The Writer's Compass: From Story Map to Finished Draft in 7 Stages

Map out your idea and finish your story in 7 stages!

This book will show writers how to develop their ideas into a finished novel by working through it in 7 stages, while learning how to mapping out their story's progress and structure so they can evaluate and improve their work. It teaches writers to visualize their story's progress with a story map that helps them see all the different components of their story, where these components are going, and, perhaps most importantly, what's missing.

The book simplifies Aristotle's elements of good writing (a.k.a. that each story should have a beginning, a middle and an end) into easily applicable concepts that will help writers improve their craft. The author helps readers strengthen their work by teaching them how to focus on one aspect of their story at a time, including forming stories and developing ideas, building strong structures, creating vibrant characters, and structuring scenes and transitions. Thought-provoking questions help writers more objectively assess their story's strengths and weaknesses so they may write the story they want to tell.

Nancy Ellen Dodd is a writer, university instructor, and an editor who currently teaches screenwriting and management communications at Pepperdine University. She also teaches writing workshops, and has co-taught with entertainment icons such as director/producer Tom Shadyac, screenwriter/director Randall Wallace, and Emmy-award winning comedy writer/executive producer Dick Blasucci.