SPEAKER_01 0:00

Most writers think they're stuck because something's wrong with their story, but what I found for myself and with the writers I work with is that it's almost always a visibility problem. And that story mapping process brings momentum to writers with writing their drafts and gives them greater confidence because they've worked out a lot of their story already up on the wall.

Writing Blocks As Visibility Problems

Podcast Mission And Guest Intro

SPEAKER_00 0:23

Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy podcast. My name is Savannah Gilbo, and I'm here to help you write a story that works. I want to prove to you that writing a novel doesn't have to be overwhelming. So each week I'll bring you a brand new episode with simple, actionable, and step-by-step strategies that you can implement in your writing right away. So whether you're brand new to writing or more of a seasoned author looking to improve your craft, this podcast is for you. So pick up a pen and let's get started. In today's episode, Danielle Nicole is here to talk about story mapping. If you've ever felt like your story is living in a fog, like you can sense it's there, but you can't quite see it clearly enough to write it, then you're going to love this episode. My guest Danielle is a notes to novel graduate and the founder of Map Your Story Studios. And when I say she is the queen of story mapping, I mean it. Danielle's gonna get into a lot more details about what story mapping is, but essentially think about it like this. Instead of outlining in a document or a spreadsheet, Danielle takes her entire story and puts it on the wall. Like literally on the wall. She gets butcher paper, color-coded sticky notes, sharpies, you name it, and she maps the whole story out on her wall. And what Danielle has found both in her own writing and with the work she does with other writers is that a lot of what feels like being stuck isn't actually an idea or a story problem. It's a visibility problem. Because think about it, when you're writing in Scrivener or a Google Doc or whatever it is, it can be really hard to see your story clearly enough to move forward. So if you can relate to this, or if you have an idea that you're sitting on and you've struggled to get it off the ground, or if you just need a way to get what's in your head out into something you can actually work with, then story mapping might be exactly the thing you didn't know you were missing. So without further ado, let's dive right into my conversation with Danielle Nicole. Welcome to the Fiction Writing Made Easy Podcast. Hi, Savannah. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_01 2:19

I'm so excited to talk with you today.

SPEAKER_00 2:21

Tell my listeners a little bit about who you are, what you do, and things like that.

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Yeah, absolutely. So I'm a writer working on my first commercial fiction novel, and I'm a notes to novel graduate that honestly changed my entire approach to writing. And so I love being in your community. I'm a story mapping coach and founder of Map Your Story Studios. So I help writers visually map their stories so they can see where they're at, they can see the big picture from beginning to end, and that helps them gain more confidence and get momentum in their stories, especially when they get stuck.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

So for anyone who's never heard of story mapping before, how would you describe it?

How The Wall Map Began

SPEAKER_01 2:59

Story mapping is how you get your story off the page and literally onto the wall so you can finally see it from the beginning to the end. Most writers think they're stuck because something's wrong with their story. But what I found for myself and with the writers I work with is that it's almost always a visibility problem. And that story mapping process brings momentum to writers with writing their drafts and gives them greater confidence because they've worked out a lot of their story already up on the wall.

SPEAKER_00 3:29

I love that you said visibility problem. And I think that's going to hit a lot of listeners right in the gut because that's exactly how it feels sometimes, right? You know the story is there, you can't see it clearly enough to write it, but deep down you know it's there. And actually, Danielle, I want to go back to where this all started for you because I think a lot of writers are going to relate to your story. Can you take me back to the moment that you first got stuck? Like what was happening? What made you decide to get up and literally go map your story out on the wall? Talk about that a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

Okay, so I have to paint the picture for you. I had been working on my novel for a while at this point. I had taken your notes to novel course and fully immersed myself in it. I had my outline mostly done for act one, and I had been reading all the craft books, especially Save the Cat and Story Genius. So I felt prepared. I sat down to start writing my first draft and I was so excited, like this is happening. I'm writing my book. But then I got deep into it and something started to feel off. I kept going back to reread pages I'd already written just to remember where I was. I'd open my outline document and feel this wave of frustration almost, like I was trying to see the whole room through a keyhole. I could see a little piece, but I couldn't see the whole picture. And my story takes place over just five days. You'd think that would be simple, but I had characters moving through overlapping scenes, moments happening within minutes of each other, and I kept losing track of who was where and when. The story technically worked on paper, but it felt tangled, and I just couldn't move it forward. And I remember sitting at my desk one night after my family was in bed. This was supposed to be my writing time, the time I had carved out to write, and I just felt completely stuck, frustrated, like I was going in circles. And I started wondering, is this something wrong with my story? Am I missing something? Why can't I push through this? So I did what felt natural to me. And from my years working in experience design, I got up from my desk, went to the wall with butcher paper and sticky notes and sharpies, and I started mapping. And within an hour, I could start to see my story. I knew where some of the gaps were in my first draft. I knew where the timeline was getting muddy. And I realized that for me as a visual learner and thinker, I just couldn't fully see my story when it was on the page. So I realized I had a visibility problem and found that story mapping helped me push through it and gave me more confidence writing my draft.

