Reflections on Good Writing and Good Writers ~ The Importance of Setting in Fiction and Nonfiction

Many writers are inspired by characters and plot when they write fiction
or by a passion to inform, educate, or persuade when they write nonfiction.

As a writer I often find my way into a fiction or nonfiction piece through setting.

The first time I remember writing as a child was in third grade,
and my piece included a map of our village’s waterfront.
I don’t remember what I wrote, but I remember the map I drew with its marked

lighthouse, wharf, holes in the basaltic cliffs, and a creek spilling over a waterfall.

The Waterfall Along the Beach

Margaretsville, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 25, 2018

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue

All Rights Reserved

I do remember that my brother Roy and I spent many hours scouring
any hollows or “caves” in the basalt along the beach looking for pirates’ treasure.
We had heard of the infamous pirate Blackbeard 
and the Oak Island treasure on Nova Scotia’s South Shore, 
so why couldn’t there be pirates burying treasure on the Fundy Shore in Margaretsville?
I think my story was likely about pirates and treasure.

To this day my storytelling, whether fiction or nonfiction, is heavily influenced by setting.

Blackbeard the Pirate

Photo by Thomas Quine ~ Flickr ~ License

Setting is the time and place a story unfolds, and it is not merely background scenery.

It influences a character's choices and actions, shapes the atmosphere, supports the theme,

and often creates a symbolic framework, deepening meaning.

Throughout my life I have felt a deep connection to landscapes I am immersed in,

from the austere subarctic taiga, to the carved sandstones of the Colorado Plateau,

to the volcanic islands of French Polynesia.

I would argue that our personal settings impact our choices and actions in life,

and I often reflect this reality in my writing.

Fiction writers have been using setting in their writing throughout history.

One of the earliest known literary works, the Epic of Gilgamesh (circa 2100 BCE),

places its heroic characters in specific landscapes including

the ancient Sumerian city-state of Uruk 

located in the the Fertile Crescent of southern Mesopotamia 

and in a Cedar Wood forest likely in the Anti-Lebanon Mountains of Syria.

The epic poem explores the "themes of civilization, heroism,

and the search for immortality against the lens of its setting." Whitlark*

Tablet V of the Epic of Gilgamesh

Dr. Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin ~ Wikimedia ~ License

Setting is crucial as a framework in such literary classics as Homer's Odyssey,

Chaucer's Canterbury Tales, Shakespeare's MacBeth, Defoe's Robinson Crusoe,

and Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath.

In novels like Brontë's Wuthering Heights, Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby,

Morrison's Beloved, Prolux's The Shipping News, and Weir's The Martian

the stories are inseparable from their settings,

and the settings are why the stories matter. 

Without a strong setting, the emotional and thematic weight of stories is diminished.

Source

In nonfiction setting is an important element when the location and time

are critical for context and for shaping the meaning of real life experiences.

This occurs especially in such nonfiction genres as

 memoir, travelogue, historical narratives, nature and environmental writing, 

journalism, science writing, and essays.

Setting is fundamental to memorable nonfiction like Halliburton's The Flying Carpet,

Frank's The Diary of Anne Frank, Abbey's Desert Solitaire,

Matthiessen's The Snow Leopard, and the Weinersmiths' A City on Mars.

Without the settings in these nonfiction stories, there would be no stories.

Delicate Arch

Source

In my fiction and nonfiction writing, setting has played an integral part,

especially in my northern memoir, my current WIP.

The rhythms of the rugged and remote Hudson Bay Lowlands

sculpt the lives of the people who live there,

and I am working hard to capture the impact of the landscape on its people.

Roy and I, No Longer Hunting for Pirate Treasure

Less than two years later, we had become voyagers.

Lansdowne House, Ontario, Canada 

Spring 1961

© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue  All Rights Reserved

 

For thousands of years, setting has been a powerful tool in a writer's tool box.

Setting grounds readers in a believable place and time.

