Tag: plot

Become a Plantser This NaNoWriMo! Plotting Tips for Pantsers and Pantsing Tips for Plotters
No matter which you are, Plotter or Pantser, there’s something extra you can add to your noveling style. Plotting ahead of time can give your story depth and completeness by the end of the first draft and pantsing can bring in new character secrets and plot twists you never would have thought of before you entered your story.

Nobody’s asking you to defect, just try on the uniform and see how it fits. It’s more like an exchange program, really. You might take back valuable insights to incorporate into your own unique style!

For Pantsers

There’s a certain thrill in plunging into a new novel in November without a clue what it’s about, learning something new with each line, but watching your story aim for that classic arc is even more exciting. Even if you’ve never taken down so much as a character’s name in brainstorming notes, you can appreciate the need for story structure. I’m sure you’ve felt your story tug and guide you along through the twists and turns. We all have an instinct for good structure, but it can still be a huge help to have road signs along the way to aim for.

Try out these tips for plotting your way through adventure!
- If you brainstorm only one thing ahead of time, make it the internal conflict of your protagonist. You don’t need to fill out templates, sketches and other paperwork. Instead, just think about what your character is missing. Free-write. What does your character want, believing that it will fill this void? What’s at stake if he cannot achieve it? What’s the worst case scenario? What past event makes your character feel the most vulnerable? How is this used to justify his actions in the story? Last of all, how is the antagonist’s interference personal? Why does he stand in the way and prevent the protagonist from achieving his goal?
- Within the first ten pages, your protagonist has to have expressed a desire for something. It doesn’t have to be declared as a story goal yet, but it should be clear that this thing is important to the protagonist. By the end of these first pages, that thing will either be promised, or threatened. The protagonist will react to the story’s conflict and the time of showing the ordinary life that was, is over.
- At about the quarter mark of your story, things will change again. Your protagonist will take on a conflict much larger than the one he intended when he set out for the journey. This is where you admit what the conflict is really all about. The antagonist has gotten a good look at the protagonist and recognizes him for the threat that he is. There is no turning back.
- Halfway into the story, your protagonist will have serious doubts. He’ll wonder what he got himself into, or what he really wants. He’ll question his motives and look inside to search for answers. There are no answers to these questions yet, but the important part is that the protagonist has begun to look for them. After this point, the protagonist strikes first rather than constantly recovering and reacting to the antagonist force.
- At some point in the second half of the story, your protagonist will lose focus. Renewed efforts have only lead to a dead end and it’s not clear what to do next. At the three-quarter mark, something will happen to lead the character into taking a great risk. This may be a complete turnaround from his methods up until now, but he knows there’s no other way out of this conflict. This action will be the first proof of change that began in the character during his introspection, and this momentum of character arc will carry the protagonist through the climax and into the final battle.
For Plotters

A story should be like an equation. All the pieces should fit together and balance out in the end. As important as it is to get the skeleton of your story on index cards and functional before you spend time drafting it, there is nothing more satisfying than free-writing with an intuitive sense of the structure you’ve crafted for your story.

