Mind Maps
Mindmaps are a way or organising your thoughts. They can be a great help when you are developing ideas, or just working through a problem. They have been around for centuries and are so easy to do … you’ll be ready to draw one by the time you’ve read this page!

Start with a blank sheet of paper and pen.

 

1. In the middle of your page, write briefly the idea you want to develop. It might be ‘mystery story’, or something more specific like ‘An adventure on a desert island’. Now draw a circle around your central idea.

2. Establish your sense of place

 

 

 

 

3. Develop some new story ideas with Automatic Writing

4. Now draw a branch from the circle and let’s start to develop the story. Where does it take place?

5. Put in a few characters.

 

 

Keep going! … add some more characters, what are they looking for? Keep branching out with ideas … try to keep ideas for each ‘branch’ together.
The character ideas on one branch, the location branch, a branch for when and where etc.
If you are a visual person, you may also decide some drawings on your map might help. The main thing is to keep pushing out the branches.

Find out as much as you can about your story, the characters in it, everything!

When you’re done, you’ll find you have quite a lot of information to get started on your story.
You may decide to storyboard your ideas to put them into some sort of order.
Or you might feel your ready to start writing. The character ideas on one branch, the location branch, a branch for when and where etc.