So we've talked about what a book map is and how you might find it useful. Why do I use them as an editor, and why am I teaching you? 

When I first started out as a freelance editor, I’d create and fill in a ‘book map’ for each client. It was a relatively simple Excel spreadsheet with categories and questions along the top – ‘timeline’, ‘setting’, ‘POV’, ‘what happens?’ ‘What do we learn about the main character’ etc. – and scene and chapter numbers down the left-hand side. 

Then I’d fill in the spreadsheet for every single scene in the manuscript, detailing what happened in the plot, what the characters were doing, how their arcs were unfolding, how the theme was developing and so on. I’d send that along to the client along with their report, feeling happy that I’d helped them see their manuscript in a new way. For me, it was just a handy extra resource to create for clients, but for them, it was way more useful than I’d imagined!'Most helpful part of their whole edit'
I started getting feedback from authors telling me how much they loved their book map. Some actually told me it was the most helpful part of their whole edit – even after I’d gone through their entire manuscript and left hundreds of notes in the margin! They were a huge hit. But after about a year, I stopped filling in book maps for clients. I still send an empty book map template along with their edits so they can fill it in themselves, but I don’t populate it myself. Why not, when it was so popular?Value in the task itself
The answer’s twofold. I realised that, although clients were loving the book map and really enjoying seeing their novel broken down in a different way, it would actually be more helpful for them if they filled it in themselves. By tracking factors like character choices, the development of subplots, how each background character contributed to the story and how each scene moved the plot along, I was getting to know the manuscripts really well and seeing patterns that I knew the author hadn’t spotted themselves yet. And it was useful for them to see this mapped out for them, but imagine how much more value they’d get out of doing all that work themselves? By interrogating their own story and looking for connections between subplots or gaps in information, they’d notice things they hadn’t noticed before and maybe come up with brilliant ideas for strengthening the story further. By filling it in myself, I wasn’t able to fully account for the most important element in the writing process: the author’s own unique vision for the story and how they wanted it all to come together, not just my interpretation of their vision.So much work!
And the other reason I stopped filling in the maps myself? It was A LOT of work. Like, hours and hours. I’d often end up having to read the manuscript through again a third time just to make sure I was summarising the scenes properly and not missing and links between threads or nods to theme. It was so time consuming I just couldn’t fit it into my projects anymore.But still authors would ask me for tips and advice on how to fill in their book map template. What were they meant to be looking for? How could they tell if they were doing it right?  And so this course was born!