Wednesday, September 7, 2011

How to Make a "YA quest Project Notebook"

Okay so I will be the first to admit that writing YA is SO OUT OF MY BOX, it isn't funny. But when the idea hits you like a steamroller, you obey the muse.

So I had this idea to write a YA (thanks to my son and his amazing curiosity). But this story was one of both discovering the world he lives in and growing up. That mean I needed to know what he was going to go as he traveled.




When I had the theme and ideas firmly in my head I ploted out the story structure so I could begin the "journey".

I started looking at pictures of diferent places on earth and making a list of things I wanted him to see.






After the list was complete and the pictures gathered I needed a map. Luckily for me my hubby brings large pieces of paper home for me to use. I spent a few hours drawing it out. When I was happy with it, I went over it with markers to darken the lines. The origional map is about 4' x 5'.

Once the map was finished I took a picture of it and printed it off. Then I drew his path and what he would see and where.








Then with sticky notes I labeled the main scenes and placed the pictures with each scene.







Once the pictures were distibuted I glued them in the book from the end to the begining so I didn't run out of paper or have pages left over at the end of the book.










Now I have all my scenes and the pictures that serve as visual reminders of the journey right at my fingertips whenever/wherever I go.



5 comments:

Rebecca Blevins said...

Wow. I am majorly impressed! That looks so cool!

Pendragon Inman said...

Aww I know that handsewn book! :)

Unknown said...

It's so much fun to begin something new and you're so organized!!! That map looks awesome!

C. Michelle Jefferies said...

Rebecca, I'm not normally this organized, but this story demanded i know where they were going.

Pendragon yes i love the yellow and brown of the book. I need to make more for the other books. :)

Nisa, I should have shown you the map when you were here, its on my wall in my office. I had a blast making it.

Shari said...

Wow. That looks like a lot of work. Congratulations to you on an outline well done.