It increases emotion and reveals truths about characters or real people

and their experiences,

how they live, struggle, and transform.

It gives stories their depth, resonance, impact, and longevity.

What are your thoughts on setting?

Is it an important element in your fiction or nonfiction?

I have shared memorable fiction and nonfiction examples

of stories featuring settings that I have loved.

Please add to my examples in the comments.

Happy creating!

Till next time ~ Fundy Blue

Notes:  

1.  For the record, Blackbeard likely never visited Nova Scotia, and the origin of the Oak Island treasure is uncertain.

2.  Source*:  The Gilgamesh Epic: Analysis of Setting by James Whitlark.  2022.  EBSCO Knowledge Advantage.

The Insecure Writer’s Support Group – Anniversary Edition

The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting!

The awesome co-hosts for the September 3 posting of the IWSG are Kim Lajevardi, Natalie Aguirre, Nancy Gideon, and Diedre Knight!

September 3 question - What are your thoughts on using AI, such as GPChat, Raptor, and others with your writing? Would you use it for research, storybible, or creating outlines\beats?

This month marks the thirteenth anniversary of the IWSG website and fourteenth anniversary of the beginning of the IWSG with the monthly blog posting.

We would like to thank those of you who have been with us on this journey, some from the very beginning. If you are new to our site or the group, here are the accomplishments of the past fourteen years:

• A website with a huge database of information for writers: writing tips, querying, self-publishing, contests, marketing, and conferences.
• A monthly blog hop on the first Wednesday of every month.
• Anthology contests, producing seven IWSG anthologies.
• #IWSGPit, a Twitter pitch party that resulted in countless writers finding publishers.
• IWSG Facebook group with 5.1K members.
• IWSG X/Twitter with 10.9 members.
• IWSG Instagram with 1900 members.
• Our own monthly newsletter with tips and features.
• Two IWSG books–free writing guides–compiled from member contributions.
• IWSG swag – t-shirt, notebooks, mugs, and more, created to help with the funding of the domain name and email.
• Partnerships with Reedsy, Medium, Mary Kole, The Ninja Writer’s Club, Carolyn Johnson-Howard, and more.
• Hundreds of articles from industry experts.
• The honor of being a Writer’s Digest, The Write Life, and Best Writing Blogs award winner many years in a row.
• And over the years, dozens of admins who kept it all going by donating their time and efforts.

You can find links to everything listed above either in the navigation bar at the top or in the sidebar to the left.

While we have scaled back on some items (and will be scaling back in two areas this month) we are still dedicated to bringing you the best in the writing-editing-publishing-marketing world.

We hope you will continue on this journey with us.

What is your favorite aspect of the IWSG? What would you like to see more of from us?

Book Lover, Reviewer, Proofreader

PIXABAY 

Lloyd Russel has been a book lover since early childhood, but he didn't start his literary career until 2011 when he first posted on his blog--BOOKSAGE. Later, he started a book club at a local bookstore called  Recycle Bookstore, where authors were invited to meet readers and share their books. That membership is now at 181 avid readers and authors who--thanks to Covid and Zoom--are from around the U.S. and other countries.

 I asked Lloyd some specific questions about his approach to reviewing books:

Me: What is the best way to ask you for a review? Email, Instagram, FB etc.

Lloyd: Email is the best way to ask for a review.

Me: What criteria do you use to choose a book for review?

Lloyd: My biggest criterion for choosing a book to review is time! Between my professional reviewing and my proofreading, time can be tight.

Me: Do you give feedback to writers as a reviewer? e.g. helpful criticism or suggestions?

Lloyd: I tend not to give writing feedback to authors. I prefer to write my review and emphasize the positive aspects of the book. Since editing is not my strength, I want my review to reflect how it comes across to the readers.

Me: Do you ever choose to not review a book after reading it? If so, why?

Lloyd: The only time I won't write a review is if it's a book that I am not able to finish. If it's good enough to finish, I will definitely write a review, again emphasizing the positive aspects of the book.

