Fill in the Blanks: A Plot Template to Keep you on Target

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

This week's Refresher Friday dips into a golden oldie with another look at a fun template to help you plot. Enjoy!

A while back I shared some great plotting tips from Southpark creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I've been using them myself as I revise, but I couldn't stop thinking of other ways to apply this technique. I was also thinking about something a commenter said, and how this applied to the bigger macro issues, not just in the smaller goal-driving aspects. I was working on a blog post for that when it hit me.

This could make a really cool plot template.

The tip works on a micro level to see if your protagonist's actions are driving the plot, but when you pull back, you can also see how the entire scene works on a larger scale. The cause and effect of your scenes doesn't have to be as specific as my examples last week.
Read more »Written by Janice Hardy. Fiction-University.com