Developing A Plot
Developing a Plot
Credit: https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-master-the-art-of-plot-development#what-are-the-elements-of-a-good-plot
Introduction
Plot, also known as the bane of writers everywhere. How are you supposed to keep your readers entertained when there are so many other things they could be doing? How can you stretch out the events enough to cover tens or hundreds of pages? There is no one way to approach plotting, but there are ways to make it easier. In the end, the best way to plot is to practice!
Sketch out a plot outline
Mapping out your plot ideas can streamline your fiction writing process and help you through periods of writer’s block. The extent to which a writer outline varies, but plotters, plantsers, and pantsers alike can pick and choose which of these tips to use!
One way is to start with a freewriting session. Brainstorm scene ideas, story points, and character information. Next, organize your basic ideas into an outline to get your basic plot structure down. Place your major beats into your outline, and then create the scenes between these beats to create continuity in your storyline.
Start with the action
Your exposition--or the background information and worldbuilding for your book--has several important duties. It identifies the main character, establishes the setting and the themes of your story, and launches the plot. You need to write all this in a way that hooks the reader and engages them through the entire novel. One way to do that is by diving right into the action, dropping your reader into the scene in medias res, or Latin for “in the midst of things.” This sets the pace from the beginning and creates a strong open that engages a reader.
Lay the groundwork for the climax during the rising action
Now that you’ve set the stage, the rising action is where you really build the plot of your story, develop characters, and propel the tension towards the climax--the most active and dramatic part of the book. Over the course of the rising action, drop reminders of the conflict that’s driving the plot. Accomplish this by raising the stakes with plot points--dramatic turning points that force the protagonist to make crucial decisions that send the story in new directions. Adding these surprising plot twists keeps the momentum moving. Plot points also help deepen character development by revealing their strengths and flaws.
Create a rich narrative with subplots
A good story has several plotlines running through the narrative. Write subplots to weave in and out of your main plot. A subplot is a shorter side-story that introduces secondary characters, provides a backstory that informs a character's actions and motivations, and supports the themes established in the main plot. A common subplot is romance, but there are so many more options.
Leave your readers satisfied
When the tension has reached its peak, it’s time for the climax to resolve the conflict. If you have great exposition and dramatic rising action, then this final face-off between the protagonist and antagonist should be a big payoff. Finally, write an ending that ties up loose ends and closes out character arcs--this can happen in either a final chapter or an epilogue (as a reader, though, I prefer the epilogue). Readers will be glad they followed the story through to this satisfying resolution!
Read other authors
All great writers employ their own writing style and creative process to develop a plot with the five structural elements. If you want to refine the writing process and learn how to develop a great plot, read from writers similar to you. You might pick a bestseller, like a Rick Riordan book, and study it as an example of how plot and humor work together to play well to a large audience. Determine which authors you want to observe and which authors are like you.
This also comes in handy later, when you want to make comparisons between other works and authors and your book. For example, I’d describe my own WIP as “An Ember in the Ashes meets The Poppy War.”
More Posts from The-writer-muse and Others
omg this is so useful, tysm for the tag!
calling all authors!!
i have just stumbled upon the most beautiful public document i have ever laid eyes on. this also goes for anyone whose pastimes include any sort of character creation. may i present, the HOLY GRAIL:
https://www.fbiic.gov/public/2008/nov/Naming_practice_guide_UK_2006.pdf
this wonderful 88-page piece has step by step breakdowns of how names work in different cultures! i needed to know how to name a Muslim character it has already helped me SO MUCH and i’ve known about it for all of 15 minutes!! i am thoroughly amazed and i just needed to share with you guys
{Juansen Dizon, I Am The Architect of My Own Destruction page 24/ Anaïs Nin, The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 6: 1955-1966/ Alice Hoffman, The Red Garden/ Anaïs Nin, from The Diary of Anaïs Nin, Vol. 5: 1947-1955/ Haruki Murakami: Norwegian Wood, page 276/ Michael Ondaatje/ Catherynne M. Valente, The Orphan's Tales: In the Night Garden/ D.H. Lawrence, from The Complete Works; The Plumbed Serpent/ Jean-Paul Sartre, from No Exit/ Alice Notley, from In The Pines: Poems; "In The Pines,"}
shoutout to all the people who write contemporary, romance, mystery, crime, thriller, horror, paranormal, dystopia, nonfiction, and any other genres I’m forgetting! i know you guys don't get as much attention as fantasy or sci-fi in the writing community, but you're just as valuable and talented, and i appreciate all of you!
Five Practical Exercises to Deepen Your Characters
Source: https://kingdompen.org/character-exercises/
Post by writingwithacutlass on instagram
Hello loves! Today I’m introducing you to five writing exercises that you can do to develop your characters! Characters are essentially the drive of the story, and are often more important than plot. Without them, your readers don’t care what happens. The key to a well-written story is having well-developed characters. Here are a few ways you can deepen your characters!
defining a well-developed character
First of all, there are two major points to a well-developed character.
Thought. As an author you need to put a lot of thought into the character’s goal, personality, backstory, background, and all the other aspects of a character. The more thought you put into a character, the more developed, realistic, and relatable they’ll be.
Impact. You can put endless thought into a character, but if it doesn’t have an impact on the story then it’ll make the character seem underdeveloped. All the information you thought up must be cohesive and meaningful enough to contribute to the story and impact the plot and other characters.
Right, let’s get on with the exercises!
