Floor Plans

At a recent meeting of my writing group, I shared a section of my current project. The section had two characters traveling though a house at two different times in history. After sharing, one member of the group asked if I had designed a floor plan since there were so many details, and they were so consistent from scene to scene. I responded that, of course, I did.

Earlier in the session, another member of the group had shared a piece he was writing about a hotel. He had a realization about his own writing, saying that he hoped when characters were coming out of the elevator they were turning the same way to get to the lobby!

One piece of advice I would give any writer is to create a map or floor plan as one of the earliest stages of your writing process. It doesn’t sound much like writing, but mapping an imaginary world, sketching out a floor plan or consulting existing maps and floor plans all keep details consistent. They’ll help you describe your setting to your readers, so that they can picture what you are seeing. Readers are smart and observant. They’ll notice if you make basic location mistakes.