The Handy Story Map

When I was writing the first draft of my novel, I more or less wrote by the seat of my pants - no outline whatsoever. Sure, there were those two scribbled pages with a few character names on them, but that doesn't count for much. I planned from the start that I'd write in whatever direction my story took me, and go back later to fix the plot and characters. It worked fairly well. I finished the draft in exactly a year to the day. It was then that I looked back at my work and said "Goodness gracious I should have mapped this thing out from the start." But it was too late. I'd have to do it the hard way.
          One of the tools I used to get my novel on  the right track was a story map. It would have been great, I realized, to have this from the beginning. I made my story map on a large piece of newsprint. it looked something like a triangle, with a few jagged edges to represent obstacles, with the climax at the triangle's point. Using sticky notes, I wrote out various events that happened in my story, and stuck them to them map in chronological order. Instantly, things became clearer, and  I could see the holes in my story and began to revise accordingly.
    Even if you don't like planning, I strongly suggest using this form of an outline to give you an idea before you write, of the main events that will occur  in your story. 
Have Fun!
-M