Bad Movies Can Teach You a Lot About Good Writing

We want to learn from the best. But sometimes, we can learn from really bad writing. In particular, badly written movies!

RiffTrax and Mystery Science Theater 3000 have been riffing and making fun of bad movies for over thirty-five years now. As a big fan of both, I have watched almost four hundred episodes and soaked up the horrible writing. (And horrible acting, special effects, etc.)

So, here is a list of things I have learned, along with examples from the RiffTrax/MST3K collection.

Every scene should have purpose

Random scenes that don’t further the story or add to character development have no place in a story. We can’t throw in an event or character that serves no purpose or slows down the flow.

Examples:
Hellcats has a dancing scene that is not only bad, it adds nothing to story. (Except for the guys singing along with their own lyrics – “I am losing my dignity!”)
Lost Continent has a rock climbing scene that goes on and on and on.
Both scenes needed to go!

Plot needs to stay on track

Subplots can be woven into the main story but be sure they doesn’t stray so far from primary plot that readers forget or get confused. Keep focused on the path leading to the ending.

Example:
Birdemic has so many plots and things going on – driving scenes after driving scenes, stock options, dating this girl, the birdemic – which doesn’t even happen until halfway into the movie. This film is all over the map.
Make sure the main plot is the focus!

Edit for inconsistencies

Do characters change names or appearances? Do people appear when they should be somewhere else? Keep a detailed list of all characters and events to keep them straight.

Example:
In Space Mutiny, a woman dies and later appears in another scene.
Again, watch for those inconsistencies.

Eliminate factual errors

Details matter. Readers are savvy and will know when you haven’t done your research. Make sure to know the history, how things work, etc.

Examples:
In Bloodwaters of Dr. Z, the scientist develops a formula that can turn a person into a catfish-like creature. Yes, a catfish. Not possible! Even stretching the imagination.
In Werewolf, all it takes is a scratch to turn one into a werewolf. Granted, werewolves are made up, but pretty sure it takes a bite.

All actions need to make sense

Make sure when a character does something, he would really do that. Would a person in that position do that? And action scenes sometimes push reality, but it still has to come together and make sense logistically.

Example:
In Plan 9 From Outer Space, one of the deputies scratches his head with the barrel of his gun.
No law enforcement is that dumb!

Characters need to grow and change

Readers are invested in the main characters and they need to evolve over the course of the story. If they don’t change, if things just happen to them, it won’t matter how good the plot.

Example:
For this one, I going outside of my two sources. World War Z – Brad Pitt’s character is exactly the same from beginning to end. The zombies don’t change him one bit.
Characters must change, for better or worse!

Dialogue needs to be good and flow well

Reading dialogue out loud is a great way to catch clunky phrases or unnecessary repetition. Would a person really say that? If it sounds odd when you say it, chances are it is awkward.

Example:
In Cave Dwellers, most of the dialogue is awkward. From every character. The lines were obviously the first thing someone spouted off.
Polish that dialogue!

Understand your reader’s expectations

Every genre comes with standards. Elements readers expect. A story also has to unfold as it was initially described, not stray off into another area or genre altogether.

Example:
Gumby the Movie – the title alone should pull up visions of what to expect. Wrong! There is a really dark element to the film. Plus Gumby and Pokey were created by an alien. From there, it only gets weirder.
Cater to your audience – don’t alienate them.

Write what we love

Are you writing what you love or in a genre that you just know will make money? When the passion isn’t there, it will show on the pages.

Example:
Atlantic Rim was a blatant ripoff of Pacific Rim. And it shows – the movie is just awful. The writers just went for a cash grab.
Write for love not money!



There you have it! And if you don’t believe me, go ahead and watch those riffed movies. I dare you.

What have you learned from watching bad movies?

