NaNoWriMo Prep, Part Three: Plots and Subplots
Before we jump into our vastly interesting post on plots, I have a story I'd like to share with you. During the week, while I was supposed to be writing about plot, but was instead working on my master's degree in procrastination, I found a lovely little site on Twitter. (Yes, I procrastinate on Twitter. I like to follow people and like their stuff.) It's called Scriggler. It's a cool little site where writers can post their work, retain all rights to it, and let readers see it for free.
I'd been considering putting a story up for free for some time. My original plan was to post it on my blog, but after finding Scriggler, I changed my mind. I also happened to have the very beginnings of a story that I thought would make an interesting serial. So you can now find four parts of The Wish Cycle on Scriggler. It's a little different than my normal offerings; I almost never write in first-person, but this story, unlike most of my others, just seemed to work with a first-person POV. Also, reading it back didn't suck like it usually does when I attempt it.
Anyway, getting down to business!
Dictionary.com defines plot in this way: Also called storyline. The plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
Step one
Before you start writing your book, you'll need to know your plot. Depending on who you ask, or where you look, there can be anything from seven to thirty-six basic plots. For the sake of simplicity, we're going to go with seven. The seven basic plots are: Overcoming the monsterRags to richesThe questVoyage and returnComedyTragedyRebirth
For more on these you can look here. Some genres are known for specific plot lines; as an example, if you look at romance movies, they're also often comedies. The quest plot line is well-known in fantasy books, and overcoming the monster might be used in horror. You'll need to decide what kind of plot you want for the main story. If none of these sound quite right to you, remember that this is just the main story. The main plot. There will be others, don't worry about them now. If it still doesn't sound quite right, you can look at this for some ideas.
Step Two
If you've never seen a plot graph, you don't know what you're missing. That's just me talking, of course, and I love the planning of a novel, but really, if only for educational purposes, take a look at one. You can see a simple one here. If you can find one tailored to your chosen plot, all the better.
If you look at the sample image above, you'll see that there are five black dots on the upward angle. If you have a plot-specific graph, there may be things that should be happening at certain places. As an example, when I was doing research for the plot of my romantic fantasy, I found a romance plot graph, containing things like the characters meeting, the characters' goals, the conflict, the dramatic turning point, and the black moment.
If you can find a plot graph for the plot or genre you're going to be working with, it can be a valuable tool. Even a plain graph with the different important events labeled can help you out. So go out and find something you can use as a guide.
Step Three
Fill in the blanks. If you have a plot graph, it should give you various points you need in a story, like the inciting incident. Your job now is to fill in the blanks with things specific to your story. In the novel I'm planning for Nano this year, the inciting incident is the main character being chosen for a role that she doesn't want. On the plot graph I used, I then had four obstacles I needed to present my character with. Your graph may be different, but you'll need to fill in the points.
Conflict is necessary to a story. I remember as a child watching movies with my family. Everyone would complain about the stupid things characters did, and I would tell them "If they did the right thing all the time there wouldn't be a story." So remember, things do need to be difficult for your character (no matter how much you love them) sometimes.
Step Four
Now that you have your main plot outlined, you can add those subplots. When planning my novel for this year, I used a romance plot as my main plot. But I also used a graph for the plot of the hero's journey. Since my novel is a fantasy, I wanted to use a typical fantasy plot. I looked up the plot graph for the hero's journey, and then drew my own graph. On the angle I added the points necessary for both plots; the romance, and the hero's journey. Then I filled in the blanks.
I also have a third and fourth plot woven into the first two. I chose the plots of man versus man and man versus nature. My main character has serious conflicts with another character that have to be resolved, and there's also the threat of incoming winter. Depending on your story's scope, you may need more or less. But the graphs can help you plan at what point in your story you need each conflict and resolution to appear.
Once you have all your subplots chosen, plan them out on a plot graph. Each point of development for each plot or subplot has it's place, and you'll need to make sure each piece works well with the whole. If, for example, you need your MC to refuse to do something as part of the main plot, then you'll need to make sure that decision doesn't make a subplot invalid. (If your MC decides not to learn magic, but one of your subplots is them making enemies with a magic user they won't meet otherwise, they'll need to meet some other way, or they'll have to make a different decision.)
