Pre-Plot for NaNoWriMo

By creating a character transformation and evolving all three major plotlines over the beginning, middle and end of the story, you’re left with a bird’s eye view of your story. Turns out this exercise is intense to some writers and daunting to others, so much so that a writer friend declared the workbook the Ph.D. program for writers. Not my intent, I assure you.

Rather than become overwhelmed by the complexity of the task, break the exercise down into its parts, beginning with the Character Transformation Statement.

Last night in book group, we discussed the debut novel: The Doctor and the Diva by Arienne McDonnell.

Plot, plot, plot, the story is all about plot, everyone exclaimed. I disagreed.

The book is masterful at keeping the suspense and curiosity high with clearly defined goals and ticking clocks. Scenes are tightly linked by cause and effect. Provocative themes explored. The historical details about all the different exotic locales and occupations were breath-taking and the author’s prose lovely.

So, what’s the problem?

Though the dramatic action plot stays true to the structure of the Universal story, the character emotional development plot is devoid of its most important element = no character transformation in the end. None. Not one character. All the characters are exactly the same at the end of the story as they started out in the beginning.

Don’t let this problem befall your story.

Begin pre-plotting for NaNoWriMo, with the ultimate character transformation in mind. Start there.