{"id":24014,"date":"2021-04-02T03:00:36","date_gmt":"2021-04-02T10:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=24014"},"modified":"2021-04-05T16:43:27","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T23:43:27","slug":"mind-mapping-for-novelists-driving-on-the-road-not-taken-by-catharine-bramkamp","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2021\/04\/02\/mind-mapping-for-novelists-driving-on-the-road-not-taken-by-catharine-bramkamp\/","title":{"rendered":"Mind Mapping for Novelists: Driving on the Road Not Taken by Catharine Bramkamp"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Mind<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist Catharine Bramkamp<\/a> as she shares with us \u201cMind Mapping for Novelists: Driving on the Road Not Taken.\u201d Enjoy!<\/p>\n

***<\/span><\/p>\n

A strong technique for discovering more about your fictional characters as well as your own life is mind mapping.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Mind mapping is journaling with images, circles, lines, whatever you\u2019d like.\u00a0 The goal is to create a unique map illustrating where you\u2019ve been and better — where you want to go.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For example,<\/strong> like in the illustration, maybe you\u2019ve followed a wide highway that is easy, familiar, and built for speed.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Everyone knows where you are going. YOU know where you are going. Nothing wrong with that, especially since upon graduation we are often presented a clearly marked map.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

(I skip over most education paths since those are well worn and institutionalized. University maps look like illuminated manuscripts and are just as revered.)<\/span><\/p>\n

But what if you wanted to slow down?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

What is Your Road Not Taken?<\/span><\/h2>\n

Check out a detour, take an off ramp.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What will you find – paradise or burning flames?\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

You don\u2019t know but your brain does.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your brain evolved to never ask questions and to always stay safe<\/strong>: drive the speed limit, keep your eyes on the road. So you do. Except you don\u2019t want to. Or your character doesn\u2019t want to.<\/span><\/p>\n

Did you long to take an unmarked path but lacked the machete or plow or shovel to make it passable?<\/span><\/h3>\n

What a mind map can show you is not just your past but patterns that can help you literally map out a different future. It is a visualization tool that allows you to see tantalizing but narrow detours.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What if you took them?<\/strong> It\u2019s not like you don\u2019t know where the highway is located; you can return.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

How delicious to explore. Fill the tank, take the exit.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your Road Not Taken: Your Mind Map\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n

As you consider your mind map, back-fill the interests and the inspirations that did not happen.<\/span><\/p>\n

What did you pass by?<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n