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The plot of your story is probably the most important thing in
writing a story. You should have some hook that will make the reader
not want to stop and will make them reread the story over and over
again
The key to a good plot is good organization, events, and
arrangement of materials. If your desk in disorganized then your
story will be disorganized.
Know thy topic!. If you aren't
familiar with a particular subject, read up on it. Research it. If
you don't have time, then you probably shouldn't be writing about
it. Write what you know. If you don't know, then you probably
shouldn't tackle something like that.
The Makings of a Plot
There are two different types of plot structures.
The Journey - this is the simpler of the t wo
Your hero (main character) has a problem to solve
- Typically the one to end the problem
- Difficulties in the journey
- The one that does most of the word
The Contest - Generally between two opponents
- Each move gives one side or the other an edge
- Other side makes a counter move
- Moves frequently in ignorance of each of her
- Each side may have an idea of the sort of move that the
opposition is likely to make in a situation.
There are two schematics to plot structure:
- The Invisible one--which the reader sees
- The Invisible one--which only the author knows
In effect, the author knows everything that the characters are
going to find out. The plot will be the process of uncovering little
bits of information until the whole picture is revealed.
Scene Construction
The opening of a scene established the problem. The problem is
what someone is seeking a solution for. It could be a scene in which
several people are looking for a solution or several different
solutions. This desire creates forward motion. Forward motion is
what moves your story.
The bulk of the scene is the middle part:
- Effort to resolve
- Overcome the obstacles
- Solve the problem
The difference between the construction of the nook and the scene
construction is that the setup of the characters. The first one or
two takes place in previous chapters and that resolve is not just an
end, it a launching pad for a new problem.
Developing a Plot
Outline
What steps should you
follow when creating your plot outline. (First rule of writing is to
WRITE AN OUTLINE or something very similar to it.) Answer the
following questions...
- What event or events lead the main
character to a conflict
- What initial conflict does he or
she encounter
- Is the conflict internal or
external
- What character is right and which
character is wrong? Or mistaken? Does that change during the
story?
- What are the results of the initial
conflict?
- How does this conflict build to
additional, more complicated conflicts?
- What finally brings the conflict to
it's greatest intensity? A king of a boiling point.
- What is the climax?
- What happens as the result of the
climax?
- What is the end result? Does the
main character make a major change? If so, what makes him or her
change? Or is the influence of other characters? In other words,
what is the resolution?
As you answer these questions, you
will outline the plot of your story. Story events should be in
chronological order, showing a cause/effect
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