The starting point for creating a plot is asking yourself "What Needs to Happen?"
Don't worry about answering this in detail right away. You just need to start with the basics. They don't even have to be in the right order.
Examples:
Character A needs to have a troubled life
Characters A, B, C, and D need to meet up
A certain item needs to be found
a face off with the bad guy has to take place
the bad guy has to die
Character D has to turn traitor
they have to discover this secret place
Once you've got the most basic skeleton of the plot, try approching it a little like a research paper. Make a paragraph for each of these important points and start adding some details. Again it doesn't mean it has to be written in stone, you might try making several pages with this plot skeleton, and then filling in alternative details under each one so that you can compare them.
Character A needs to have a troubled life. It is troubled by a cruel stepmother and forced labor. It ends when character A makes an impression on character E who takes A under his wing and away from home.
Characters A B C and D need to meet up. A meets B through E at the new place and C turns up there after a couple years. C sparks a journey on which they will later meet D.
and so on...
Monday, September 27, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
Genre and Plot Style
The starting point for plot development is knowing what kind of story you are writing.
Genre:
General Fiction:
Stories that could be true and which take place in relatively current times and real world settings. The events must be believable within this context. Often the plot is focused on character developement and communicating some philosophical observation about life.
Historical Fiction:
Stories that could have happened in the past which are set in the real world but in a different time period, usually revealing details about culture and life in that time. The events must be believable and line up with real historical events, though sometimes a twist is thrown in to explore how things could have been rather than how they were.
Mystery/Suspence:
Regardless of setting, the primary focus of the plot is unraveling a mystery and finding answers to questions, usually revolving around some crime.
Action/Adventure:
The story may take place in any number of settings, though usually it is roughly on earth, though prehaps in a slightly alternate reality. The plot focuses on events and the struggle of the main character against various forces - often nature, or organized crime.
Horror:
Regardless of setting, the plot focuses on frightening and shocking events that are revealed with the aim to maximize the anxiety and repulsion the reader feels. Some level of reality is usually sustained so as to provide a residual fear in the reader outside the setting of the book. Often the story deals with the psychological workings of evil and the victims of it.
Romance:
Regardless of setting, the primary focus of the plot is bringing two people together in a romantic relationship and is most likely to focus on conversation and character developement, rather than events
Fantasy:
The story takes place in another world, usually with an historical feel, or in an alternate reality where there is some kind of magic, and frequently fantastical creatures. The plot usually involves some kind of quest - a difficult task which must be accomplished, and focuses on the struggle between good and evil, or at the least between two different forces, often idealizing untouched nature and a pre-industrial-revolution life style.
Science Fiction:
The story takes place in the future of the modern world, or in another universe with highly advanced technology. Space travel is usually involved, though not required, and often people from other planets are present. The story usually presents 'what if' scenarios predicting how modern civilization may develope and explores the ethics of various technological inventions. It is usually both optimistic about Mankind's potential, as well as cynical about his moral use of that potential. A sub-genre is Steampunk which combines a roughly 'Victorian' culture and aesthetic with advanced technology (usually run by gears and steampower).
Genre:
General Fiction:
Stories that could be true and which take place in relatively current times and real world settings. The events must be believable within this context. Often the plot is focused on character developement and communicating some philosophical observation about life.
Historical Fiction:
Stories that could have happened in the past which are set in the real world but in a different time period, usually revealing details about culture and life in that time. The events must be believable and line up with real historical events, though sometimes a twist is thrown in to explore how things could have been rather than how they were.
Mystery/Suspence:
Regardless of setting, the primary focus of the plot is unraveling a mystery and finding answers to questions, usually revolving around some crime.
Action/Adventure:
The story may take place in any number of settings, though usually it is roughly on earth, though prehaps in a slightly alternate reality. The plot focuses on events and the struggle of the main character against various forces - often nature, or organized crime.
Horror:
Regardless of setting, the plot focuses on frightening and shocking events that are revealed with the aim to maximize the anxiety and repulsion the reader feels. Some level of reality is usually sustained so as to provide a residual fear in the reader outside the setting of the book. Often the story deals with the psychological workings of evil and the victims of it.
Romance:
Regardless of setting, the primary focus of the plot is bringing two people together in a romantic relationship and is most likely to focus on conversation and character developement, rather than events
Fantasy:
The story takes place in another world, usually with an historical feel, or in an alternate reality where there is some kind of magic, and frequently fantastical creatures. The plot usually involves some kind of quest - a difficult task which must be accomplished, and focuses on the struggle between good and evil, or at the least between two different forces, often idealizing untouched nature and a pre-industrial-revolution life style.
Science Fiction:
The story takes place in the future of the modern world, or in another universe with highly advanced technology. Space travel is usually involved, though not required, and often people from other planets are present. The story usually presents 'what if' scenarios predicting how modern civilization may develope and explores the ethics of various technological inventions. It is usually both optimistic about Mankind's potential, as well as cynical about his moral use of that potential. A sub-genre is Steampunk which combines a roughly 'Victorian' culture and aesthetic with advanced technology (usually run by gears and steampower).
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