To write a novel, at some point you’re going to come up against plot. It is preferable that you do so before you start. You might discover, after writing for fifty pages or so, that your novel is going nowhere. Fast. It could be that what you thought was a great idea isn’t complex enough to support a novel. Or it has potential but you haven’t done the groundwork to work it out. Or you may discover earlier, that what you thought was your lead character actually dies quite early on. Now you’re stuck with having to figure things out again – after writing 50 pages.
Both character and plot are important to a novel. The best novels, whether they are of the literary or commercial type, have both memorable characters and compelling, rich plots. And the best advice, particularly if you’re a beginner writer, is to work out both before you actually start writing your novel. By doing so, you create a richer end product. And many people have reported that by planning out their novel first, they were able to write it much quicker.
How do you do that?
There are many software programs that are ideal for writers – both beginners and those already with a few books under their belt – that help you work out your plot and characters. They can be invaluable for finding (and making you fix) holes in your plot, as well as creating order out of your ideas. If you feel slightly overwhelmed by the idea of writing a novel, or don’t quite know where to start, then this software is ideal. I’ll discuss a couple of programs later. But first, what is plot?
What Is Plot?
To define what plot is, I rather like these quotes from “How To Write A Million” by Dibbell, Scott Card & Turco:
“Plot is built of significant events in a given story – significant because they have important consequences.” [This is contrasted with incidences - things that happen but don't lead to much in the overall story, things that could be omitted without detracting from the meaning of the story.]
“By the way they’re weighted and presented, by what they lead to, these events are transformed from incident to plot”
“Cause and effect: that’s what makes plot”
“Plotting is a way of looking at things. It’s a way of deciding what’s important and then showing it to be important through the way you construct and connect the major events of your story”
Types Of Plot
These are taken from my notes of “The Art & Craft Of Novel Writing” by Oakley Hall.
3 Act structure of the plot
- 1st act – “the end of the movement that establishes the characters and the situation, galvanizing and reversing it.”
- 2nd act – the end represents the climax “of the movement of complication and confrontation”
- 3rd act – denouement and resolution
- this works better for classically structured novels rather than episodic novels; can be extended to 5 acts (or more) for a longer novel
Double Plot
- “the main plot features noble characters meant to be the objects of the audience’s sympathies and identification, and the subplot, usually comic, involves characters of a lower social order”
- the two plots illustrate different aspects of the same theme
“A high life plot is alternated with a low-life plot, and a part of the suspense is the consciousness that these two must come together in a revelation of connection at the end.”
Hourglass Plot
stories converge, cross and separate
The Episodic Plot
“If events do not arise from the central action of the plot, there is no unity of action, and the plot is episodic. The causal relationship is lost’”
“Many great novels are partially episodic – War and Peace, Sons and Lovers, The Catcher In The Rye – unified by character and theme; those episodes that are not bound into the central action are useful in elucidating the characters; providing variety, interest, and humor; and implementing suspense by delaying the culmination of actions.”
Of course, all that theory on plot is not that useful whilst you’re developing an idea into a plot, at least in the beginning. You may find that after you’ve brainstormed some ideas, and developed them in more detail, that they start to resemble one of the structures listed above. Then it may be useful. But start with the creative process first.
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Outer Plots And Inner Plots
“Contemporary fiction places much of the action inside characters’ mind, and often there will be two plots, an external one of action and an internal one of understanding. Modern plotting thus searches for revelation as well as resolution, and for secular epiphanies – moments of illumination like lightening flashes that reveal character and meaning. An effective form of the inside-and-outside plot is that of a man of action viewed by a narrator who is a contemplative man…” (Oakley)
The last line shows that outer plots and inner plots do not have to be carried by the one character. This can help with potential point-of-view issues. The man-of-action that carries the outer plot may not have adequate psychological capacity to carry the internal plot. That is, he or she may not have learnt anything, and veers towards tragedy of some kind. Yet the observer, the narrator, is profoundly affected by the action, and so there is a capacity for resolution with them that the other character didn’t offer.
Creating A Plot
Creating plot, the task of ‘showing not telling’ that is so important in creating fiction that resonates with readers, involves creating scenes. Scenes differentiate a work of fiction from an essay or a sermon.
“A scene is one connected and sequential action, together with its embedded description and background material. It seems to happen just as if the reader were watching and listening to it happen. It is built on talk and action.” (Dibbell, Scott Card & Turco)
Scenes, like the overall plot, must have a reason for being there. They must move the story forward in some way, whether by progressing the plot, or showing the characters in action. Showing the characters in action is a much better way of letting the reader get to know them than by simply describing them.
And scenes can be short – a few paragraphs; or long – pages or more.
When writing scenes we must select the details that will bring it to life, without making it read like a list. Details should be presented in action, and they should leave out the insignificant ones. When writing, appealing to more than the visual sense alone creates a more evocative experience. That includes taste, touch, hearing, and smell. This can be done both in the way we use language, and what we report.
Plot V’s Melodrama
When developing your plot, care must be taken that it doesn’t veer into melodrama. In melodrama, characters are stereotypical and subordinate to plot, themes and actions are simplistic and sensationalistic. Melodrama doesn’t have nuance.
If you need help on developing your plot, I highly recommend StoryWeaver. It takes you through the whole process from concept to completion of your novel. It’s an intuitive process that synchronizes well with the creative process, and uses over 200 interactive story cards. It simply provides guidance and direction for you on your creative path, without forcing you into a rigid structure. It’s a great way to overcome writers block, and you can use it even if you want to write a book but haven’t got an idea of what to write about.
For those who know what they want to write about, it will help you flesh out your novel in such a way as to keep readers glued to the page. It, along with the books referenced in this article, are available through the Amazon links to the right, in the Recommended section.
References:
1.Dibell, Scott Card & Turco: How To Write A Million – The Complete Guide To Becoming A Successful Author
2. Oakley Hall, The Art & Craft Of Novel Writing
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