Try out these tips for pantsing your way through plot points!
- Visualization. One of the best ways you can keep your story logical yet surprising is to close your eyes and picture your characters actions and imagine their thoughts and feelings. Try to become an actor in the story yourself and take on the roles of each of the characters involved in the conflict. Consider the present scene and the moments immediately following. What are the characters thinking? What do they want? What will they have to do to get it? Make sure each character’s inner workings are always consistent and plausible.
- Ask yourself what question you’ll have the reader asking at this point. What promise have you made? Make sure to build anticipation and deliver on every promise you make to the reader. Think about things that have been planted in the story already and how they might be brought back to give a surprise twist to the story.
- Escalation. Each space between two plot points is actually quite a large chunk of story. Take advantage of that time to take small steps of escalation before you reach the next big moment. This will keep your story from lagging and also make the hit from the next key scene more relatable since you will have prepared your reader for this growing conflict by exploring what’s at stake.
- Pacing. Notice the rhythm of your story as you write. Have your characters been constantly on the move? Or have they had time to slow down, think about what’s happened, and talk about their wants and fears? There are many levels of this cycle overlapping throughout a story. Small pushes and small rests take place over the course of the big pushes and big rests. Wherever those peaks and valleys overlap are going to be the key scenes of action and introspection.
- Triumph and failure. Maybe it’s just my Minnesotan showing, but whenever things are going too well, that’s the time to watch out for disaster. Just in those moments when your characters are having a laugh or enjoying a success, something will hit from behind and turn that happy moment into a nightmare. Juxtaposition here is the key. The happy moment will still be fresh in the reader’s mind when tragedy strikes. Remember the same can work in reverse. Whenever your characters are feeling lost, just about to give up, you can throw them a bit of hope to get them back on their feet and fighting.
No matter which camp you come from, I hope you find these tips helpful in at least getting a taste of the benefits of another style of storytelling. Don’t be afraid to try something new, and remember that NaNoWriMo is a great time to experiment!
October 4, 2018
The Central Conflict: Plot & Character Intersect

Character structure, in my opinion, is a definite prerequisite to story structure. Story structure without character structure will only be able to map out a superficial plot without any way to explore and relate to the conflict. The protagonist needs to traverse some sort of journey of internal conflict to bring this deeper meaning to the plot.

Internal conflict is a potential for growth, the ongoing struggle that takes the protagonist along a Character Arc. This series of states the character goes through shows that growth, or demise, depending on the type of arc. External conflict is the overall potential for struggle over the goal. Story Arc is the series of scenes that show that struggle unfold from potential to resolution. Your story needs both, internal and external conflicts, in order to form a tight Central Conflict

This outline follows the Central Conflict, which is the intersection of the internal and external conflicts. Each plot point forwards both conflicts along both the Character Arc and the Story Arc, though usually heavier on one or the other. This is also a work in progress as I’m working on adding more story examples.

Wound Event
(internal conflict emphasis)

Shown through a prologue, if at all, this point is the birth of the internal conflict and is most often revealed later in the narrative as backstory. This past event resulted in the protagonist’s flawed starting state when the story opened. It’s what “marked” this particular character to become the protagonist of the story when faced with the external conflict.

Inciting Incident
(external conflict emphasis)

The external conflict begins. This is often off stage but could also be a prologue showing the antagonist’s plans or actions that will soon effect the protagonist. There is usually no interaction with the internal conflict yet.

Introduce Protagonist
(internal conflict emphasis)

Show the protagonist in a characteristic moment and introduce the internal conflict. Expose part of the Internal Conflict Triangle, particularly the Flaw or Lie or both to demonstrate the character’s starting state. These qualities likely serve the protagonist well in his present situation, but could show themselves as weaknesses when the stakes are raised in the conflict with the antagonist. Show that the Want is important to this character as soon as possible.

Key Event
(external conflict emphasis)

For the first time, internal and external conflicts clash and Central Conflict is born. This is the first point that must involve both the Character Arc and the Story Arc. The protagonist becomes personally involved with the external conflict. This is another opportunity to hit one or more of the points of the Triangle, particularly Fear and Wound since this is something that is happening to the protagonist, not an action on his part.

These important plot points all carry a one-two punch. An action and a reaction. Throughout the first half of the story, the action is on the part of the antagonist, and the protagonist is reacting, but after the Midpoint, the tables are turned.

Plot Point I
(internal conflict emphasis)

For the past few scenes, the protagonist has probably been trying to find a way out of the conflict or even just tagging along. Here, something happens that finally forces him across the point of no return. He is set apart from the other characters involved and now must engage the conflict. There will have been scenes before that seem like there’s no turning back, the Key Event for one, but this is where the protagonist is singled out. The bigger story is now his story.

