Creative Writing 101

Lesson 4: Plot Building.

There are several useful ways of building plots. Some work well for some writers, and not well for others. In this lesson you will have a chance to see which might work best for you. You will also learn some tests to apply to your embryo plots, to check their strength and purpose.

Situation (Four-step) Method.

Roadmap Method.

Building the Forest Method.

Silver Shoes

High Concepts

Graph Method.

Writing exercise.

Plots, Planned and Unplanned.

Because people think in different ways, plot-building can be approached from several angles.

UNPLANNED PLOTS.

One way of writing a novel is to take an idea and start writing, and see what happens.

This approach works well for some people. Their subconscious does the work for them, and they will say cheerfully (or defiantly) that they "never need to plan a book". Sometimes they will also say that they "can't" plan a book.

There is nothing like the careless rapture of writing at white-hot speed, discovering events as they occur. I admit that, because I used to write without planning. Why did I stop? Because, at the age of fourteen, halfway through my fourth novel-length work, I got stuck. I had written my characters into a corner, and there they remain to this day. And, though thirty years have passed, I still remember the keen desire to kick myself for wasting so much time when I might have been swimming, riding or reading.

I might have given up writing completely after that. Instead, I taught myself to plan.

BENEFITS OF PLANNING.

One of the benefits of planning a plot is (obviously) that you know ahead of time that you will be able to write the story.

Another benefit is that you can save a great deal of time. You can keep yourself out of blind alleys and prevent yourself from writing weak stories.

DISADVANTAGES OF PLANNING.

A very few people find that once they have plotted their story their brain says "finis" and loses interest.

Another disadvantage... um... can't think of any others.

NO SURPRISES?

What about the loss of enjoyment as you find out what happens next? This doesn't seem to be a problem, as there are always surprises for you and your characters.

Sometimes, what seemed suitable in the planning stages turns out to be wildly improbable once you reach that point in the manuscript.

Maybe your plan said; "Jake tells Sarah the truth", but you find that Jake has developed into a character who never does tell the truth.

Does this mean your plan is a waste of time? No. You simply amend it and continue.

METHODS OF PLANNING.

The methods of planning you will meet in this lesson differ so much that you might wonder why they are so mutually contradictory. The reason is that some methods need conscious creativity, while others rely on tapping into your subconscious. You just need to learn to get them running in harness.

SITUATION METHOD.

The Situation Method of plotting is simple, but it requires conscious thought. The more you practise, the better it gets. Read on to learn all about it!

FROM IDEA TO PLOT.

An idea isn't a plot any more than a bulb is a daffodil. To begin the process of bringing your bulb to bloom you will need to ask questions. Before you begin, it is useful to test the idea for viability. I call this the Acid Test, and have found it almost foolproof. By the way, this exercise must be done in writing.

Remember the one-sentence ideas that sketched out the major conflict of the story? Viability lies in the strength of the conflict and, even more, in the reason for the conflict.

Man mows off flower bloom in the garden.

At first sight, you might think; "So what?" There seems to be no conflict here. The bloke made a mistake, right?

You can (a) discard this idea right away, or (b) ask yourself a question.

"Man mows off flower bloom in the garden. Why does this matter?"

Now, write down some possible answers.

(1) It doesn't.

(2) Because it was a destructive thing to do.

(3) Because it was a careless thing to do.

(4) Because he did it deliberately.

Answer (4) is the most interesting, so you might take that and ask another question.

"Man mows off flower bloom in the garden. Why does this matter?"

"Because he did it deliberately."

"Why does that matter?"

(1) Because it annoyed his wife who yelled at him.

(2) Because it was his employer's prize hybrid gardenia.

(3) Because he needed the flower for nefarious (and poisonous) purposes.

(4) Because this was just the beginning. He was off on a mower rampage.

Now you see how an unpromising idea can be forced to give up its secrets.

Testing any idea in this way is valuable, because it will save you from spending time on a story that won't cut the mustard. If, when you ask "Why does this matter?", the only answer is "It doesn't", or "It doesn't, really, but that's the way it happened", then you have a weak idea.

Let's put it another way.

Idea. Man walks dog.

Question. What for?

Answer. Because it's his day to walk the dog.

So?

Forget it.

However, you can make a small change that improves the prospects for the idea. Thus;

Idea. Man walks cow.

Question. What for?

Answer. Because he stole it and forgot the getaway truck.

Gee, really?

That sounds a bit more promising, doesn't it?

SITUATIONS.

When you combine your idea with its most promising answer, you have a Situation, and you have taken the first step in your Four-Step Plot.

First step. Make your Idea into a Situation.

Man mows off flower bloom in garden. His wife screams at him, and this triggers a mower rampage.

Second step. Find out why this situation occurred. Again, you might come up with several reasons.

Why did this happen?

(1) Man plans the whole affair as an excuse to split from wife.

(2) Man is possessed by mower.

(3) Man secretly hates flowers and this is his revenge.

(4) This is the first symptom of a brain tumour.

(5) Man knows he is dying and has decided to live out his fantasies.

The next step is to choose the best answer from the possibilities. You might go with the most interesting idea. Or, you might look at the ideas with an eye on their genre slants. Taking the five answers above, we can see varied genres. The story about a man who plans a rampage to make his wife leave him or about a wild revenge might be a black comedy. Or it might be a novel of character. A man possessed by a mower belongs in horror or fantasy. The last two might develop into medical dramas or thrillers.

Just say you have chosen (5). The next step is to project your situation into a plot.

To recap and progress;

First step. Make your Idea into a Situation.

Man mows off flower bloom in garden. His wife screams at him, and this triggers a mower rampage.

Second step. Find out why this situation occurred. Man knows he is dying and has decided to live out his fantasies.

Third step. And so?

Now you decide what could happen next. Yet again, there are several possibilities.

(1) Man insults boss and tells neighbour what he thinks of him and throws something at the yapping dog in the next street.

(2) Man is aghast at what he has done with the mower.

(3) Man realises he has no other fantasies and wonders why he ever lived at all.

(4) Man heads off on a road trip to find love.

(5) Man decides to track down his estranged brother before it's too late.

Any of these, or a mixture, would add content to the plot. Choose one or more, and proceed to the last step.

To recap and conclude;

First step. Make your Idea into a Situation.

Man mows off flower bloom in garden. His wife screams at him, and this triggers a mower rampage.

Second step. Find out why this situation occurred. Man knows he is dying and has decided to live out his fantasies.

Third step. And so?

Man realises he has no other fantasies and wonders why he ever lived at all. He sets off to find love.

Fourth step. Finally...

In choosing an ending, you will again think about the mood and genre of the plot. You might also consider your theme.

A futile ending? Man wanders for days, and dies in a bleak boarding house.

An ironic ending? Man discovers, having burned his boats, that he isn't dying after all.

A peaceful ending? Man does find love, though it's brief. Or his wife finds him and they enjoy a few bittersweet hours/days.

This Four Step Situation plotting is simple and flexible. It allows you to consider options every step of the way, and will offer a neatly turned plot. Of course it needs expanding and polishing, but it will give a clear idea of the shape of your novel-to-be.

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