Book Mapping

It kind of came as a surprise, but I have pretty much found my way to the end of Prisoners of the Wailing Tower! Lorrah distracted her mean big sister, and managed to show off her magical chops. That allowed Alemin to escape from the Larder with all his fellow prisoners. I just have a couple of wrap-up sections where the characters reflect on what they achieved. And I need a great final scene, of course.

Once that’s blocked out, I’ll get to work on revisions. Most of what I have is good, but some things need to be discovered a lot sooner. I also want to trim length; the other novellas are 30-40 thousand words, and Prisoners is nearly 50 thousand. To get a handle on that, my first step will be to make a book map.

What is that? So glad you asked.

Book maps are a way to analyze the plot and figure out where the weak points are. There are lots of methods. Some people use index cards and move them around until they like the flow. Others use storyboard software.

My method is to make a chart using my word processor, WordPerfect. For each section of the manuscript, I’ll briefly describe the action and note a few details like new characters being introduced. I’ll also color-code them to show which POV the sections are in.

With two points of view, Lorrah and Alemin, it’s important that both of them have a satisfying plot arc. So after mapping the book, I can read their sections separately. Once I have a good arc for both of them, it will be pretty easy to weave them back together and polish the sections that I just slammed out to finish the draft.

Yes, revisions are a pain. But I know what I need to do, and I’m actually excited to get this manuscript in shape. So instead of being mad at it, I can be proud to publish it.

Meanwhile, I hope you’re all having a safe and relaxing Fourth of July.

Have you read one of my books? Then it would be great for you to leave a review! Meanwhile, if you’d like to learn more about me and my work, check out my web site, Facebook, Instagram and/or Twitter.