Plot – Do You Know Where Your're Going?

PLOT – DO YOU  KNOW  WHERE  YOU'RE  GOING

All right, you have intriguing characters and a great setting. How about a story -- a well plotted story.

E.M. Forster, in his book Aspects of the Novel, said that the main difference between story and plot is

causality. In the course of the story "this happened because this happened." Not "this happened, then that

happened.")

Notice the difference? Plot is not just incident after episode with no connection, no movement forward.

Without these plot doesn't happen and you have no story.

"A good plot not only grabs a reader from the first page and doesn't let him go until the last page is 

turned, it also leaves him feeling as if the journey was well worth the time he spent taking it.

A journey - that's what a good read is: major plot filled with lots of little plots all woven together with

intriguing questions, compelling characters, accurate pacing and distinctive voice.

But how do you write such a journey? You will find any number of books on the market that offer

formulae you can follow. I'm not sure these books will help you find the secret of good plotting, but

they might help you begin the writing process. However, a writer needs to understand the elements

of plot to use them well.

A good plot begins with a life shaking question or a quest for something the hero wants or needs. Perhaps

this something is for himself, but often the goal is to save his country or her family or whatever (this ups

the ante).

"Plot is not just incident after episode with no connection, no movement forward. Without action, both

interior and exterior, plot doesn't happen and there is no story."

To get the answer or win the prize or save the day the hero must confront obstacles: something or

someone who stands in his way - the antagonist.

Along the journey the hero meets helpers and hinderers often not knowing which is which at first. This

confusion begets other questions that must be answered (subplots) before hero can reach the all

important goal.

Complicated, isn't it? Read any book or watch a movie - any movie. Who is the hero? What is the goal?

Who is the antagonist? What obstacles block the hero's path before solving the problem? Or is the

problem solved at all?

Think of the plot as an arc with four equal sections. In the Beginning the Task/Goal is stated. The 1st

Challenge appears at the 1/4 mark; the Turn at the 1/2 mark; the Climax at the 3/4 mark. After the Climax

the last 1/4 takes the reader to the End. The French call this the denouement ("wrapping up loose ends" -

my translation! ).

In each quarter something major must happen to keep the story moving forward. The tension is

heightened with every new challenge until finally the goal is reached, the question answered, the villain

thwarted and the maiden saved. By the way, all of this applies to either the short story or the novel.

The Beginning:

Forget doing the "I was born" thing like David Copperfield. Get to the heart of the matter. This is where

your hero discovers what's at stake and who/what the opposition is. Christopher Vogler, in his book The

Writer's Journey, talks about using conflict, doubt, struggle, rivalry - either interior or exterior - and the

characters the hero meets who inflict these on him/her.

You have the first quarter of your story to set this up, so don't rush. The hero should realize the full

impact of the opposition at that first 1/4 mark.

The Turn

In the second quarter of your story the action begins to rise. You need to deepen the opposition challenge.

Give it strength. Show how it frustrates Hero and the rapid changes that knock him/her down. This leads

to the Turning Point -- a crux moment/event that ups the ante. Hero doesn't believe he/she will complete

the journey; nearly decides to give in or give up, but doesn't. At this point he/she becomes more

determined than ever to complete the task.

The suspense at this point must keep the reader turning the pages to know what will happen next. Your

Hero's emotions and energy should now be totally engaged in the quest. It's do or die. Go for it!

The Climax:

In this third quarter the action builds faster. Your reader should "feel as if she is being pulled along by a

current" The crisis point should be reached at the end of this section and with a bang. You may prolong

this just so long - anticipation is good for the reader and the hero alike. A little dread at the outcome

wouldn't hurt, either. But not too long!

The Denouement/ Resolution:

The actual translation of denouement is "untying" or unknotting" (noue means knot). According to Vogler

the story is a weaving of the characters' lives into a design. "The plotlines are knotted together to create

conflict and tension, and usually it's desirable to release the tension and resolve the conflicts by

untying these knots."

Don't rush this. We know the big question is answered, but we may not know all the "how" and your

hero and your reader want to know this. Will the couple live happily ever after? We all hope so.

And what happened to that doctor who disappeared? Don't leave out one loose end. You want your reader

to buy your next book!

This is only Plot in a nutshell; a beginning. Study plot. Read for plot. Then read your own short stories

and novels and pinpoint your own plot points. Use a tracking board timeline. If you aren't satisfied your

reader won't be either. Work on it. Without plot you HAVE no story!