Good morning one and all it is time for our morning task as we move through the planning phase and into the actual writing part of or novel writing challenge. For those keeping track there are 40 pre planning tasks before we get to the actual writing so we plan through February and then start writing in March. Today we are on Task 23 and it is in keeping with the last two tasks. Let’s jump in.
Task 23 make a list of all the place names in your story. These are places your characters move through, places they talk about, and even places you know about but actually mention in the story. For instance, you may name the home town of one of your main characters but never actually use it in the story. Still as where we come from helps shape us, it may help to write down the name of the town/city/village/farm/or what have you and a few relevant bits about it. Perhaps it will give you a slightly different insight to your characters or perhaps when you are writing it will come up and having it already named on the list of places will keep you from becoming derailed as you search for the name. And if you don’t have exact names that is fine as well.
For example if you have a fantasy novel you are working on with characters going on a quest and camping in the wild you could have a place name that looks like this…
Camp 1:
- off king’s highway in pull out area designed for travelers
- only one day’s journey from the village of Garroway
- thick trees with snow on the ground in the shadowy places but the wind blocked by the thick boles
- first realize that someone is following them
And of course in our more routinely used example of Bob place names would include, the lumber yard, his house, his home town, the apartment where he goes post divorce and any number of daily visited places like his favorite coffee shop or specifics of his man cave/research lab.
This is also a task where pictures can be used. While you will want text describing why this place matters and the current spelling of the name you are using, adding a picture isn’t a bad thing. If a kitchen is important whether a home kitchen or a restaurant one, a screenshot or magazine clipping is not a bad idea, especially if you are using it for a reference for items. While I call this a list, because it is, don’t be afraid to fill it out with pictures to keep yourself on track. When I add pictures I will occasionally add notes or where certain items in my story are located so I can picture them moving around.
But there you have it, the task of the day. Have fun with it and make sure it is going to be a list you can easily return to for clear references. Make it as pretty or as utilitarian as you want, just remember you will be consulting and adding to it as you work. See you tomorrow for the next task.
Ten til Midnight 