I’m still beating this mind-mapping to death, probably to your chagrin. If so, then avert your eyes for another post later on. But, here’s the thought that I came away with today, and if you’re still not convinced that mind-mapping might have a place in your book writing efforts, then try this on for size: Your book is linear. Your overall story in non-linear.

What I mean by this is that you reader reads page by page and in the order that you decide to reveal information…most of the time…except for those few weird individuals who flip to the last page first. But, usually, they read your text and uncover your story, clues, exposition, etc in the order that you decide to share it. Sure, their minds may wander and perhaps try to deduce where you are going as the plot develops page after page. That’s linear, and like telling a good joke, you don’t put the punch line first. You put it last and build up to it. The same happens with your book.

However, creating your overall concept in a linear manner is painful. I can’t do it. I’m all over the map (no pun intended)…moving from scene to scene…to the ending…back to the front and middle…making sure that things in the earlier part of the book jive with latter parts of the book….making notes to include this or that idea in a section still to be written. That’s non-linear…and some might say confused thinking. As authors, many of us do it all the time. Yes, I suppose there are those who sit down and start writing…..”Chapter 1. It was a dark and stormy night…..” Three hundred pages later, they are done. I can’t do it that way.

So, back to the mind-mapping. Here’s an abbreviated MindMap of Mandate, the current work. This map is open on my desktop at all times. No matter what I’m doing, if I think of something that should be considered for the book, then I bring FreePlane up and add the information before it’s gone into the ethers. When it comes time to write a chapter, or a scene, I have a much better idea of where I’m going, and I hope this helps you accomplish the same feeling.

Write on!

Jack Riston

www.jackriston.com