To plot or not to plot?

Subject: To plot or not to plot? Fri Feb 01, 2008 6:07 pm

I was just wondering how many of us sit down and plot. By that I mean, do you write an outline? Do you develop your characters to the extent that you know their height, weight, religion, relationship to other characters?

Personally, I rough out a paragraph or two about each character and write half to one page of a story outline. I like to see where my characters take me rather than write out scene cards or chapter outlines for every stage of my novel.

I just wondered how everyone else approaches a new work.
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Jenny
Writing as Victoria Howard

www.victoriahoward.co.uk

Four Star Member Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 376

Wow, Jenny, I've had discussion after discussion about this and have come to the conclusion there are no rules other than what works for you.

My very good friend Graham Parks drafts out comprehensive and exhaustive plans for his novels and sticks rigidly to them. I close my eyes and fall into the stories and see where they take me. Often I have no idea where the next chapter is going to take me and who is going to be in it until I actually start typing it. When the first draft of a whole novel is complete I then use that as my plan and spend a great deal of time bashing and thumping it into some kind of shape.

I can't work to Graham's methods and he can't work to mine. However, I'm published and he's not yet!

Subject: Re: To plot or not to plot? Fri Feb 01, 2008 7:36 pm

Hi George,

It seems that you and I write in pretty much the same way. As you say, there are no rules, other than what works for you. As an exercise it would be interesting to know if the plotters out number the non-plotters!
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Jenny
Writing as Victoria Howard

www.victoriahoward.co.uk

Four Star Member Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 376

Yes, it would be interesting to know what percentage of plotters and non plotters are published!

Subject: Re: To plot or not to plot? Sat Feb 02, 2008 9:15 pm

Non plotter here. I started with an idea, and ran with it. Or should I say my characters ran with it! 344 pages later, it was a book! I have heard that some folks do outlines, or character studies, but I do the outline as I go, since characters get added, and change.

The outline is simply my reminder to me so I know who is who, when they were born, when I introduced them, etc. It gets edited as much as my manuscript!

Perhaps it is that my ouline/plot gets done in my head before I even get started.
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Zada Connaway
Mother's Journals: parts 1, 2 and 3 ISBN # 1-4241-6969-0

http://www.zadaconnaway.com/

Subject: Re: To plot or not to plot? Sun Feb 03, 2008 9:15 am

I have a basic storyline before I start, but that's about it. The characters grow and come alive with their own personalities while I write.

More than once, the novel ended up having a storyline, different to the one I started of with.

When the story takes hold, keeps you awake at night, the characters become real people, and the conflicts actualy happened. That's when I know I'm on the right track.
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Heads and Tales out now!
http://www.lulu.com/karina-kantas

Subject: To plot - not Sun Feb 03, 2008 4:26 pm

I have to confess to being a non-plotter. I do keep notes nearby of dates and character quirks so that I do not have to keep checking back within the manuscript, but the plot takes shape as I write rather than before I do. I tried to create very rigid outlines (and have to do that for some of the paid contract writing that I do), but find that they take the fun out of it for me. One of the limitations of having a short attention span I suppose - I get bored with myself! Shocked

Subject: No Plots For Me! Sun Feb 03, 2008 7:11 pm

Hi All......George you are right - I believe we all have to find our own way when it comes to our plots. I let my characters pull me along in THEIR story and I know a lot of great writers who have elaborate outlines and stick to them......I think you can be successful either way but I love giving my characters the freedom to go where they please. I was as surprised by the plotline of my first book as any of my readers !! I write mysteries anyway so not knowing the details and having to figure things out as I go along is "comfortable" for me as a writer AND as a reader.
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Pamela June Kimmell
Author, "The Mystery of David's Bridge"
http://pamelajunekimmell.com

One Star Member Joined : 16 Jan 2008 Posts : 36

Hi,

Well my two books were non fiction so it was a matter of putting them together in a reasonable order.

Strangely creating a universe from scratch using logic followed a natural step by step sequence of events without me having to think about it.

john

Subject: Re: To plot or not to plot? Thu Feb 07, 2008 2:06 pm

It seems that most of us are non-plotters. I find that interesting as most established authors, perhaps with the exception of Nora Roberts are plotters. I wonder if this is where new, unpublished authors go wrong!
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Jenny
Writing as Victoria Howard

www.victoriahoward.co.uk

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 2069 Location : UK

There are several ways that new authors go wrong Jenny. The first big mistake they make is in thinking that their first novel is a compelling read because they were compelled to write it.

New writers enthuse about how much they love writing and they feel that it's something they have always wanted to do. This often shows in their first published novel.

The enthusiasm of the author often shows through and readers feel they are reading something the author wanted to write rather than reading something they want to read.

Authors should write for their readers, not for themselves. Writing should be a task -- hard work, at times unfulfilling, mind sapping and only enjoyable when the last 't' has been crossed and the last 'i' dotted. The enjoyment should come from a job well done and the absolute certainty that the writer gave their all to achieve as much as they are capable of giving.

If writing is enjoyable, you are not working hard enough.

Ballerinas toes bleed, musicians fingers ache, athletes muscles fill with lactic acid -- if you, as a writer, do not suffer for your art, your art is unworthy and not good enough.

Writers who are wiling to learn their craft and write in a way that is acceptable to editors (remove information dumps and passive sentences, reduce the number of adjectives and adverbs, add strong hooks to grab the reader, include strong imagery and plot lines, develop identifiable characters) are the ones who will succeed and the rest will fall away.

So far, I have concentrated on honing my writing skills. It is only a start and I have a long way to go. I need to learn how to craft a novel. If it is as difficult to master as the writing has been thus far, I have a long way to go. Maybe I will fail but at least I will have done my best. That is as much as any of us can do.
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Shelagh Watkins
http://shelaghwatkins.co.uk/

Subject: Re: To plot or not to plot? Thu Feb 07, 2008 3:33 pm

Character driven novels tend to work best for me. So I do a rather "exhaustive background check" on my characters. Admitedly since my characters are fiction, I make up details about their lives, but the details must be logical and reasonable and include flaws, weakness, dreams and desires.

Rarely do I use everything I have discovered about a character, but it nice to have that background information. Then I do a rough outline for the first 50 pages. If the characters come to live and the idea becomes a story, I stay with it and see where the story will take me.

I found forcing an ending or plot is the worst thing a person can do to a story.

Lynn

Subject: Re: To plot or not to plot? Thu Feb 07, 2008 4:08 pm

Shelagh, you said:

"Authors should write for their readers, not for themselves."

I find that statement fascinating. I wish I could effectively convey that to an author friend who is struggling with that problem.

One Star Member Joined : 01 Feb 2008 Posts : 23

I rarely plot. An idea will come to me and I just run with it. Then I decide what to name my characters, what they will look like and so on. After I've written the story, I go through it and see where it needs expanding. I also do my research while I'm writing the story.

Shiela Stewart
www.shielasbooks.ca

Admin Joined : 11 Jan 2008 Posts : 2069 Location : UK