Plot Devices: When, How, and Whether to Use Them

by Elizabeth S. Craig

Robin Higgins from Pixabay

Most readers can spot a plot device from a mile away. You know the kind of stuff I mean—those narrative techniques that move the story forward but sometimes feel a little too convenient. The overheard conversation, the suddenly discovered letter, or the long-lost relative who appears just in the nick of time to solve a problem. I read a book in June where the whole book hinged on two characters not telling each other one important fact from the beginning of the story to the end. It was a sort of miscommunication trope. A frustrating one.

Plot devices aren’t always a bad thing, though. They’ve been used in stories for centuries. But how they’re implemented can make the difference between a reader rolling their eyes or quickly turning pages.

Common Plot Devices and Reader Reactions

These plot devices appear frequently in fiction, with varying reader responses:
• The coincidental meeting - Characters “happen” to cross paths at just the right moment
• The eavesdropped conversation - A character overhears exactly the information they need
• The hidden document - A letter, will, or diary conveniently reveals crucial information
• The sudden skill - A character possesses exactly the ability needed in a crisis
• The timely arrival - Help arrives precisely when all seems lost

Readers tend to accept these devices more readily in certain genres. It might be a harder sell in literary fiction than commercial fiction.

Making Plot Devices Work

The key to using plot devices effectively is making them feel organic instead of contrived. Here are some ideas:

Set them up beforehand: If a character needs lockpicking skills in chapter ten, mention their misspent youth in chapter two.
• Create logical circumstances: If characters need to meet, put them in situations where such meetings make sense—community events, shared connections, or common interests.
• Add complications: Instead of having the hidden letter solve everything, let it create new problems or only provide partial answers.
• Acknowledge the convenience: Sometimes a character saying, “I can’t believe our luck” acknowledges what readers are thinking and defuses potential eye-rolling.
• Focus on character reactions: How someone responds to convenient information might matter more than how they obtained it.

When to Avoid Plot Devices

Some situations call for steering clear of obvious devices:
• When they solve problems too easily without any emotional cost
• If you’ve already used other devices in the same story
• When they undermine the established rules of your story world
• If they make your protagonist passive rather than active

Finding the Balance

Moderation and careful implementation is important.
Does this device move the story forward?
Is there a more organic alternative that would work?
Have I prepared readers so this doesn’t feel like it came out of nowhere?
Does this preserve the challenges my character needs to face?
Readers will forgive plot devices that lead to satisfying emotional payoffs. If the overheard conversation leads to a character confronting their deepest fears, readers are more likely to accept the convenience.
What are your thoughts on plot devices? Do you have favorites you enjoy as a reader, or ones that always make you groan?

Bestselling author Elizabeth Spann Craig weaves Southern charm into her cozy mystery series, featuring everything from quilting guilds to library cats. A lifelong mystery lover who grew up on Nancy Drew and Agatha Christie, Elizabeth has published over sixty books across five series. She shares writing tips on her blog and lives in Western North Carolina with her family and their corgi. Follow Elizabeth at elizabethspanncraig.com

Dog Days of Summer IWSG Day

 

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday of every month is officially Insecure Writer’s Support Group day. Post your thoughts on your own blog. Talk about your doubts and the fears you have conquered. Discuss your struggles and triumphs. Offer a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. Visit others in the group and connect with your fellow writer - aim for a dozen new people each time - and return comments. This group is all about connecting! Be sure to link to this page and display the badge in your post. 

And please be sure your avatar links back to your blog! Otherwise, when you leave a comment, people can't find you to comment back.

Let’s rock the neurotic writing world!

Our Twitter handle is @TheIWSG and hashtag is #IWSG.

The awesome co-hosts for the August 6th posting of the IWSG are Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Natalie Aguirre, Sarah - The Faux Fountain Pen, and Olga Godim!

Every month, we announce a question that members can answer in their IWSG post. These questions may prompt you to share advice, insight, a personal experience or story. Include your answer to the question in your IWSG post or let it inspire your post if you are struggling with something to say. 

Remember, the question is optional!

August 6 question - What is the most unethical practice in the publishing industry?

