THE WRITE WHISPER: Mind Maps

I stumbled across Mind Maps when I did a creative writing course years ago. It was at a time where the first stirrings of my itchy fingers started, when I wanted to pick up pen and paper and start writing.

I can't remember much of the course other than the teacher bringing in weird and wonderful objects each week and asking us to write a short story about them. Stories I recently re-read when I stumbled across the folder from the course, stories I'm sure won't ever see the light of day!

An interesting aside caught my attention as I flicked through this folder.

Mind maps.

I'd done one for each story, done one for my current release TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED (though I didn't know it at the time!)

Stupidly, I threw them all out, otherwise I could've scanned one for you to see here. And the mind map I created in Word last night especially for this blog won't upload (so if anyone wants a copy of it, you can email me at nicola@nicolamarsh.com and I'll forward it to you.) I'll try and describe it for you now.

Mind mapping is basically concept planning.

You take a central theme and collect ideas in different categories around it.
I guess you can say it's a diagramatic form of brainstorming.

Possible elements of a story map include:

Central theme/title
Characters
Setting
Time period
Uses of theme
Useful catch phrases/symbology/etc...

To create your own mind map, go into Word, click on 'Insert', then 'Diagram', then choose 'Radial Diagram'.
You'll end up with a central circle and loads of circles branching off from this like tentacles.

Then you can start having fun!

With the book I'm currently plotting, I had the heroine's job as the central theme because it's highly unusual. From there, my branches included: brief emotional descriptions of hero and heroine, secondary characters, setting, time period. Basically, you can include anything!
I used colourful crayons too, just for something different and it was strangely liberating.

So get those minds mapping.
You never know what gem of an idea may pop up.

Overseas

I have 2 foreign releases this month.

My desert prince from THE DESERT PRINCE'S PROPOSAL is out in France, available here.

And my Navy SEAL in PURCHASED FOR PLEASURE is out in Brazil.

(I adore the French cover, much sexier than the original!)

It's all fiction, I tell you!

Here's my 'Dear Reader' letter for TWO WEEKS IN THE MAGNATE'S BED.

Dear Reader,

There's something about cruising...the choice to do everything or nothing, the delicious food, the excitement of sailing the seven seas (maybe indulging the odd pirate fantasy or two?), the brilliant eye candy factor with all those guys in uniform...
Ahem, where was I?

Can you blame a girl for having her head turned by a strong, sexy sailor? The type of guy to sweep you off your feet, to romance you in the style you deserve?

Lana Walker doesn't know what hits her when suave shipping magnate Zac McCoy does exactly that, turning on the charm until the shy curator doesn't know whether to succumb or jump ship and swim for shore.

What would you do? Give into a spellbinding romance no matter how brief or settle for the safe option?
I've been in this position and believe me, taking the romance was worth every magical second!

I hope you get swept away by Lana and Zac's enchanting romance too.

Happy reading,

Nicola

Now, after baring my soul and making that comment about taking the magical romance onboard a ship, I wonder how many people are going to wonder how much of this book is autobiographical?

Well, let me tell you, categorically, right here and now, there is only one scene loosely based on fact.
The first person to correctly pick the scene definitely deserves a prize ;)