When I first started exploring storyboards for novels, I didn’t know how to put more than a crappy collage together. My husband tried to teach me Photoshop, and I found some tools for making collages that were still pretty complicated.
Thankfully, since writing this post way back in 2015, the tools have dramatically improved. I now rely on Canva for practically everything. Whew.
I spent more than a year immersed in learning the intricacies of life in Syria and Jordan in order to create a base that reflected the devastation of the Syrian civil war, alongside the deep reverence for Islamic and, even more ancient, Middle Eastern cultures.
Long believed to be the seat of humankind and scarred deeply by the loss of culture and destruction of societies for thousands of years, the Middle East, and its importance as the central location for the end of The Sibylline Chronicles, made itself clear early in my research and story mapping process.
Travel and cultural identity proved key in these boards.
This is the point, honestly, where I started to realize that I could no longer sit behind my desk and truly understand, or be able to write about, the world of the Sibylline. It’s always amazing to really bring a character and a setting to life. I am so visual and really need this sort of mental imaging to get everything I want to say working for me. The colors are great. I’m inspired by the scenery. Emotions are running high. So cool.
When scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski said, “the map is not the territory” I understood. Walking the routes will eventually become necessary. I’m curious to see how this will unfold as the years spent working on this project pass.
You can follow this writing journey over on my social channels below. Pinterest is where I keep my storyboards!