Writing a Novel-Creating a Plot for Your Novel
We’ve determined that the plot of your novel is the series of events that occur and lead your main character to the conclusion.
There are lots of resources to help you with your plotting. Let’s start with one of the most common – the various lists of basic plots like these.
One of the best things I’ve learned as a writer is that all of these lists are not plots. (Thank you, Holly Lisle!) They’re conflicts or dramatic situations. Take man vs. nature. Man vs. nature is a type of conflict. It certainly isn’t a series of events which we’ve determined makes a plot.
You can use these conflicts in your story as starting ideas for specific scenes and events however, so they are useful.
But for specific plotting help, it’s nice to have some guidelines.
Plotting Resources
Learn How To Create A Professional Plot Outline -This is the mini-course from Holly where she explains how to use the lists of conflicts to create plot events.
Holly also has an ebook out, Create a Plot Clinic, that gives you a bunch of tools to use for plotting. You can get the first few chapters for free here.
Novel Outlining 101 by Lynn Viehl
Outline Your Novel in 30 Minutes by Alicia Rasley
How to Plot Your Novel by Simon Haynes
Plotting Your Novel by Stella Cameron
The Three Act Structure by Stephen J. Cannell – this is a screenwriting method that many writers adapt for use on novels
Try one of these methods for plotting or several. What works for you on one novel might not work on the next, so don’t be afraid to try different techniques as needed.
Do you have any plotting methods that have worked really well for you?
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One comment
Thesis editing on December 5, 2012 at 1:54 am
Different type if idea I've found here about writing a novel. I never thought such kind of novel writing idea by creating a plot. Now I'm thinking bu this process very deeply. So thanks a lot for introducing me with a new idea of writing a novel.