1: the everything paper
This method isn’t very complicated. All you need is a piece of paper and something to write with. Write down all the thoughts that come to you, put everything that’s in your head down on paper. Ramble as long as you want, fill up as many sheets as you need. Write down every piece of information you think will be useful sometime; quirks, backstory, lines of dialogue, random observations, interesting things about the character, write it all down. You can always pick out what’s important later, just treat this as a brain dump or brainstorm.
2: journal
This method focuses on getting into the character’s head. If you really want to get to know them, you want to know what they’re thinking. What’s going on in their head? You could try thinking like them, pretend you are that character for a while. Or you could write a few journal entries from their perspective, about some important events in their life. This will help you focus on their feelings and reactions.
3: write them at different points in their life
Knowing a character at different times in their life really helps you understand them better. Write down any scenes that pop up in your head, ones that you know won’t show up in the book. You could write about them in the past, the future, important life events, or a time when they experienced strong feelings. You could even write them into another book, sort of like fanfiction! Most importantly, have fun with it! Don’t worry about structure, word choice, or the writing in general. Just focus on the character!
4: role plays
This is the most fun and helpful one of them all! Get together with a friend and role play as your characters. It’s most helpful when you are your character and your friend is someone else, maybe another one of your characters. It’ll help you get inside their head, come up with lines of dialogue, and understand their personality more. You could do it over text or in person. If you don’t have a friend to do this with, you could try doing it by yourself, though it’s a little harder. Whenever you’re in a boring situation, waiting in line, etc; pretend your characters are with you. Have conversations with them in your head, or imagine what they would be doing if they were here. It’s really beneficial as well. By focusing on the character’s actions and dialogue, you get to know them a lot better than if you were focusing on your writing style and grammar.
5: never stop adding
When we start a new story, we often tend to create the characters first, then write the story. But the reality is that as we write the story, the more we learn about the characters. We get to know them through writing them. You might find that the characters at the start of your story might be completely different from the characters you end up with at the end of your first draft. And that’s okay. The first draft is really just exploring the story for yourself. As you come across little details about your characters, write them down and keep adding those details. Real people have hundreds of little details about them, and so should your characters. Keep adding to them until they feel like a real person to you.
when a character not in a cool way but in a fully sincere and slightly helpless way is like to understand things i need to be able to identify qualify & organize them i need structure and systems of logic but i also have an incredible capacity for empathy and feel things deeply. literally give me a kiss
Douglas Adams is the best when it comes to describe characters
Forget the search history, if you really want to know a writer you should check their notes app...a writer's unhibited mind can be a frightening place.
Introducing The OCs of Pawn
Intro
I love how it took me a full theme and a half to actually make a post about my OCs. I would say something in my own defense, but I don’t have one. Looks like I actually have to face the consequences of my procrastination this time. Wait, I’m still procrastinating by writing this intro...but okay, let’s actually get into it now!
Name: Alice Lee
Age: 15
Pronouns: She/her
Ethnicity: Chinese-American
Sexuality: Demisexual
5 words to describe her: Reserved, curious, non-confrontational, logical, observant
Likes: Physics, algebra, math/logic puzzles, chess, listening to true crime podcasts, boba tea
Dislikes: Being wrong, having no control over her life, things not making sense
Fun Facts: She wants to be a quantum physicist when she grows up! Also, she has a deep capacity for empathy and understanding that most people never see or notice. Unfortunately, all too many people are willing to dismiss her as unfeeling and cold, when in reality she’s just uncertain.
Name: Evie Lee
Age: 16
Pronouns: She/her
Ethnicity: Chinese-American
Sexuality: Aromantic
5 words to describe her: Outgoing, vibrant, upbeat, sensitive, optimistic
Likes: Daydreaming, watercolors/art, lacrosse, hanging out with friends, photography
Dislikes: Cold/wet weather, standardized tests, being interrupted, being spoken over
Fun Facts: From the beginning, I knew that I wanted Evie’s faceclaim to be Jessie Mei Li because personality-wise they are so similar! Also, Evie is a maladaptive daydreamer, which plays a large role in the story!
Name: Khalil Qurashi
Age: 16
Pronouns: He/him
Ethnicity: Pakistani-American
Sexuality: Bisexual
5 words to describe him: Funny, easygoing, enthusiastic, loyal, perceptive
Likes: Forensics speaking, traveling, meeting new people, challenges, soccer
Dislikes: The school subject of history, being ignored or patronized, not being taken seriously
Fun Facts: Although Khalil himself doesn’t swear, he carries around a “swear jar” for his friends. Every time they say a swear word, they have to contribute a certain amount of money, depending on 1.) what the word was and 2.) what context they said it in. He’s made about $20 off it so far. (No, I don’t know how I came up with this either, but it just seemed right-)
Name: Mikayla Grace Wong
Age 16
Pronouns: She/her
Ethnicity: Chinese-American
Sexuality: Undecided as of right now
5 words to describe her: Determined, decisive, creative, independent, impulsive
Likes: Pottery, sculpture, loud music, her comfort pair of headphones, overcast days, skateboarding
Dislikes: The American education system, people making decisions for her
Fun Facts: Mikayla’s character design is my favorite out of all of my OCs! She has a really unique style. It also helps that it’s really easy to find pictures that look like her on Pinterest! Her Pinterest board is definitely the prettiest in terms of clothing style.
wait are there writers who draft in times new roman
are you guys ok
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