Though it might not be a conscious decision, this plot point requires an action on the part of the protagonist. Think back to the characteristic moment that introduced him. Is this a repetition of the Flaw or a change to a discovery of unknown strengths? These two are usually two sides of the same coin. Also think about the Fear, whether this caused the push across the no-return point, or the Fear was hit as a result, the protagonist almost always feels it here.

Often, the reason this is a point of no return is because, whether the protagonist realizes it or not, the antagonist has recognized the protagonist as such. The protagonist has stepped into a much larger conflict than he intended or perhaps even realized. More is at stake than what motivated him to take action. Theme and meaning are tied into the outcome of the conflict now as well. This point is also the first admittance to what the story is really about. What’s the focus? How do the character and plot, the internal and external conflicts, relate?

Examples…

In The Hunger Games, Katniss shoots the apple out of the pigs mouth at her demonstration, setting herself apart from the rest. She is no longer just another tribute. This is the first step in her unconscious shifting goal of winning the Games to defying them. She is becoming the protagonist of the larger conflict, not just her own. Before, her actions were motivated by her goal of protecting her sister, even the her desire to win the Games is strengthened by her promise to Prim. This action, however, was motivated by rash anger at the Gamemakers and as she later realizes, could be directly conflicted with her goal of protecting Prim. Immediately afterwards, it triggers her own deepest Fear that her family will be punished for her actions.

In Pride and Prejudice, the threat of the Bennett sisters is recognized by Mr. Darcy during the dance at Netherfield, though the magnitude of this is unrealized by Elizabeth at the time. This is what causes him to detach Mr. Bingley from Jane and convince him to remain in London and not to return to Hertfordshire. This is a taste of worst case scenario for the Bennett sisters, becoming old maids or having to marry for convenience.

In Ready Player One, Parzival obtains the Copper Key, immediately and permanently making his name known to all of the Oasis. In this moment he goes from absolute insignificance and obscurity to the most important and famous player in the Oasis. Just after this, he meets Art3mis, and his relationship with her is the true focus of the story within the setting of the Hunt.

In It’s A Wonderful Life, George Baily takes a blow when his father dies from a stroke. He tries to protect the Building and Loan because of his father, but he only really fights back when Potter attacks his father’s character. In this speech directed at Potter, he unwittingly singles himself out as the protagonist of the story, the only one who can save the Building and Loan and so also Bedford Falls from becoming Pottersville. The closeup of Potter shows this recognition of the threat that George poses. The other board members saw this drive in George as well when they appoint him to run the Building and Loan. George’s choice is to either leave and let Potter destroy his father’s lifework, or to stay and protect it. He knew when he chose to stay that it was a point of no return. He had said it himself, “I’m going to school, this is my last chance!”

Introduce Antagonist
(external conflict emphasis)

This point can happen anytime between the Key Event and Pinch Point I. Conflict and an antagonist force existed before, but this gives it has a name and a body. We know who exactly we’re up against. Action and reaction cycles follow as the conflict escalates.

Pinch Point I
(external conflict emphasis)

This is the first big success for antagonist force. The protagonist is left shaken, but perhaps not yet conscious of the effect on internal conflict. Reactions focus on what’s the next move in external conflict, rather than any sort of self-examination. The situation is dangerous but not hopeless and the protagonist takes action to regroup in the face of this new awareness of the antagonist’s power.

Midpoint (Plot Point II)
(internal conflict emphasis)

Everything changes after this point. Something happens to make the protagonist see that he’s hit a dead end in his efforts against the antagonist. This is a moment of realization and change of fortune. If things were looking up before, this is where hopes will be shattered and the protagonist may hesitate and question methods and motives and true wants and needs. If things were bleak, this is where new hope will be offered and the protagonist will be able to take new action that was impossible before. This point also includes an introspective moment where the Lie is explored. The protagonist sees it for what it really is, if even for only a moment. After this point, the protagonist takes the initiative and is not just left reacting to antagonist attacks. Also the first seed of the Need is planted in the protagonist’s mind, which sets him on the path towards conquering his internal conflict.