SPEAKER_00 6:03

That's actually the perfect description of what it feels like to be lost in your draft. He said, trying to see the whole room through a keyhole. I resonate with that so much. And what I love about your instinct, Danielle, is that you're not pushing harder, trying to do something that doesn't work. What you did is you stepped back and you changed the medium entirely. And that's what unlocked it for you, which I think is really cool. So let's actually dig into this a little more. I know you just said your story map has literally taken over your hallway at this point, but walk me through what you actually see on your wall. So if I were standing there next to you, what would I see?

What A Story Map Looks Like

SPEAKER_01 6:38

Okay, so imagine you're standing in my hallway because yes, my story maps have officially taken over the top of the stairs and down the hall. My family has fully accepted this is just part of our home now. What you'd see first is the big horizontal spread. It runs left to right across the different acts of my story. So act one on the left, act two in the middle, and act three on the right. And those are all labeled on the wall, so I always know where I am in the story at a glance. Then running top to bottom, you've got about five rows, and each row is a different color, a sticky note. You gotta be coordinated. As an example, pink is for the key goals for the story. The question really is what does my protagonist want and what does she need? Then orange sticky notes capture the key scenes and beats across my story. This is the action, what's actually happening across the story. Yellow stickies highlight what the key conflicts are, so what's getting in the protagonist's way, what happens between the protagonist and the antagonist. Then green sticky notes are for the key decisions and resolutions that happen to identify how those conflicts all play out across the story. And finally, blue is for the other key characters, so identifying who the other supporting characters are and what their arcs look like. So when you step back and look at it, it's this grid of color-coded sticky notes, and each square is its own little story moment, and it's messy, intentionally messy. There are sticky notes that are piled on top of each other, some have questions on them that I need to come back to. There are crumpled ones on the floor underneath that got pulled down in, you know, from a brainstorm session, and I think it's a badge of honor when that happens. It means the story's getting tighter. So the beautiful thing is that I can walk up to it anytime in the middle of the day, take it all in, and I know exactly where I am and where I'm going. Having it accessible keeps it more top of mind, and I find I do a lot less rereading my prior scenes before I get back to writing. So it's a quicker way to get back into writing my draft.

SPEAKER_00 8:42

What I love about that breakdown, Danielle, is that it's not like it's some precious thing or that it's, you know, very complicated or anything like that. It's literally just a grid of colored sticky notes, and your story is right there visibly on your wall. You can reference it anytime you walk past it, anytime you need it, it's literally right there. So no opening a document, no scrolling to find your place or where you left that random note last Tuesday, anything like that. You just literally look up and it's right there on your wall. So let me ask you a practical question. Because if a listener wanted to try this today, and let's say they're headed out to Target, what kind of budget should they plan for? And what things should they actually be purchasing once they're there? Talk to me a little bit about that.

