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Plotting Your Novel with The Plot Clock
Storytellers, novelists, and screenwriters all encounter the problems of plot and timing: when should the events in your story take place? What order should they be in and how do they impact a character's development? Linear plot methods can ignore important nuance or even the critical events of third act entirely! Plotting Your Novel with The Plot Clock explores plot structure as it goes around an actual timepiece, a round mechanism that maps events, suggests the best timing for twists and surprises, and adds layers of insight into a character's arc.
70 pages, Paperback
Published April 4, 2019
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18 people want to read
About the author
Joyce Sweeney
36 books29 followersJoyce Sweeney captured the attention of the YA book world when her novel Center Line was chosen as the winner of the first Delacorte Press Prize for an Outstanding First Young Adult Novel in 1984. Since that auspicious beginning she has continued to publish appealing novels for teens on a variety of topics, among them friendships, family relationships, and self-discovery. Four of those novels have been named Best Books for Young Adults, four have been Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, and Booklist included Players among its Top Ten Sports Books in 2002.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 25, 2019
“Plotting Your Novel With The Plot Clock” is a short (70 page) book that packs a wallop! It addresses the issue of how to handle the plot for a story in a manner that moves the story forward in a manner that keeps readers hanging in there. In his foreword, Ryan G. Van Cleave, Head of Creative Writing, Ringling College of Art and Design, notes that one of the biggest challenges aspiring fiction writers face is that of effectively handling plot. I find this type of plotting interesting, although I personally am a “pantser” – my stories are written by the seat of my pants, without a lot of intricate pre-planning.
The first thing that caught my attention with this book was that there were three co-authors. Duh! The reason that it caught my attention is that I have co-authored two books myself (with writer/coach Brad Tesh), and I know that it can be difficult to present more than one point of view. Do you present in different sections? Do you cover different topics? Do you comment on a section that your co-author wrote? I like the way it was handled in this book – all three co-authors express their opinions and tell their stories in every chapter. Specifically, the authors see their collaboration as weaving their voices into a braid, with Joyce voicing the central skeleton of the Plot Clock structure, Jaimie guiding insights into plot twists, and Tia woven in as student action – a writer applying these elements to a story being actively plotted as the book progresses.
The interesting thing about the Plot Clock is that, by definition, it is circular, rather than linear. Points around the clock include: Starting Point, Ordinary World, Inciting Event, Binding Point, Tests & Challenges Failed, Low Point, The Change, Tests & Challenges Won, Turning Point, Climax, and Denouement.
Each chapter includes a discussion of the process of the Plot Clock points, with wisdom from each of the co-authors. Included are chapters on Stories & Plot, The Hands of Time, The Depths of Story Time, Case Study, Q&A, Templates, and Resources and Acknowledgments. I particularly liked the templates, because they included a Basic Pot Clock, a Complex Clock Plot, Tragedy on the Plot Clock, a Clock Plot with four basic points, and a blank Plot Clock. This allows a pantser like me to make use of this structure without being completely enmeshed in it.
I recommend this book to both pantsers and plotters – there is something here for everyone!
The first thing that caught my attention with this book was that there were three co-authors. Duh! The reason that it caught my attention is that I have co-authored two books myself (with writer/coach Brad Tesh), and I know that it can be difficult to present more than one point of view. Do you present in different sections? Do you cover different topics? Do you comment on a section that your co-author wrote? I like the way it was handled in this book – all three co-authors express their opinions and tell their stories in every chapter. Specifically, the authors see their collaboration as weaving their voices into a braid, with Joyce voicing the central skeleton of the Plot Clock structure, Jaimie guiding insights into plot twists, and Tia woven in as student action – a writer applying these elements to a story being actively plotted as the book progresses.
The interesting thing about the Plot Clock is that, by definition, it is circular, rather than linear. Points around the clock include: Starting Point, Ordinary World, Inciting Event, Binding Point, Tests & Challenges Failed, Low Point, The Change, Tests & Challenges Won, Turning Point, Climax, and Denouement.
Each chapter includes a discussion of the process of the Plot Clock points, with wisdom from each of the co-authors. Included are chapters on Stories & Plot, The Hands of Time, The Depths of Story Time, Case Study, Q&A, Templates, and Resources and Acknowledgments. I particularly liked the templates, because they included a Basic Pot Clock, a Complex Clock Plot, Tragedy on the Plot Clock, a Clock Plot with four basic points, and a blank Plot Clock. This allows a pantser like me to make use of this structure without being completely enmeshed in it.
I recommend this book to both pantsers and plotters – there is something here for everyone!
May 28, 2019
As a longtime mentee (neighbor actually!) and student of Joyce Sweeney - the Plot Clock is the design on my mousepad and burned into my brain.
Hey, sometimes we buy books just because our friends wrote them. HOWEVER, this book arrived during a distressing bout of writer's block. You may have sat through millions of Joyce's classes, listened to her (free!) 90 minute Plot Clock podcast, but this slim book takes you to another level of outlining, mechanics, and plot and structure.
Highly recommended for anyone struggling to get from "cool idea" to "tightly-written book". This one will stay on my desktop bookshelf as a quick reference. It's how to start the ten-thousand-foot outline of any book, no matter how much a pantser you may be.
Hey, sometimes we buy books just because our friends wrote them. HOWEVER, this book arrived during a distressing bout of writer's block. You may have sat through millions of Joyce's classes, listened to her (free!) 90 minute Plot Clock podcast, but this slim book takes you to another level of outlining, mechanics, and plot and structure.
Highly recommended for anyone struggling to get from "cool idea" to "tightly-written book". This one will stay on my desktop bookshelf as a quick reference. It's how to start the ten-thousand-foot outline of any book, no matter how much a pantser you may be.
April 1, 2024
This was recommended to me by a fellow author, and it really helped open up my thoughts to plot writing. Before, I was strongly winging it through my book writing and didn't have many concrete points. After reading this book, I have many more insights on how to plot a novel and how to keep the story fresh while also following guidelines.
The different views from the different women made it even easier to understand through different career point of views.
The different views from the different women made it even easier to understand through different career point of views.
September 25, 2023
Amazing tool. Literally created a story map in minutes from a snippet of monologue and a what-if in my idea journal. Then untangled a YA manuscript I'd been struggling with for years and identified the problem in my middle grade wip in one day. Clarity on the low point unlocked it for me and the concept of binding point vs inciting incident. This slim volume is a fabulous type of blueprint in my arsenal. Thank-you to the creators!!!
July 1, 2019
Having helped over 60+ authors cross the finish line, Joyce Sweeney's PLOT CLOCK (free webinar on Sweeneywritingcoach.com!) is a must-have for any writer's toolbox kit.
This slim, quick-read volume combines the advice of three published authors/writing coaches in writing properly-outlined, properly-timed and tightly-plotted stroies. A must have.
This slim, quick-read volume combines the advice of three published authors/writing coaches in writing properly-outlined, properly-timed and tightly-plotted stroies. A must have.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews