Writers need every tool possible in their repertoire. Brainstormingand mind mapping are two powerful ones. Storyboarding is another. A storyboard is the compact, visual telling of a story. The idea of storyboards comes from the film industry. Each block on the board represents a scene or event. A drawing or photograph that captures the essence of the scene is placed in each space with minimal summary text.

Screenwriters rely on storyboards to plan out the order of their scenes and make sure the crux moments fall in the right locations.

Why Should Writers Use Storyboards?

Writers can also benefit from planning out their story using this visual tool. Storyboards are a quick, fluid way to plan a novel. It is a way to see how your story events flow together, how they match up with the plotting template you choose to use, and where there are plot holes.

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Are you a visual person? Do you hate outlining? Then mind mapping is for you. It is also a powerful tool for any writer.

A mind map is a visual representation of connected ideas. This makes it perfect for playing with different elements of a story and discovering relationships you might otherwise have missed.

The mind mapping methodology was developed by Tony Buzan and can be used in all fields of endeavor. To learn more about mind mapping basics, check out this video How to Mind Map with Tony Buzan.

Why Mind Map

Mind Maps have been shown to be an effective tool in many fields of study and with people of all ages and educational levels. Research studies, such as this one, Mind Mapping and Students’ Writing Performance, demonstrate that this tool is especially effective when used during prewriting.

Mind maps:

• Increase concentration
• Enhance creativity
• Lead to better…