Supplies And Digital Alternatives

SPEAKER_01 9:24

Oh, I love this question. I love a good mapping supply hall, but here's what I always have on hand. So keeping it simple is definitely the key. First, buy a big roll of butcher paper or craft paper. You can find that at an office supply store or even at Target. You want to cover a section of the wall, so a door, a hallway, a table if you have to. You need a surface so you can stick things to it and have the ability to move the post-it notes around. So think of the butcher paper as your canvas. Second, you'll need sticky notes, and this is important, get multiple colors. You want to have at least five different colors so each row of your map has its own branding. I use the standard three by three inch post-its in pink, orange, yellow, green, and blue. And the colors are not random. They each represent a category on your map, so you can see your story at a glance and know what you're looking at. And I find that the post-it note brand sticks the best, but I've always got scotch tape available if I need reinforcement. Then you'll need Sharpies. I always use black Sharpies. Don't use a ballpoint pen. You'll never be able to read it from across the room. You want your sticky notes legible when you step back, and sharpies are definitely the move. But beware of the surface you're writing on so that the color doesn't get on the actual surface underneath the paper. And finally, blue painter's tape to mount your butcher paper to the wall without damaging anything. It's built to not pull the paint off your wall, so that's very important. And that's it. You're probably looking at$25, maybe less, and that little$25 investment, it might be the thing that can unlock your whole book, so it's definitely worth it. And I do also want to add though, if you want to go digital, there are a few tools like Miro, Plotter, or Fig Jam, and they are great digital whiteboard options that work beautifully for story mapping. I will admit that once I've mapped on the wall, I'll bring it into a digital whiteboard so I can reference it wherever I go and keep it archived. A little disclaimer for mapping digitally though, is it's a little too easy to go down rabbit holes and get caught up in the design. Just try to remind yourself that simple is better. Your main goal is to finish writing your book, so you want to make sure that your map is a help. It's getting your thoughts out up onto the wall and then helping you go back to your writing and make a difference. But honestly, there's something about physically getting up and moving sticky notes around that does something to your brain. So start by mapping on the wall with sticky notes if you can, and then send me pictures of your map. I love to see how creative writers get with their story maps.

SPEAKER_00 12:02

Okay, that's so cool. So for$25 or less, you can get all this stuff and start mapping out your story. And like Danielle said, this could be the one exercise that unlocks everything for you. So just to kind of put that in perspective, too, because if you're listening and you're anything like me, you probably have a giant collection of craft books. And you know, some of those cost more than$25. So we spend, you know, that amount on craft books we don't even finish sometimes. And here's a tool that Danielle is suggesting for you that might actually get you unstuck and moving forward for less than that. All right, Danielle, now here's a question I know listeners are probably going to have. A lot of them have probably already done some outlining work. So where does story mapping fit into this? Is this something that you do, let's say, instead of outlining with Save the Cat or the Hero's Journey or, you know, things like that? Or is this something that you do alongside a plotting framework like Save the Cat or something like that? What are your thoughts on that?

How Mapping Supports Outlines

SPEAKER_01 12:59

This is such an important question because I think some writers hear story mapping and wonder if it's just another thing they have to do before they can actually write. And I want to be really clear that it's not. Story mapping isn't a replacement for your outline, and it's definitely not a replacement for anything you teach in Notes to Novel. Honestly, notes to novel is what got my story off the ground. What story mapping does is sit underneath all of it. It's the visual foundation that makes everything else click a little bit faster. So think of it this way: your outline is your detailed plan, your draft is your execution, and story mapping is what helps you see the landscape before you start planning, so that when you do outline, you're not outlining in the dark. And when you do draft, you're not getting lost in the pages. I always say it's not about adding more steps, it's about creating a single source of truth for your story so that everything else flows from it. For writers who are already mid-draft and feel stuck, the map is what helps you figure out where you are and why you're stuck without having to read 40 pages to find your footing again. I used to get stuck doing that all the time. You just walk up to your wall and you get right into the part of your story where that you're working, and you're able to get back to writing. So whether you're brand new to your idea, deep in your outline, or stuck somewhere in act two, story mapping meets you exactly where you are. And that's what I love most about it.

SPEAKER_00 14:25

I think that's so important. So I just want to repeat what Danielle said. She said, have a single source of truth for your story. Couldn't agree more. I think you're totally spot on on that. Now, here's a question for you, Danielle. Can you give me a specific example of something that you discovered about your own story because of mapping your story on the wall? Like something that you genuinely don't think you would have caught if it was still, you know, trapped inside Scrivener or Google Doc or Microsoft Word, wherever you used to put it. What's something that changed for you and your story because of story mapping?

A Real Fix From The Wall

SPEAKER_01 14:57

Oh, this is such a good question. Let me see. So when I mapped out my timeline, remember my story takes place over five days. I could actually see the pacing of my scenes in a way that a document just can't show you. I had a few scenes in the middle of the book that were sitting right next to each other on my map. And when I stepped back and looked at it visually, I realized that my protagonist was making basically the same decision twice in a row. Like she was responding to conflict the same way with the same instinct, and there was no growth between those two moments. On the page in a document, that's really hard to catch because you're reading linearly and you know you kind of get swept up in your writing. But on the wall, I could literally see it. Two sticky notes, same color, same kind of language sitting side by side, and I thought, okay, she's not changing here. She's just repeating herself. That one discovery probably saved me from writing an entire section of Act Two that would have fallen flat. I pulled those notes off the wall, crumpled them up, dropped them on the floor, and started asking myself better questions. What if she made the wrong choice this time? What if this conflict pushed her backward before she could go forward? And that's when Act Two really came alive for me at that point in the story. So you can actually see if your conflict escalates or if it flatlines. And that you can't always feel that when you're inside the document. So the map gives you a bird's eye view of seeing where the gaps are and where patterns are starting to emerge.

