I am horrible at drawing. So bad, that it’s a bit of a family joke, especially when we play any kind of drawing game, like Pictionary. My aliens look like Christmas trees and my horses look like clouds. At best. So when I once read in a book on writing the importance of sketching out scenes, I decided never to attempt it, even though I thought it might help with the writing process. Recently, I started a manuscript in which a map of the town would be beneficial, so I, with hesitation and shakiness, sketched out a rough, rough draft of a map, filling in a few sites, landmarks, stores, and locations. I had to start over quite a few times, but when I finally sat down to write with my map in front of me, the writing process was definitely easier. I was able to move characters around within the town, and I began to know their favorite places. This helped with characterization and other elements of writing such as plot and setting.
I then took it a step further, knowing that my drawing was not perfect, but it made sense to me. I zoomed in on the map and drew up the insides of stores, restaurants, and churches, the details of the town’s lake and hiking trails, and even mapped out the entire high school (the novel is YA). Some of it doesn’t make sense (a few roads aren’t connected, for example), but it was enough to get me going and help me “see” the town I was working with for this particular manuscript. To that end, I’ve researched a little more, and, using this and my own experience with drawing out scenes, I’m providing lists and examples that might be helpful to you and get you started with sketching. Hopefully you’re better at drawing than I am. You certainly can’t be worse!
MAPS
As mentioned above, even a rough sketch of a map can be helpful to your writing. Your readers will appreciate the detail and the accuracy of your setting, and you might even find your character in places you had not initially intended. Here are a few suggestions for mapping out your town or location:
Roadways: streets, roads, avenues, alleyways, drives, outlets, main thoroughfare
Transportation: bridges, railroad tracks, highways, overpasses, airports, shipping/boating
Natural Elements: lakes, ponds, rivers, oceans, hiking trails, wooded areas, forests, dams, state parks, marshes, caves, mountains
Town Staples: parks, landmarks, cemeteries, libraries, town hall, historical center, historical district, statues, post office, churches
Business: grocery stores, restaurants (pizza, Chinese, American, Bar and Grill, Indian, Italian, diners, etc.), hardware stores, ice cream shops, bakery, bank, book store, bed and bath stores, pet store, hotels and inns, office buildings
Entertainment: skating rinks, bowling alleys, arcades, opera house or theater, movies, mall
Schools: grammar school, middle school, high school, private school, Catholic school, colleges
Other: town lines (what towns border your town?), farms, pumpkin patches, apple orchards, factories, town green or other gathering places, festival sites, mansions, downtown areas
Fantasy/Sci-fi: galaxies, other lands, spaceports, royal kingdoms, star systems, creature lairs
I hope these locations help you fill up your map. If you think of other locations, please let us know in the comments!
SCENES
If you’re really good at drawing and you have an important scene, you might consider drawing it out first. Maybe your characters are having an argument at the edge of a cliff, and positioning is everything. Or perhaps you just want an overview of every detail of a scene. You might sketch up a character’s bedroom, for example, filling in bed position, dresser, stereo, photographs, mirrors, and other little things that might let the reader know a bit more about the character. Sketching out scenes might also serve as a “snapshot” should you need to reference something later on, like where a specific item is located.
CHARACTERS
If you’re brave enough, you might also consider sketching out your characters. This might help you “see” them better, filling in the many details of their physical appearance. For example, you might include their hair color and style, the color of their eyes, the length of their nose, the shape of their mouth, and even what kind of clothes they wear. I would definitely suggest doing this early on, even before starting up a new manuscript. Keep these drawings in your writer’s notebook or journal for easy reference.
SETTINGS
Outside of the full map, this one should help you out the most. Here, you can color in an entire setting, from a full castle to a little diner inside a small town. My first sketch-out of a specific setting was a pizza restaurant. I included the color scheme, the table placements, the artwork around the restaurant, where the front ordering counter was located, the windows, and the cooking area. You might go further than that, with character placement and menus—it depends on how often you’ll use the setting and how important it is to the overall manuscript. Some other settings you might consider sketching out would include wooded areas, houses your characters will inhabit, hotels, and workplaces.
Again, I hope these lists help you with your writing. Use your imagination, especially if you’re not strong with drawing, and know that the sky is the limit here. You can sketch out anything important in your story and keep going with details until you have something to work with that will draw readers into your full story.
Thanks for reading and good luck!
