A tool to help writers organize their characters and plot their story

Michelle of 'Juiced on Writing' introduced us to a whole new and exciting way of using the Family Tree Builder software (or FTB as we like to call it): as a means to map and understand the relationships between fictional characters when writing a book.

A writer herself, Michelle knows that when writing a novel writers often like to get an overview of their characters and their development over time. And, where the ages and dates are important, or where there is a complexity in the character relationships, a process-orientated program such as Family Tree Builder allows you to do just that.

She points out that not all software programs can be used for fiction, as some send error messages, if you try to put in a future date, or a setting which a linked database doesn'd recognise as an actual place on earth. However,

Family Tree Builder does allow this, and has the major advantage that it allows you to create multiple levels of sometimes complex graphs of characters and their relationships.

It is great to hear that MyHeritage is enabling writers to create stories this way, so thanks Michelle for letting us know!