How I Prepare to Write

This year I am preparing to embark on a wonderful and terrifying adventure – wrapping up my Unnamed Series!

Having submitted Book Two to my publisher (name announcement forthcoming), I am slowly turning my mind to the third and final instalment.

This is obviously quite a Big Moment. Naturally, my first step was to take a few very deep breaths. Drink a glass of whiskey. Put it off for a day or two.

With a free afternoon and a cup of tea, I prepared myself to write. I will cover some of my writing process in upcoming entries, but for now I wanted to go through the steps I take before I even start Chapter One.

Storyboarding

Storyboarding is one of those things that most people hate but professionals know must be done.

My fiancé tends to accuse me of procrastination when he sees me determinedly measuring out little boxes in my notebook and drawing my terrible pencil figurines.

But the truth is, besides the well-known Foolscap Method (which I also use), storyboarding is the best way to put the many pieces of a long fantasy story into something that can be looked at and understood as a whole.

My very first step was to make sure I had a good, up-to-date storyboard of books 1 and 2 of the series. “Good” in this case meaning succinct and complete. You will see from my pictures that I have no drawing talent, and tend to identify my characters by the shape I give their heads.

Through Lines

The next thing I did was to, on a new page, track all the “through lines” in my novels so I knew which loose pieces of story have to be woven together.

A “through line” is an idea or theme that connects the story, or stories. For me and other fantasy authors, this often includes things like factions, allegiances, and characters.

I note things like the current world-state – how it will appear at the start of the book and where I want it to end up – and do the same for each of my main characters. How do we find them at the start of the book? What key challenges will they face throughout the story? Where will they end up?

In particular, given the amount of political turmoil in the Unnamed series, I made a note of each faction in play, their wants and fears, and their key characters. This will help me ensure that each of the major players react in a realistic way as the plot develops.

How Physically?

I use a combination of a small notebook – my trusty “book book” – and a large grid-style book. Of course, there are probably plenty of online tools you can use but I am a big believer in the old pen & paper!

If you can ignore the crinkled-up-bedsheet-tablecloth (there to discourage my puppy from eating my furniture), you may enjoy the below little snapshot of my preparatory set-up.