THE Writer's Guide

Part 4 "Plot: The Basics"

Again, this is the first and most basic plot outline.  Please review Parts 5, 6 & 7 for additional layers of sophistication.  I hope one of these outlines will be helpful in helping you to craft your story. Again, I recommend beginning your writer's library with any and all of those books! (For more recommendations, be sure to check out Part 3).

Ideas for application to your creation:

I recommend going to an art supply store and purchasing LARGE sketch pads or even poster boards.  These help you to see the parts of your story as a "whole".  You can step back and get a feel for the plot when it's displayed in one place*.

Sketch pads and poster boards are also excellent places to cluster ideas about your characters, draw your settings, diagram webs of how your characters relate to one another, and so forth.

In order to be sure your conflicts are increasing in intensity, consider drawing a diagonal line going up and make off 3 or 4 conflicts your character will face.  Each conflict, moving upward, should be harder than the next. As the character overcomes these conflicts, the character is becoming stronger (mentally, emotionally, physically or a combination of these).

If you don't have a sketch pad handy, of course regular paper will work just fine.  I created the following flow chart that I use to "think through" the plot of my story.  (See example in 'frameworks.')

The "villain" or antagonist in the story is a key element in moving the plot forward.  Examine what your antagonist is doing at each step to be sure he/she is challenging your protagonist.

Writing Tips:

Hang the poster board of your story nearby.  It will help you when you get stuck or if you find your story taking unexpected turns (characters will do this to you), you make the changes right there on the poster board.  This is the easiest way to see if other parts of the story will need to change too.

Sticky notes are also very helpful.  I've taken a pad of sticky notes and wrote what each character will do at each part of my plot.  I could move them around them easily, throw some away, and add new ones.

Try to create a one or two sentence "logline" of your story.  This isn't a first step, but after you've tinkered with the ideas of your plot, try to see if you can put it into a couple of sentences.  If you can't, then you'll know where you're getting stuck.  Now, you can focus on that part.

Be patient with your plot.  There's a story in your idea and it will take some effort to untangle.  If something doesn't seem to want to 'cooperate', then let it go. 

Keep a writer's journal of your struggles.  Ask yourself questions.  Better yet, ask your character those questions.  Begin a dialogue with your character in a letter or journal.  Just let the words flow.  Don't force them to go to where you 'think' you want your plot to go—see where they take you.  You can always adjust your plot (especially if you used your sticky notes).

If you've read (and loved) Harper Lee'sTo Kill A Mockingbird, then you should read Go Set A Watchman.  Because Go Set A Watchman is horrible.  Absolutely terrible.  But, we can thank the literary gods that Harper Lee didn't stop crafting the story.  To Kill A Mockingbird is in there—you can see it, feel it—but she had a lot of untangling to do before To Kill A Mockingbird could be born. 

Google your favorite musicians and look for their early songs.   Chances are, they're horrible too.  Art knows not of time.  It's most beautiful self will present itself when the time is right.

FAQs:

How do I know what to use?  Start simple and move out.

I don't want to read those books.  Is there something else I can do to familiarize myself?  Yes, watch movies and TV shows. Spend time on Youtube looking for more tutorials and ideas.

What if I get stuck in the middle of my story?  Look at your villain/antagonist. Is the villain challenging the hero/protagonist be challenged to change? Look at your plot plan. Simplify it. Check to see if you are being trapped in a back story. Maybe that needs to be moved to the front.

How do I fit in a theme into my plot? Keep it simple. It can be just a few lines said by a character at the beginning and then reflect on at the end.

What if my plot is almost exactly like another story?  Am I plagiarizing? There is a saying, "No story is original, but the way you tell it will be." Think Romeo and Juliet. Even Shakespeare rewrote that plot and  it's been rewritten hundreds of thousands of times.