Pinch Point II
(external conflict emphasis)

This is a severe blow to Protagonist’s Triangle, particularly Fear and Wound (the most deeply rooted and vulnerable point, the one the a character tries the hardest to conceal and protect.) This causes inescapable turmoil of internal conflict and the protagonist may already be weakened from energy spent during the Midpoint. The resolve or revelation gained by it may be shaken and the protagonist’s actions in following scenes may be aimless or without a clear plan while he recovers

Plot Point III
(internal conflict emphasis)

This is the first time the protagonist commits to action based on the introspection of the Midpoint. It’s another point of no return which throws the story out of its previous cycle and into a new direction. If Plot Point I was the doorway into conflict, then Plot Point III is the break for the exit.

The scenes leading up to this are the last calm before the storm of act III and the climax. Momentum from Plot Point I has long since worn out, indecision and indirection worsened since the Midpoint, so there needs to be a new direction for the final push out of the conflict. The protagonist’s way of thinking has been slowly changing since Pinch Point I or even as late as the Midpoint, but this is the first time we see it proven through action.

Before this, the protagonist was still hoping for an easy way out, perhaps just trying to wait out the conflict, but something will have to change that. This action will be a complete turnaround in priorities and either going after a different goal, or going after the same goal, now backed with new motives. The Character Triangle point of importance here is future oriented, Want and Need

Examples…

In The Hunger Games, Peeta and Katniss have been recuperating and waiting out the Games in the cave. When they are invited to the Banquet for something they desperately need, she decides to drug him so she can get the medicine he needs to live. This is the first time she puts someone else’s life above her own in the arena and it is directly linked to her realization that he saved her life during the Midpoint.

Climax (Pinch Point III)
(external conflict emphasis

This includes both the climax of the internal and the external conflicts. The protagonist’s “Blackest Moment” is the climax of internal conflict and the protagonist’s lowest point. It’s the final temptation the protagonist is offered and must overcome in order to heal the Wound for good. The “Climactic Moment” is the peak of external conflict, the big battle with the antagonist and the winning of the protagonist’s goal (in a happy ending). Proof of the change in the protagonist from the Blackest Moment will be shown through action in this Climactic Moment.

Resolution
(internal conflict emphasis)

The conflict is resolved and we show the protagonist’s growth through parallels and compare and contrast with how he was at the beginning of the story.

September 1, 2018
Creating Story Seeds: Premise + Plot = Story

There are lots of fill-in-the-blank templates to create a good hook or pitch for what your story is about. But does that really help you understand how those moving parts that make up your story work together?

I like to call such a paragraph pitch for a story a story seed. A story seed is made of a premise and a plot. These two create a snapshot of what your story is about. If you know how these various parts fit and move together, this snapshot can not only be used to pitch your story, but to grow it later on when you’re ready to plot your novel.

Start with the premise. This can be put in a single sentence often starting with the words “What if…?” More specifically, things like:

What if there was a place where…?

What if there was a person who…?

Depending on which of these starts off your premise, you might call your story either character driven or plot driven. More about that here (link to article on a story’s driving forces).

If your premise is more about a person and less about a setting, you might be able to create your plot triangle first and then figure out your premise line from there. Once you know more about this character, you can visualize a world that would be challenging in some way for them to live in. If your “what if” line is about a person having a special ability rather than what they want to accomplish or who stands in their way, it is likely still a premise rather than part of the plot.

Often when people say they have a great “story idea”, but what they really have is a world or a scenario which has not yet developed a plot. It’s still a premise. These kinds of ideas can come from anywhere and can be used to tell all sorts of stories. It’s the sort of thing we as writers are always on the hunt for and good premise ideas can be sparked every day if we’re looking for them.

Here is an example premise:

What if there was a world where the atmosphere was toxic at sea level and everyone lived in the mountains and used airships and balloons to get around?