I'd been considering putting a story up for free for some time. My original plan was to post it on my blog, but after finding Scriggler, I changed my mind. I also happened to have the very beginnings of a story that I thought would make an interesting serial. So you can now find four parts of The Wish Cycle on Scriggler. It's a little different than my normal offerings; I almost never write in first-person, but this story, unlike most of my others, just seemed to work with a first-person POV. Also, reading it back didn't suck like it usually does when I attempt it.
Anyway, getting down to business!
Dictionary.com defines plot in this way: Also called storyline. The plan, scheme, or main story of a literary or dramatic work, as a play, novel, or short story.
Step one
Before you start writing your book, you'll need to know your plot. Depending on who you ask, or where you look, there can be anything from seven to thirty-six basic plots. For the sake of simplicity, we're going to go with seven. The seven basic plots are: Overcoming the monsterRags to richesThe questVoyage and returnComedyTragedyRebirth
For more on these you can look here. Some genres are known for specific plot lines; as an example, if you look at romance movies, they're also often comedies. The quest plot line is well-known in fantasy books, and overcoming the monster might be used in horror. You'll need to decide what kind of plot you want for the main story. If none of these sound quite right to you, remember that this is just the main story. The main plot. There will be others, don't worry about them now. If it still doesn't sound quite right, you can look at this for some ideas.
Step Two
If you've never seen a plot graph, you don't know what you're missing. That's just me talking, of course, and I love the planning of a novel, but really, if only for educational purposes, take a look at one. You can see a simple one here. If you can find one tailored to your chosen plot, all the better.
If you look at the sample image above, you'll see that there are five black dots on the upward angle. If you have a plot-specific graph, there may be things that should be happening at certain places. As an example, when I was doing research for the plot of my romantic fantasy, I found a romance plot graph, containing things like the characters meeting, the characters' goals, the conflict, the dramatic turning point, and the black moment.
If you can find a plot graph for the plot or genre you're going to be working with, it can be a valuable tool. Even a plain graph with the different important events labeled can help you out. So go out and find something you can use as a guide.
Step Three
Fill in the blanks. If you have a plot graph, it should give you various points you need in a story, like the inciting incident. Your job now is to fill in the blanks with things specific to your story. In the novel I'm planning for Nano this year, the inciting incident is the main character being chosen for a role that she doesn't want. On the plot graph I used, I then had four obstacles I needed to present my character with. Your graph may be different, but you'll need to fill in the points.
Conflict is necessary to a story. I remember as a child watching movies with my family. Everyone would complain about the stupid things characters did, and I would tell them "If they did the right thing all the time there wouldn't be a story." So remember, things do need to be difficult for your character (no matter how much you love them) sometimes.
Step Four
Now that you have your main plot outlined, you can add those subplots. When planning my novel for this year, I used a romance plot as my main plot. But I also used a graph for the plot of the hero's journey. Since my novel is a fantasy, I wanted to use a typical fantasy plot. I looked up the plot graph for the hero's journey, and then drew my own graph. On the angle I added the points necessary for both plots; the romance, and the hero's journey. Then I filled in the blanks.
I also have a third and fourth plot woven into the first two. I chose the plots of man versus man and man versus nature. My main character has serious conflicts with another character that have to be resolved, and there's also the threat of incoming winter. Depending on your story's scope, you may need more or less. But the graphs can help you plan at what point in your story you need each conflict and resolution to appear.
Once you have all your subplots chosen, plan them out on a plot graph. Each point of development for each plot or subplot has it's place, and you'll need to make sure each piece works well with the whole. If, for example, you need your MC to refuse to do something as part of the main plot, then you'll need to make sure that decision doesn't make a subplot invalid. (If your MC decides not to learn magic, but one of your subplots is them making enemies with a magic user they won't meet otherwise, they'll need to meet some other way, or they'll have to make a different decision.)
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