How are the so-called dog days of summer treating you? Are you hot yet? Is it unethical to say dogs and not cats? Would that be something different than ethics? Guess we'll leave that to cats and dogs.

Got any good unethical things you've tried? What? Don't want to share? Care to share the ones you've seen? What was the top dog? Or...ummm...top cat. Don't want to be unethical to the bears. Can't leave out the raccoons either. Don't forget the kangaroos. Darn. This ethics stuff is so annoying. Not as annoying as mosquitoes though. Didn't want to forget them.

Did you forget what you were supposed to say yet? Am I not focusing on ethics? Is it ethical to not talk about ethics in an ethics question? Beats the ethics out of me.

Who’s Your Real Audience?

Let's welcome Mary Kole back with answers I've needed for years. Thank you, Mary!

By Mary Kole

Recently, a writer friend posed a question that stopped me mid-scroll: What do you do when you write about teens… but not for them?

It’s a deceptively simple question. You’d think we’d have this figured out, given how many of us write middle grade and young adult stories—but often, the lines get blurry. Especially if your newsletter or social media is read mostly by adults, parents, grandparents, teachers, librarians, or booksellers. Especially if you don’t have a teenager in your house. Especially if your own teenage years feel emotionally present but logistically distant, like a fuzzy VHS tape of someone else’s ‘90s teen dramedy.

Let’s break it down. Because when we say “audience,” we’re often conflating three different things:

1. The Intended Audience

This is who your book is “for” in traditional publishing terms, otherwise known as the reader age group the story is meant to resonate with. If you're writing YA, it's fourteen-plus but, more likely, sixteen-plus. If you're writing middle grade, it's typically between eight and twelve, with some outliers in the thirteen and fourteen-year-old “gray area.” (This is where we get into modified MG, like “early” and “older” middle grade.) Easy, right?

This is where the article should end, but many writers know the truth is a little bit more complicated. We also have…

2. The Actual Readership

In the real world, many YA books are read by adults. Depending on the source, figures can reach as high as 55% of YA novels getting consumed by adults over thirty. And a lot of middle grade is consumed aloud by parents, teachers, librarians, or nostalgic grown-ups chasing the feeling of Harriet the Spy or A Wrinkle in Time. YA, in particular, is known for quick pacing, resonant stakes, and high emotions close to the surface. It’s easy to consume (though you won’t find me arguing that it’s easy to craft—that’s a longstanding publishing misconception that has haunted books for this age group).

I’m not talking about “crossover” titles like The Book Thief here, either. Those are the rare books published and packaged for several distinct categories (or target audiences), a decision usually made pre-release internally at a publishing house or after initial publication when a title just so happens to appeal across reader age ranges.

This is not, inherently, a problem. It just means that when you write about kids or teens, your audience may include—but won’t be limited to—people who are actually those ages. That’s true even if you're writing with full integrity toward your characters' emotional truths. I’m not sure I would consciously aim to address adults in MG or YA writing, as this can lead to some decided category no-no’s like inhabiting adult POV or going too deep down the rabbit hole of adult problems.

So we have your primary audience, the secondary “shadow” audience who’s also dipping into these books, and, finally…

3. The Marketing Audience

This is the trickiest one, and it’s where most writers get themselves tangled into multiple mental pretzels. The marketing audience means who’s buying your book, who’s reading and engaging with your posts, who’s on your mailing list, and who’s showing up at your events (or at least driving the minivan to them).

And let’s be real: If your followers are mostly fellow writers, bookish adults, teachers, librarians, or parents, your marketing persona is going to feel out of step if you pretend you’re talking to an actual fourteen-year-old. (Especially since kids younger than thirteen are technically and legally not supposed to have social media accounts, though we all know they still access these networks through their parents’ phones, or lie about their age to sign up for TikTok. Still, one could argue that they’re mostly not there to consume bookish content, as much as some of us wish this wasn’t the case.)

So what do we do with that disconnect?

Embrace the Split

You don’t have to pick just one audience. You just need to stop pretending they’re all the same.

