All of my novels have graphics, whether it’s a flowchart, a family tree or a map. My publisher had been generous and patient enough to let me add these images. If you’re considering putting similar elements, here are 5 things every author should know before adding graphics to a novel.
Graphics should be an aid.
My mysteries are complicated for a couple of reasons. First, my amateur sleuth Rae Riley belongs to an extensive family on her dad’s side. Her great-grandfather’s five marriages to three women make up a family with as many branches as the Mississippi. And those relationships come into play in some of my novels. So at the front of every novel, I insert family trees so readers can flip to them if they are uncertain of a relationship.
Second, my mysteries throw a lot of clues and red herrings at readers. So it helps if Rae organizes the information she uncovers in tables or flowcharts or Venn diagrams. Those provide a quick reference if readers need a reminder as they follow the clues with Rae.
Graphics can add realism.
Rae Riley Mysteries are told from the first-person point of view of–you guessed it–Rae Riley. To make the reading experience as real for readers as possible, I want them to be so thoroughly in Rae’s head that they feel like they are experiencing the story with her. One way I do that is through graphics.
Rae is an amateur photographer. So it makes sense for her to draw tables or maps to help her understand the clues better. And by reproducing Rae’s work in graphics, it gives readers as sense that they are evaluating the evidence just as Rae would.
In The Riddle in the Lonesome October, the key to a lost inheritance is an Edgar Allan Poe poem. I used a different font when Rae reads the poem. I used another font for sections of a memoir written by a pastor’s wife and that hold clues to the inheritance. In both cases, the different fonts convey the sense that these passages are reproduced from actual books, lending to the fun of the treasure hunt.
Graphics should be crystal clear.
If you decide to insert graphics in your novel, make sure they appear sharp in both the ebook and paperback. A fuzzy graphic looks cheap.
Graphics should be uncluttered.
Don’t add more information or detail than you need. Readers will find graphics more useful if they can glance at them and don’t have to give themselves headaches picking out every detail.
Above all else …
Don’t use graphics as a substitute for storytelling. The information in the map Rae draws is always discussed by the characters. I don’t put anything in a graphic the characters haven’t talked about or Rae hasn’t thought about. The graphics are meant to enhance the story, not take its place.
What do you think of graphics in novels? What are your favorites? Maps, family trees, or something else?
Here are all my writing tips and prompts for the month.