This idea came from a combination of a “what if” question (what if a planet had an oxygen/radon atmosphere?) and a genre (steampunk). Usually a premise will be the combination of such a question and a genre, the genre being the angle from which to approach and explore the question. If this question is combined with another genre, fantasy or sci-fi for instance, the outcome could look entirely different. People would instead be riding dragons or flying shuttles over this toxic abyss.

Sounds interesting, maybe. But I don’t see any characters or conflict. There is potential for conflict, but until some character has to go into that toxic air for some reason, there is no story.

This premise can lead to other more detailed world building such as what would the surface of such a planet look like? Could plant life survive in radon? How would such plants be different from what we have here on Earth? Each time you ask more questions like this, you will think of potential hazards and conflicts which will become scenes in your story.

Now we can build our plot. I like to think of a plot as a triangle made of three points: Protagonist, Antagonist and Goal.

Plot Triangle

Your premise must be linked like a chain to at least one of these to start. You can tie in the other points of the triangle later and when you are finished, you will have a pyramid or more accurately, a tetrahedron, with your premise as the tip and your plot triangle as the base. Many different plot triangles could be attached to any given premise, it’s all about the type of story you want to tell within that setting or scenario. It’s most important for the triangle to be tight. If those three plot triangle points don’t all relate to each other, it doesn’t matter how closely they tie in to the premise.

Story Pyramid (or Tetrahedron)

Let’s see what different points of this triangle we can create based on this premise. Let’s start with the Goal since we can do that without being specific about people and it will force us to make the main conflict of the story intrinsic to this setting.

Well, we have this toxic wasteland that people need aircraft to traverse. Perhaps this story could be about a journey? The goal could be to get somewhere across this “sea”? Or maybe people are stranded after their craft wrecked? Maybe this is about survival and a rescue mission?

Now let’s look at the Antagonist. Already we’ve seen we don’t need a person for this. The cruel environment would suffice. But what if we did add a person? It often helps for our hero to have a real person to face. Who would this be? How could he use this world to his advantage? Maybe his secret lair is hidden in the toxic lowlands? Maybe he, through technology or otherwise, can breath down there?

Finally, lets think about our Protagonist. How can this world effect him? Maybe, as often is a good idea with the POV character, let’s start more mundane. Maybe he runs or works for an airship company? Maybe the only one in his town? The people there rely on him but his ships are falling apart. When they fail, he’ll loose his business and the town will loose its only means of contact and trade with the rest of the world.

This is just brainstorming, we don’t need to use all three of these ideas in the same story. Depending on which one we start with, the other points of the plot triangle will need to develop to suit it. In the end, the triangle needs to be related according to one of these lines:

The Protagonist wants the Goal, but the Antagonist stands in his way and he must fight to overcome and win.

Or…

The Antagonist wants the Goal, but when his actions injure the Protagonist, our hero fights back to save the day.

The protagonist can further be broken down into his own character triangle. A triangle, for story or for character, is a snapshot, a single state that you can use to build an arc, story arc or character arc, which is the actual story in motion.

Lets put our premise line and plot triangle into words and add them together. We end up with this:

There is a world where everyone lives in the mountains to escape the toxic lowlands where none can survive.

+

Our hero wants to rescue the survivors of a wreckage in the valley but the villain is revealed to be the true cause of the accident and does everything he can to prevent the safe return of the passengers and crew.

In other words:

Story Equation

So our finished story seed might look something like this:

In a world where everyone lives in the mountains to escape the toxic air in the lowlands, anyone stranded near sea level would perish. When an airship journeying across the valley wrecks, the passengers and crew are left struggling to survive. Our hero, owner of the only airship company on the mountain and struggling to keep his own ships in working order, must race to rescue them before it is too late. But he soon learns the wreck was no accident and finds himself in a fight to save even his own ship and crew.

Now not only do we have a pitch for our story, but we have seen how each of these parts came together to create it. Next we can move on to plotting this novel, using this paragraph as our seed.

January 11, 2018