You can write for young readers and still talk about your work in terms that attract adult readers and, more importantly, gatekeepers. Not literary agents or acquisitions editors this time, but the adults buying the books and stocking them in classrooms, school libraries, and bookstores. Because in children’s books, your end user (the reader) is often not the same person who pulls out the credit card and places the order.

What does this mean from a craft perspective?

You can explore teen characters with care and craft and discuss that process with grown-up readers who remember how formative (and messed up) those years were. You can market to the people who love kidlit, even if they no longer technically qualify as the target readership.

You might write about teens, but you shouldn’t write for those same teens on Substack. Instead, you can write for people who are interested in how stories are made, how voice works, how characters grow, and how we metabolize our younger selves through fiction. That includes other writers, readers, editors, and sometimes the occasional lurking third grader. (Hello! Keep reading books!)

While this has long been called a marketing problem, it can also be an opportunity to split your author and marketer self, as well as to tailor the various activities you do and conversations you have online so that all of the various segments of your future fans have something to enjoy.

Final Thought: You’re Not Doing It Wrong

If you’re feeling awkward about who your “real” audience is, it’s probably not because you’re confused—it’s because you're trying to be honest. The industry doesn’t always leave room for that. But you can.

Here are some useful questions to ask yourself as you both draft and market your work:

• Who is this book about?

• Who is this newsletter for?

• Who do I hope connects with this piece (whether it’s a novel or a newsletter article)?

x

Sometimes the answer will fall under the three different groups identified above. But that’s not a problem. That’s a Venn diagram. And it’s where you can empower yourself to exist more intentionally in the kidlit world.

Why Scene Mapping Is Your Secret Weapon

Pixabay.com

 You’ve done it. You’ve typed “The End” on your zero or rough draft. Maybe it’s a messy, chaotic pile of ideas. Maybe it only kind of resembles a novel. Either way, congratulations are in order — because finishing a draft of any kind is a huge milestone.

But now what?

That post-draft moment can be overwhelming. You know the story isn’t done, but diving right into edits without a game plan can feel like trying to rebuild a house while you’re still living in it. This is where scene mapping becomes your best friend — and your secret weapon.

 

What Happens After You Have a Zero or Rough Draft?

A zero draft (sometimes called a discovery draft) is your story in its rawest, most instinctual form. It’s often full of plot holes, dropped threads, inconsistent characters, and tangled pacing — and that’s perfectly okay. Its job was to exist, not to be perfect.

Once that first version is out of your head and onto the page, you’re ready for a different kind of work: structural clarity. Before you can revise well, you need to understand what’s already there. Scene mapping lets you do exactly that.

Author Note: My Scene Mapping Journey

I outlined Ghostwalker: Katje Storm Chronicles, Book 1 (Paranormal Women’s Fiction–Midlife) as a 150-word short form on Medium, which grew into 82 serialized posts. That became my first zero draft.

But the story still wasn’t clear.

So I started over, reshaping those skeletal scenes into something fuller—still under 10,000 words. In truth, I wrote two zero drafts: one long and exploratory, one lean and focused.

Reading it through, I saw logic gaps, underdeveloped scenes, characters that needed to go, and others begging for the spotlight. Worldbuilding emerged naturally as I told the story to myself from start to finish.

To get clarity, I built a story bible. It gave me focus, themes, and even a clearer ending.

Then I broke each scene into cards using Google Docs. It’s my way of crafting a fully fleshed first draft—without shutting down the pantser inside me.

The template below is what I use to track pacing, purpose, and momentum.

Why Scene Mapping Works

Think of scene mapping as laying all the puzzle pieces of your draft out on the table so you can see what’s missing, duplicated, or doesn’t quite fit. It’s not about line edits or prose yet — it’s about understanding the architecture of your story.

