I’m working through revisions… on BAD LAND, and one of the techniques I’ve tried with this book is story boarding it – as I’ve said in the past, I basically borrowed the idea from screenplay writing, and although there are many modern tools (i.e, software, with FINAL DRAFT being one of the most famous) to aid in this tried and true process, as you can see from the picture heading up this post, I did it the old-fashioned way – with a bunch of note cards and a cork board.
Or, in my case – a cork wall.
It’s been amazing how helpful I’ve found this scheme – the ability to stand back, literally and figuratively, and look at my book as a whole has been wonderful. I’ve appreciated being able to move bits and pieces around and “see” how it all “looks” when re-arranged. The tactile and visual feedback of physically manipulating my book has been powerful, and since this manuscript has multiple POVs and a thick plot (it’s probably the “biggest” book I’ve attempted), the color-coded cards have helped me not lose my way, even long after I ran out of colors!
Again, it’s old-school and it does add another “layer” to my production/writing process, but when all is said and done, I think it’s been worth it.
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