INTRODUCE A STORY MAP AT ANY STAGE OF YOUR WRITING PROCESS. If you’re just beginning your story, implementing a story map will help you see where to start and where to spin off ideas to move your piece forward. As you map your ideas, you’ll discover that they help to propagate more ideas. Especially if you’re stuck at a particular point in your novel, you may want to update or create a new map so it reflects—or creates—fresh ideas and story structure. If you’ve already outlined or written most of your story, a story map may point out where your structure is weak or not fully developed by what you can’t fi ll in, or by what you’re struggling to answer.