SPEAKER_00 16:28

I'm glad you highlighted that because that's something I think is really different than working in a Google Doc or Scrivener or whatever, right? There's something about that physical act of being able to pull something down and throw it away that actually feels like making progress. And I know that a lot of writers, you know, they might have like a trash file or like a, you know, notes I'm gonna save for later file. And I feel like those type of files get really messy really fast. So it is a different feel. And I know it sounds kind of simple, right? I'm saying, like, wow, it feels so special to take something off the wall and make a decision about it. But if you're someone who has that big Scrivener file full of, you know, notes to reference later or things like that, then making a decision of something you're gonna not do or not include in your story, that does feel like a big deal. So I'm really glad you highlighted that. Now, last question for you, Danielle. If someone is brand new to writing, so let's say they have an idea, but they don't have anything written yet, what's the very first thing that you think they should put on their wall?

Three Sticky Notes To Start

SPEAKER_01 17:28

I love this question because I think a lot of writers feel like they can't start mapping until they know more. And I want to flip that completely. So if you have a story idea and even nothing else, the very first sticky note I want you to put on the wall is the answer to this question. What does your main character want? That's it. One sticky note. What does your protagonist want more than anything? And what are they chasing? What are they reaching for? Because everything in your story, every conflict, every scene, every decision is going to push toward or pull against that one thing. It's the heartbeat of your story, and once you can see it on the wall, even if it's just a few words you've started, you're no longer someone with an idea, you're someone with story ideas that are forming a map. From there, I'd add a second sticky note. What's standing in their way? That's your conflict. And a third, how are they different at the end than they were at the beginning? That's your transformation. So three sticky notes, that's the story foundation. That's enough to start mapping forward. You don't have to know everything. You just have to see what you know today, and the map will help you figure out the rest. One sticky note at a time.

SPEAKER_00 18:36

All right, so three sticky notes. What does your protagonist want? What's standing in their way? And how are they different by the end of your story? I think that's great, Danielle, because it's the opposite of overwhelming, right? It's almost like permission to start with the bare minimum and then let the map do the rest. Which, you know, a lot of the times when we're feeling overwhelmed, we're at the start of a new story and there are thousands of decisions to be made. It really is best to just start with like, what is the bare minimum and how can I really just nail something down like my character and their journey before opening this up into each microplot event. So really like that. Well, Danielle, before I let you go, where can my listeners find you and learn more about story mapping?

SPEAKER_01 19:17

Oh, thank you. Yes, the best place to find me is on Instagram. I'm Danielle Nicole, and my website is mapyourstory studios.com. Everything lives there. I do have a free map your story guide that I'd love for your listeners to grab. It's a great starting point to try some of what we talked about today with story mapping. And if they want to go deeper, I have a three-day map your story challenge, which is a self-guided experience that's available as soon as they download it, where they can see a few short instructional videos and a handbook and where they can map out the core foundation of their story. I'll make sure you have the link for your show notes.

Where To Find Danielle Plus Freebies

SPEAKER_00 19:54

Danielle, thank you so much for being here today. It was so fun not only having you as a notes to novel graduate, but also as someone who's helping writers out of the situation that you found yourself in way back when. So very cool.

SPEAKER_01 20:06

Yeah, absolutely. Thank you so much for having me. This was super fun.

Host Wrap Up And Next Steps

SPEAKER_00 20:10

All right, so that's a wrap for today's episode. And I hope you are already adding butcher paper and sticky notes to your list for your next target run. And if you want to try story mapping, go grab Danielle's free guide. I will link to it in the show notes. I'm also going to link to my free quiz. So if this episode got you really excited about taking the next steps on your writing journey, then go take my free quiz that will give you a personalized playlist of podcast episodes based on where you're at in your own writing, editing, and publishing journey. So instead of digging through 200 plus episodes wondering where to start, this quiz will do the work for you and send you a list of 10 episodes that'll meet you right where you're at and help you get to where you want to go next. Go to savanna gilbo.com forward slash quiz to take the free quiz and get your personalized podcast playlist. One more time, that's savanna gilbo.com forward slash quiz, and we will have that link for you in the show notes as well. As always, thank you for tuning in. I hope your writing is going well, and I will see you next week.