Mapping your scenes helps you:

• Visualize the flow of the narrative
  
  

• Track your protagonist’s emotional or character arc
  
  

• Identify scenes that serve no clear purpose (or serve the same purpose as five others)
  
  

• Spot missing beats in pacing, cause and effect, or rising tension
  
  

In other words, it turns the chaos into something you can work with.

How to Map Your Scenes Step by Step

There’s no one right way to do this. The best method is the one you’ll actually use. Here are three approaches that work well for different types of writers and thinkers:

Spreadsheet Method

Great for analytical minds who like structured overviews. Create a spreadsheet with columns such as:

• Scene Number
  
  

• POV (if multiple characters)
  
  

• Location
  
  

• Word Count
  
  

• One-sentence Summary
  
  

• Purpose (plot, character, theme, etc.)
  
  

• Conflict or Tension
  
  

• Outcome or Decision
  
  

This method is especially helpful if you're tracking arcs, timelines, or chapter balance across multiple drafts.

Index Card / Sticky Note Method

Perfect for visual and tactile learners. Write each scene on a separate card or sticky note. Lay them out on a table, wall, or corkboard.

• Move scenes around to experiment with flow
  
  

• Identify where tension rises or falls
  
  

• Visually cluster related scenes (e.g., by subplot, POV, or theme)
  
  

• Remove or combine redundant beats
  
  

It’s flexible, intuitive, and great for spotting patterns and gaps.

Kanban Board Method

Ideal for writers who like visual project management tools (like Trello or physical whiteboards). This method lets you track the status of each scene as you revise.

Set up columns such as:

• To Review
  
  

• Needs Rewrite
  
  

• Needs Expansion
  
  

• Cut / Combine
  
  

• Good as Is
  
  

Then write each scene on a digital card (in tools like Trello, Notion, or Scrivener’s corkboard view) or a sticky note and move it across the board as you work. You can color-code scenes by POV, plotline, or emotional arc for extra clarity.

This approach turns your messy draft into a living revision workflow. Plus, it feels incredibly satisfying to drag a scene into “Good as Is.”

What to Look for Once You’ve Mapped It

Now that you’ve got a bird’s-eye view, here’s what to check:

• Scene Purpose: Does each scene advance the plot, deepen a character, or raise the stakes?
  
  

• Flow and Momentum: Does each scene build on the last? Or does the story stall?
  
  

• Character Arcs: Can you see change happening? Do key turning points show up?
  
  

• Redundancy: Are you repeating emotional beats or exposition?
  
  

• Missing Scenes: Are there gaps in logic, setup, or payoff?
  
  

Scene mapping helps you diagnose before you rewrite. It's a story triage.

From Mapping to Meaningful Rewrite

Mapping doesn’t mean you have to scrap your draft. In fact, it often shows you that less needs to change than you feared — just more strategically. You’ll rewrite with intention, not overwhelm.

It also makes external feedback easier to use. Instead of vague critiques like “The middle is slow,” you’ll know which specific scenes are dragging — and exactly how they fit in the bigger picture.

In Closing...

Scene mapping isn’t just a tool — it’s a lens. It helps you see the story you’ve already told, and gives you the confidence to shape it into the one you meant to tell.

You already did the brave thing by writing the draft. Now let this be the strategic thing that turns it into something powerful.

---

P.S. I’ve created a free Scene Mapping Template you can use to jump-start this process. Download it [here].

Your Turn: Do you map your scenes? What’s your favorite method — spreadsheets, sticky notes, something else? I’d love to hear your approach in the comments!

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ABOUT

Juneta WRITES SPECULATIVE FICTION that is Evocative, Mythic, a little Magical, Adventurous, and somewhat Humorous! Come Explore Her Worlds.

She loves writing about Grumpy Old Gods, Space Opera, Paranormal Women’s Fiction & Sci-Fi Fantasy adventure, mysteries, and romance with all the complexity of human nature mixed in, whether human or non-human, mage, mystic or pilot. Stories that involve the mythology born of living and the shadows that make us all heroes, anti-heroes, villains, and poets. Learn More.