I never write two posts in one day. I'm lucky if I get in one a week. Rather than do what I should be doing -- getting my free monthly Plot Tips eZine out to awaiting writers -- I procrastinate instead.My procrastination took the form of reading a couple of writers blogs new to me. In one, a writer hesitantly and respectfully reported he had started a new project, mere sentences -- a tender blade barely broken out of the earth. Still, he was writing.I congratulated him with enthusiasm. A story …
WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU THINK PLOT?
Recently, I asked a random sampling of writers not familiar with my work what they thought of plot. Most of the answers I received bordered on hostile. I include a few of the tamer ones here:"I view plot as an enemy that must be destroyed, lest it pilliage my village and rape my wimmins." UJ"When I think of plot, I stop thinking about writing." JT"I have a deep disdain for plot, really." LJI was most surprised when I read AK's comment: "All anyone cares about is plot, plot, plot." Most writers I …
When the Character is You
Many writers beyond memoirists find themselves creating a protagonist who is patterned after themselves. This can pose a problem or two.One, many writers tend to be introverts and thus their character ends up passive and sort of floating from one event to the next. Also, I've found that although most people are quick to identify other people's flaws and faults, they have difficulty pinpointing their own. Without a flaw, the character arc becomes more difficult to manage.Do you find yourself …
No-plot, Really No Problem??
I recently received the following:"I've a topic for you. What about the no-plot novel? I've always argued that a novel doesn't need a plot as long as it has a point, also there's the whole "character is plot" argument. The plots in my books are neither here nor there, just things to get my characters to do while I write about them."I'm not certain what he's getting at here. "...as long as it has a point." I assume this refers to the deeper meaning of the piece or the Thematic Significance. …
2 Plot Tips for the Middle
Two recent plot consultations revealed the same dilemma -- both writers were faltering as they made the approach to the Crisis, which occurs about 3/4, give or take, through the entire project.The ProblemCharacters, setting, set-up, premise, and action move from the superficial, introductory mode of the Beginning to the gritty, challenging world of the Middle, the heart of the story world itself. In the middle, masks fall away and the characters reveal themselves for who they truly are, warts, …
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