Planning the Plot
I was asked how much planning goes into writing a book. The person asking thought it was only a few days. There seems to be a misconception that a story just ‘pops’ into a writer’s head and then it is written. An idea may come to a writer, but to fully develop it takes time and building scaffolded structure.
Think for a moment of all the components that help a strong story come to life: setting, characters, pacing, plot, and subplots to name just a few. For today, I thought I’d focus on how I plan and develop plot for my stories. There are many different ways to approach how the plot of a story is thought out and structured. In today’s digital world, there are many online tools to complete the plot development and for the more traditional writer there are many printed versions of what is found online. This past week, I saw a writer’s workbook in a local bookstore that was all different types of organizers for plot and character development.
I like to use old school methods by creating a timeline to help with plot pacing while simultaneously creating an outline. However, before I start with the outline and timeline, I look over my notes on plot ideas regarding obstacles, conflicts, and events. I also need to look at how to develop the cause and effect and the basic character information necessary. As I add characters, I decide who is becoming more primary and who is moving into a more secondary role, as well as, any minor characters who are useful for one event. As I consider any obstacle, conflict, or event I have to decide on the setting. Setting is very important to the plot; it’s like a supporting character in many ways. Since my middle grade books are loosely based on my home town, I am able to draw from memory versus building from scratch a whole new world.
Once I have an idea of the conflicts and obstacles, I can start to create the plot outline. There needs to be consideration of how to merge both old and new characters, as well as how to move the story forward in a realistic manner. The one aspect that is still a challenge to me is ending scenes (beats) that will end with an event, action, or consequence which will cause the next scene to happen. This is the ‘page turn’ idea, especially at the end of a chapter. As a reader, I never liked a story that ended every chapter with drama. What’s wrong with daydreaming or something happy? Too many times, I feel like I am shoehorning something in to meet a writing rule, then again rules are meant to be broken. If George Orwell supported this idea, who am I to say he was wrong? 😊
Writing is fun in terms of being creative, but creativity needs some type of structure to reach its full potential. I use an outline to help center a story that flows well and also one that makes sense. The outline is never set in stone and very often things are added, deleted, or shifted to another place in the story in the writing process. It’s easy to make an outline rigid, but I want the story and the characters to drive the plot, not the outline.
While working on the plot outline, it is not uncommon for me to do additional research as I add something into the plot. In Book 2 of Maisey’s Journey, as Maisey developed her design skills and Bear was introduced along with the theme of dumping of pets there was lots to learn, understand, and describe accurately. I had to find and learn sewing and design terminology; there are way too many stitch types! I also researched the issue of dogs being dumped instead of being brought to a shelter. The numbers of this happening not only in the U.S (2.6 million dogs/year, Four-Paws.org)., but globally (500 million dog/year, Four-Paws.org) are staggeringly high. I worked to make sure that the age, breed, and size of the dogs within the story reflected what is happening in the real world. It is not uncommon for authors to spend weeks researching topics before the story is begun. I do this too, but inevitably, I think of something I forgot to research and I get pulled in another direction.
Another aspect of plot development for me is making sure there is continuity of Maisey’s story between the books in her series. Since I purposely planned to make her story a series, I need to address how her learning challenges are present in each grade as the series proceeds. Many middle grade books about learning differences are what I call a ‘one and done’ approach. However, the real world isn’t like literary fiction, learning challenges and their obstacles change with each grade as the child grows and matures. A strategy that worked in sixth grade may not work in 7th or 8th grade. As the material learned increases in depth and complexity, the child’s learning needs often need the strategies to meet them to be adjusted, changed, or usage of technology may now be of more assistance. It’s important to show how the physical and especially neurological growth/changes affect each student.
Plot is never simple. It’s made up of multiple components like pieces of a puzzle that create a beautiful picture when it all comes together. With this idea in mind, I leave you with this quote regard the development of plot:
“A story is honorable and trustworthy; plot is shifty, and best kept under house arrest.”
~Stephen King
Cheers to the storyteller in all of us!