Here’s a blog that’s short on words but with lots of pictures.

Ever since I started writing books I have always made some kind of diagram or map to help me do it. Writing a book is hard and I do everything I can to make it easier. Making maps is just one of those things.

I’ve kept them all and thought I’d post a few here. They are all slightly different, because every book is, but however they look, they help me get my thoughts straight before and during the time that I put fingertips to the keyboard.

I’ve posted them here in reverse order – newer books first…

These are various maps for a version of a book that I aborted several times. The book’s finally coming out this October in the UK, and is now called She Is Not Invisible.

The simple map for Midwinterblood. That’s raspberry juice at the bottom,  by the way 🙂

The map for White Crow – note the working title; titles often change.

This is the map for Revolver, literally, for once, a map.

The three-pager for My Swordhand Is Singing

This is the first of three versions of a map for The Book of Dead Days

This is the third of three maps used for The Book of Dead Days

This is a sketch I did of ‘The City’ for The Book of Dead Days; I don’t always do sketches but they sometimes help to bring the place to life in my head.

A couple of maps for Witch Hill; rare for me to use ink since usually I am rubbing things out and changing them.

And a sketch of Alison, the accused girl in Witch Hill

Finally: a curiosity – the map for the fourth of the four books I wrote before I got my first title published.