hosted by: Jennifer Faye
Please give a big welcome to Crimson Romance author, Nicole Flockton. Her latest release, Rescuing Dawn, is available now!
Mind Mapping – My New Toy
I’m a pantser. I sit down with a vague idea of my characters
and the fact that they end up happily ever after is a foregone conclusion. Now
how I get there can a slow tortuous slug that I wonder why the heck I write!
In the book I handed in to my editor at the end of May I hit
a major part in the middle of the manuscript where I had no idea what to do or
where to go. At that time I also had a couple of other things pop up and I
realized I couldn't go on that way anymore. I had to find a way to become
better organized. But how?
I was chatting to my husband and he told me about this app
where you mind map ideas. It can be used for anything. For me, I’m not a
plotter and couldn't see myself becoming a full on plotter. But the idea of
mind mapping kind of appealed. Just type quick comments which link up to the
main story thread.
It took me a while before I put that into use – I had a
story to finish you see. But one Thursday night I downloaded an app onto my
computer and started mind mapping. Boy was it fun. I have the two main
characters of my story and a basic outline of their history. The good thing is
I can add to it whenever I want.
I’m looking forward to start mind mapping the actual story
and I feel this is something that will work for me because I find once I start
typing things about characters the more they start talking and I can get all
the information I need down.
* There will be a kindle copy giveaway of RESCUING DAWN to one commenter!
Is there a particular plotting tool you use?
He
helps save lives, now he wants to save hers.
Dawn
Granger has loved and lost and it’s a road she’s not prepared to travel again,
that is until her past turns up and has her questioning her resolve.
Andrew
Holmes has sailed the globe numerous times, when he almost loses his life, he
decides he needs to give something back so he returns home and trains as a
paramedic. When he runs into his former sweetheart he is surprised to find
an attraction he thought dead come to life. When he sees the sadness in Dawn
he knows he will do anything to make her smile again.
Dawn
tries to resist Andrew but their past pulls at her in ways she thought long
dead. Can she trust a man who's run out on her once before? Can she risk
putting her heart on the line again? Or will it all be taken from her again.
Author Bio:
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It wasn’t until after the birth of her daughter and after having fun on the community board of eharlequin.com that she finally decided to take the plunge and write a book.
The stories she writes are contemporary romances with either a medical setting or in the boardrooms of high powered business. Nicole enjoys taking two characters and creating unique situations for them.
Apart from writing Nicole is busy looking after her very own hero – her wonderfully supportive husband, and her two fabulous kids.
Nicole on the web: Website Facebook Twitter Author Page
Don't forget to comment in order to entered to win a copy of RESCUING DAWN!
Hi, Nicole. I'm so happy you came to visit with us. Your new book looks great!!! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Jennifer! Thanks for having. It's fun to talk about something that's new and hopefully other people like it too.
ReplyDeleteHi Nicole! Thanks so much for visiting with us today. I loved your post. I'm a panster myself so the mind mapping app sounds very intriguing! Congrats on your new book! :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Victoria! Thanks for having me. Yep I think I'm still a pantster but this way I kind of feel like I have a way to follow the story.
DeleteHi Nicole! Thanks for stopping by and congrats on the new book! I'm a plotter myself, but I don't have a fancy app like you described. I have dabbled with index cards before, but ultimately, my outline is my best tool. Congrats again!
ReplyDeleteHi Olivia, outlines are good, they help with the creation of a synopsis too I'm sure.
DeleteWelcome, Nicole, and thank you for blogging with us today! I'm also a pantser who's working hard to get organized. Can you tell me more about this app? It's definitely something I'd like to check out. Congrats on your new book!
ReplyDeleteHi Natalie! It's an App called "SimpleMind". I have a Mac but I know that you can get it for a PC. I guess you could describe it as a flow chart. I have boxes which have like chapter 1 and then there is a text box where you can complete what you think will happen in the chapter. Each box is a different colour and you can move the boxes around if you want. I feel confident now that I've got things sorted and a plan. So yes a road map of where I want to go with the story :)
DeleteThat sounds interesting Nicole - my Mac and I are off to investigate! I've found Evernote really handy for organising research for my stories. A little notebook for each idea! Good Luck with Rescuing Dawn.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tea! Good luck with your investigations. Let me know how you get on!
DeleteOoh! I like the sound of that app, I'm going to investigate it too. Rescuing Dawn sounds fab, good luck with it! :0)
ReplyDeleteThanks Rachel, it is a lot of fun!
DeleteWelome, Nicole! I think pantsers are very brave - I've got to know exactly where I'm going, even if my characters do decide to change it. Enjoy your new app, good luck with Rescuing Dawn and thanks so much for visiting. :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Lindsay, that's the way I'm approaching the mind mapping. I've got this plan but it's not set in gold, if my characters want to throw me for a loop they can, but if I get stuck I now have a plan I can look at and got - oh yeah that's what I had planned, now how am I going to fix this mess!! LOL
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