observations the way others might collect crystals or seashells and decorated her writing with them. 

But her sharp eye came with a cost. She often felt like an outsider, a witness rather than a participant. Her journals speak of craving connection, craving home, craving health, and still feeling compelled to document even her own longing as material… a reminder that the creative process is often built from what we’re trying to understand about ourselves. 

If you’ve ever read “The Garden Party,” “Bliss,” or “Prelude,” you know that her stories aren’t about what happens. They’re about how perception shifts. How a palette of sensory details accumulates until you suddenly understand something the character didn’t understand at the beginning. Mansfield’s sequencing is subtle and internal. She moves the reader step by step through texture, sound, tension, irony, and emotional undercurrent, guiding you into the exact realization she wants you to have. Mansfield used sequencing as an art form. 

Mansfield grew up in colonial New Zealand, moved to London, rejected the expectations placed upon her, reinvented herself repeatedly, and navigated illness while writing some of the most refined prose of her era. Her “sequence” was nonlinear. It was tangled and sometimes painful. Yet each phase of her life informed the next, and each pivot deepened her creative voice. Mansfield’s life reflected the sequence of self-transformation. 

Mansfield’s life was defined by interruption. Illness interrupted her career again and again. Loss interrupted her sense of belonging. Turmoil interrupted her relationships, and the realities of being a woman pursuing art in the early twentieth century interrupted nearly every opportunity she fought for. 

She wrote in bursts, revising constantly, rewriting stories even after they’d been published because she believed the emotional truth still wasn’t quite right. She chose to chase the most honest version of the moment she wanted to capture. There is something deeply human in that kind of persistence. 

As you reflect on your own processes this week… whether that be in your work, your deadlines, or your creative projects…consider where sequencing is already helping you and where it might help you more. Think about how your audience moves within what you create. Think about the emotional and cognitive journey you're guiding them through. 

For your “Homework” or reflection practice this week, I want to leave you with these prompts.  This is the “more than just talk” podcast after all!  Think on these where ever you are at the moment… out on your porch with a cup of tea, driving in the car, snuggling a newborn while breastfeeding, shopping for dinner, sitting on a cement bench with a cigarette, or in a corporate break room eating lunch.  Give yourself a moment to think on theses… and then give yourself some credit for moving forward.  I want you to get that buzz of accomplishment this week alongside me.  Here they are: 

Which parts of your current project already have a natural sequence, and which parts need clearer structure?
 Where do you feel overwhelmed right now—and would sequencing reduce that feeling?
 What is the first step that genuinely moves your project forward, and what is simply noise?
 How can you sequence your content to create a better experience for the people receiving it?
 And finally, how can you honor your own bandwidth by sequencing your week rather than tackling everything at once? 

Take these questions into your work. Notice where sequencing appears on its own. Notice where you need to intervene. Over time, sequencing will become less of a technique and more of a creative instinct, or even something you reach for automatically whenever you’re building creativity that matters. 

To learn more about Katherine Mansfield and explore her work more deeply, check out the resources I’ll share in the podcast description. 

I sincerely appreciate each of you… Here’s to all of us continuing, even when it all feels like too much.  Here’s to deciding to keep trying to put ourselves out into the world so we can connect, collaborate, and create change.  Here’s to our community of makers and shakers. 

Thank you for listening to Beyond the Template! You are doing great. Keep it up. Keep it creative. 

My name is Caroline Amelie LeBoeuf. I have a degree in art and in counseling and also professional level certificates in educational advising and learning design & technology. Roles I have carried include illustrator, photographer, writer, traveler, mentor, instructor and most recently entrepreneur! 

If you are curious to learn further about the work I offer my clients,  check out cameliedesigns.com, that’s cameliedesigns.com.