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Life of a Writer Mom Column
Bubble Mapping by Carla CharterOther writers often ask me how I plan my stories. It's a challenge for someone who is not naturally an organized person. I am, however, a big believer in what I call bubble mapping. In fact, this is my main story planning technique. Each of my characters and story has at least one. Let me explain: Each time I have a new book or character I put each chapter title or character name in my story-planning notebook. Then I draw a bubble around it. From there I begin to draw subsequent bubbles around that one. The bubbles don't have any particular method, they are just ideas I scribble down as they pop into my head. The bubbles can include everything and anything from a character's motivation, to possible story plots, to who and what my character likes and dislikes. Each character and sub-plot gets their own page and their own bubble. Doing this assures there is always plenty of room for imagination and possibilities. The bubbles help me flesh out my original story idea or learn about who my character is and where he fits in my tale. And of course my bubbles tend to lead to more bubbles and soon the page is covered with information and possibilities that otherwise never may have occurred to me. The bubbles allow me to see my characters and my stories in a different light. This simple method allows me to see a character or a story as more than a name on a page. I begin to see a real character with likes, dislikes and personalities all of their own. And new possibilities in a story that began as nothing more than a wisp of an idea in my mind. Carla Charter is mom to Samantha (12), Halden (5), and Mathew (4). In addition to being a mom, Carla is a freelance writer specializing in newspaper and magazine journalism. Among her publication credits are Woman's World, American Indian Report and New England Business Journal. Online she has been published in Scubasource.com and Military.com. She teaches creative writing courses at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Ma. Recently her novel Across Lots has been serialized at http://www.newenglandwow.com. She may be reached at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net. |
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