The first P activity, focused on your story's plot, will go much faster if you have a storyboard, as introduced in Part One of this guide. Your storyboard lists all your story's scenes and plot points, including all twists and turns. If you don't have a storyboard, you must pull those plot points from your story as you review each scene within every chapter.
A scene is an event that takes place within your story, and a chapter may contain one or more scenes. The plot is the overall story thread, and each plot point is a place in your story where that thread veers in a new direction.
If you have a storyboard, you don't even need to look at your manuscript for this activity. Here's what you do ...
Make sure every scene is included in your storyboard. Don't miss any. The key to succeeding at plot is to understand every scene of your story. If you find your storyboard too detailed to pick out the scenes, write out each scene on its own notecard, using just enough words to make it clear what happens in that scene. For example, "Cash is attacked by her co-worker in the office bathroom" is the opening scene from 100 Days in Deadland. Be sure not to skip any scenes, because you'll want to see each one clearly for this activity.
I use Post-it® notes to transcribe all the scenes from my storyboard so I can better see the flow of the story. I add stars next to turning points in the story. After I create each note, I stick it on my wall—scenes from a single novel often fill my entire wall.
Once you have a clear picture of each scene in your story, ask yourself the following two questions:
1. Will readers see any holes, contradictions, or lack of plausibility in the plot? If they can't suspend their disbelief, they can't become absorbed into your story. Skim through your scenes. Mark any places where you may need to add in more detail or make changes to ensure the plot is believable from beginning to end.
2. Are there any scenes that don't move the plot forward? Now, focus on your scenes. If you find a scene that has no tie to the plot, delete the scene. Your goal here is to leave out the parts that readers would skim over. Often, these are the infamous "day in the life" scenes. On my first book, I cut two entire chapters because they didn't move the story forward. Just because you cut the scene from your story doesn't mean it has to go in the garbage. Some scenes make excellent fodder for bonus features, short stories, or newsletter extras.
Once you've finished answering the two questions above, open your document. Make the changes needed to strengthen your story.
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