Chapter Seven: Sorry, it's supposed to have a point?
Dedicated to TheOrangutan because I randomly thought about him while writing this. For some reason.
Before I get started, I'd like to talk about an issue that is very close to my heart, an issue that I believe every single person and government should be aware of.
The band of my existence: Automatic flush toilets.
Yes, you heard me right. There are two types of the infernal devices:
1) The over sensitive toilet: flushes every time you sit up straighter.
2) The under sensitive toilet: Won't flush even after you wave your hand in front of the sensor for a minute. Or drape toilet paper of the red light and play a few levels of Angry Birds, only to take the paper off and find it still won't flush.
I see absolutely no point in using these. They aren't more sanitary (type two, people?) and people are supposed to wash their hands after anyways, so what does it matter? And they definitely don't save water... Well type two does, but it also saves other things.
Another thing I don't see a point in is when people who are apparently writing a FanFiction or another have no point to their writing. I brought in a handy-dandy plot diagram a few chapters ago, lets see if it's somewhere in my notes...
Nope. So I'll just type up another using the ever so slightly inconvenient but still all right iPod keyboard...
------------/C\
---------B/----\
---------/-------_D__
____A_/
Please ignore the fact it looks nothing like a legitimate plot diagram or even an illegitimate one. Again, iPod keyboard.
Basically, you've got four basic steps: Start, where you're getting stuff started (Really? You live in an orangutan-infested forest? Tell me more about these creeepy disappearances recently!); middle, which is the meat and most of the plot (Let's go investigate that orangutan over there for 80k words because I saw a bit of blood on his lip!); climax, where everything clicks (like the trigger of your gun when you realize it's out of bullets during the final battle - how will you best the vile Brian now!?) and finally the conclusion where the dust has settled (Brian was restrained from his eeeevil tendancies and life had returned to normal).
Sadly what I've seen too much is something far to random to draw using underscores and dashes (and slashes) on my iPod's little notepad, so I'll just explain: writers jump around.
This is the plot of a good book:
One day a student - ta-daaaa - lights the entire classroom on fire because he forgot his homework. Of course he doesn't admit his even to himself, and life continues as normal.
End of book: Blah blah he discovered his true power blah made friends blah.
And you can guess what's in between. But the fanfics I've seen way back when seem to go more like this:
One day Bobby McGee jumps a train to become a PKMN trainer. Blah stuff happens.
End of book: And finally Misty the girl turned animal was returned home.
All right. Wait what? Are you telling me the beginning of the book had absolutely nothing to do with the end? <:o I can't even tell what the point here was!
Sure you have multiple ideas. I respect that. But first and foremost comes the main idea, the point of your book, the steel girders by which the building is supported. Sure it has a few offices in it. Sure you'll want WiFi. But before you start you need a foundation, and the last thing you get rid of in the end is the foundation. (Note: I don't actually mean to remove the foundation.)
What you start with, you finish with. There are multiple sub-plots within any good story, but any good story has a beginning and an end that are related. It doesn't have to be on the first page, but within a little bit of beginning the book the foundations for the end must be laid.
Thanks for reading. If you liked, feel free to tell me, if I should have gone deeper say that too. Even though I won't, there are professionals who know what they're saying and actually have the ability to get published for that.
And finally, I can always use suggestions for the next chapter :)
