One of the most asked questions I get as an author is “How do you write you novels and keep everything straight?”

Today, I’m going to share with you my exact process of planning and writing my first draft.

Mind mapping is one of an author’s most valuable tools when planning a novel. It allows you to get every single idea that’s been floating around in your head out and onto paper where you can see it with your physical eyes.

Doing this can help you see what ideas relate, and which ones go in sequential order. You can also discover ideas that will not fit for this book, but don’t throw them away! Hang onto them in your idea pocketbook. They may come in handy later on.

So how do you create a Mind Map?

For me, I like taking giant stickie notes (24 in x 36 in. You can find these on Amazon, or your local office supply store) and hanging this up on my wall. I then get either colored markers, or colored pens if I know I have a lot of ideas to get out. Each segment will get a different color to help me keep track of things amid the chaos about to ensue.

The first thing I want you to write out is your big idea, or your key concept, and place it in the center with a bubble around it. From here, take a color and write out all the characters you know you want included in your novel. If they have names, great! If they don’t yet, no problem. There will be plenty of time to figure this out.

You will repeat this step with different colors for the following: settings, major plot points, specific scenes that keep playing in your mind, and anything else that pertains to your book. Get as detailed as possible. Every single idea you’ve had for this book needs to be put on the paper, even if you’re not sure that you’ll use it. Put it up.

Once completed, take a different marker than you’ve yet used and connect your ideas that go together. You can also put numbers next to each bubble to help you identify what needs to happen first, second, third, etc.

This is also a wonderful space to decide what tense you want to write your book in. First or third? Present or past? The best way to decide, however, is looking at what is common for books in your genre. If it’s popular to do third person, but you really want to do first, make sure you can find examples from already published books to guide you in your writing.

For help, check out these articles:

Pros and cons to present tense

https://thewritepractice.com/past-tense-vs-present-tense

https://theeditorsblog.net/2012/01/31/narrative-tense-right-now-or-way-back-then

First, second, and third person

https://www.merriam-webster.com/grammar/point-of-view-first-second-third-person-difference

• Past tense is very common, and as such, readers can fall into your story quicker. Present tense is great for an action based story because it’s always pushing forward.

• First person keeps us in the head on the Point Of View (POV) character. This gives us insight into their thoughts and feelings in a very intimate way. This can be a great option for a first book as you have only one character’s thoughts to keep track of.

• Third person puts distance between the reader and the characters. It can also afford the writer several perspectives with which to play. You won’t be limited to only one person’s view of the world. This will require planning to keep it coheisive.

I would highly discourage new writers from using second person. It is awkward and extremely hard to pull off well. This is why there are so few books written in this way. It’s just not how we talk.

When you have your mind map completed, write down all the ideas of what you want to happen in sequential order. Identify major characters, places or things you want in those specific events, and list them to the side.

This is the beginning of your plot outline, which we will dive into more in the next blog post.

See you next week!