While worded in various ways, many of my readers stated they struggle with structuring their book, aka developing a plot. So, let’s take a look. (I’ll cover structuring nonfiction next month.)
I’ve written various posts on this topic throughout the years, and you’ll find links to several of those posts listed at the end. Why say it all again?
To start, every novel must have these items…
- A protagonist with a goal
- An antagonist with a goal
- Conflict
If your story has no conflict, it isn’t a story.
Next, the elements of the plot structure include the…
- Hook
- Inciting incident/event
- Key event/point of no return
- 1st, 2nd, and 3rd plot points
- 1st and 2nd pinch points
- Climax
- Climatic moment
- Resolution
Each of these events occur at certain points within your story. I discuss these elements in “The Major Plot Events of a Novel and When They Occur.” I learned these from Weiland’s book 5 Secrets of Story Structure (free on Amazon and at her website. You can also find the same info and more in her book Structuring Your Novel. You really can’t go wrong with any of Weiland’s books on writing.
Plotting Systems
When actually brainstorming and developing your plot, there are various ways, and you’ll need to find one or a conglomerate of several that work for you.
I use a mixture of several things, one of which includes Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method. His book How to Write a Novel Using the Snowflake Method has got to be the most helpful and entertaining nonfiction book I’ve ever read.
For more on plotting systems and resources I recommend, check out this post “Plotting: Finding a System That Works for You.”
You might also want to consider reading through this series of posts on plot and scene on my blog:
“How Do Plot & Scene Work Together? Part 1”
“How Do Plot & Scene Work Together? Part 2
“How Do Plot and Scene Work Together, Part 3: Moving from Scene to Sequel”
“Dealing with Time in Scenes, Part 4 of our series”
“Dealing with Time in Sequels, Part 5 of our series”
“How Do Plot and Scene Work Together? Series Conclusion”
I told you I’ve written a lot about this topic. Bookmark this page and come back to it at various times as you are developing your story. Don’t forget the search feature in the right hand sidebar on my blog. Type in plot to find everything I’ve written that discusses the topic.
I hope all this hasn’t left you overwhelmed. Take it one step at a time.
(This post contains affiliate links.)