 |
Plotting By Personality - Work With Your Natural Instincts
What's the best way to plot? Quick answer: the best way to plot is whatever works best for you. After all, we're all different. Interview any group of a dozen writers and you'll find they all have different times of the day when they're alert; different belief systems about the world; different preferences in food and films. So why on earth would we all agree on the best way to plot a story? Personality Types To find out the best way of plotting for you, first (a) think about your usual approach to problems then (b) try a few different methods. It's not certain that the 'best' way for you will dovetail with your personality type, but it's likely. If we work on the four basic 'types', we find that people tend to gravitate to being: - Extraverted or Introverted [this refers to how you receive stimulation - from within yourself (introverted) or from external sources (extraverted)]
- Sensing or Intuitive [your usual method of taking in information - via the five senses (sensing) or relying on instincts (intuitive)]
- Thinking or Feeling [whether you make decisions based on logic and objectivity (thinking) or on your personal, subjective value systems (feeling)]
- Judging or Perceiving [how you deal with the world on a day to day basis: organised and purposeful, with a liking for structured environments (judging) or flexible and comfortable with open, casual environments (perceiving)]
Is this set in stone? No, of course not. We all function across the entire spectrum - but you're likely to find that you have a natural preference. If you can identify your personality type, you can work with your strengths - and thus find the method of plotting your stories that works best for you.If you tend more towards being introverted, intuitive, feeling and perceiving, then you are likely to prefer a more flexible form of plotting. You would probably feel comfortable with cluster diagrams, branching, and scribbled notes with lots of arrows and extra little boxes. Cluster Diagrams You can use these for the basic plot, for characters, and for settings. Draw a circle in the middle of the page. Write the name of the story in this circle. (Any working title will do.) Around it draw more circles- as many as you need for things such as the catalyst for change, the character's initial problem or goal, obstacles to be faced, final challenge for the main character, darkest moment, secondary characters, ending. There's no point in my prescribing how many circles you need- after all, this is your plot. You're the intuitive, feeling type - you don't want me to say 'you have to put this here and that over there'. Watch your plot grow in front of your eyes. Branching Branching is very similar to the cluster diagram. You begin with the story, then draw 'branches' (lines) out from the box in the centre. These branches will represent the main thrust of your story: the same basic 'ingredients' as used above in the cluster diagram: characters, problems, obstacles, and so on. Off each of these main branches you draw smaller lines or branches - and along those lines write the specific problems encountered, the various characters in the story, and so on. Both cluster diagrams and branching will let you see the shape of your story in a pictorial way. Many writers find they can get a much better overall sense of where their story is going when they can see it all as a diagram, rather than as a list of points. Plot outlines Perhaps you feel much more at home in a structured environment. You are extraverted, and tend to think about things and make judgements. In this case, you could feel much happier with a detailed plot outline, with each step carefully planned. You may need to 'write out' the plot so you feel you know where you're going. The Gary Provost Plot Checklist There are many basic plots you can use, but one of the best I've seen is the one advocated by the late Gary Provost. His plot outline, in the form of a checklist, is as follows: - Inciting incident (what event sets the plot into motion?)
- The prize (what is it your character wants?)
- The strategy (what does your character decide to do in order to get what he/she wants?)
- The conflict (who are some of the people who are working against your character?)
- The stakes (what will be the consequence if the plan does not work?)
- The bleakest moment (what happens to make things look hopeless?)
- The lesson (what does your character learn about himself/herself, others or life?)
- The decision (what does your character do because of what he/she has learned?)
- The hole (In what way does your character need to grow emotionally (although probably unknown to him/her)
- The back story (what is it that is haunting your character as the story begins?)
Answer these questions and you have a story. The value of this checklist is that you can use it either to formulate a plot OR as a backup, to check that you have all the plot 'ingredients' in place if you use a different method.Happy plotting! (c) Copyright Marg McAlister Marg McAlister has published magazine articles, short stories, books for children, ezines, promotional material, sales letters and web content. She has written 5 distance education courses on writing, and her online help for writers is popular all over the world. Sign up for her regular writers' tipsheet at http://www.writing4success.com/.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
Writing's on the wall for McNabbESPNBy Ashley Fox | ESPN.com There is one franchise that would seem to be a perfect fit for Donovan McNabb, a place where he knows the system, the personnel, the expectations and the playbook, and he wouldn't have to mentor anybody.and more » |
|
Lisa Rinna on writing a book about sexCNN"The Big Fun Sexy Sex Book" is a fun and innovative guide to rejuvenating your sex life and libido, co-written with renowned sex therapist Ian Kerner (who writes about sex on CNN's medical news blog, The Chart). The vivacious 48-year-old actress is ...and more » |
ABC News (blog) |
Mexican Writer Carlos Fuentes Dies at 83Wall Street Journal (blog)By Jose de Cordoba MEXICO CITY – Carlos Fuentes, Mexico's most famous writer, and a world-known public intellectual, died Tuesday, depriving the nation of its most internationally recognized voice. Mr. Fuentes, a novelist, poet, diplomat, critic, ...In Writing, Fuentes Shed Light On Poverty, InequalityNPRCarlos Fuentes, Mexican Novelist Who Inspired Latin American Writing, DiesABC News (blog)Mexican author Carlos Fuentes diesABC OnlineLos Angeles Times -Reuters -San Francisco Chronicleall 941 news articles » |
|
Short story writer takes home Sophie Kerr AwardThe Star DemocratManion, an English major from Clarksville, took the prize with her submission of four short stories she considers to be works in progress, and excerpts of her thesis on the role of letter writing in literature a study that drew from the novels of Jane ...and more » |
Google News
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Planning Time To Write
In his book, "Achieving Financial Independence as a Freelance Writer," Ray Dreyfack, a full-time freelancer for 30 years, suggests that writers "ease" into full-time writing while maintaining their day jobs. If you're following this advice, either by choice or by necessity, you know that it's not always easy.
Best Writing Advice I Ever Got
I've been in the communications business a long time?over 25 years. During that period I've gathered writing suggestions from all over, and put much of it in my new book "Words That Stick.
Platform Development Tip #1: Switch Writing Hats!
Around eighty percent of nonfiction books today are written by "experts," that is people who have a) earned credentials in the field they're writing about, b) germinated information via articles, live presentations or other media, or c) had extraordinary, unique or memorably told life experiences relevant to their topic.For an autobiographical work, such as a memoir, an author needn't have any special expertise-she is the foremost authority on her own life.
Get Your Writing Reviewed by Major Publications for Free
All Writers need the press, especially new writers. As a new novelist, I know I need name recognition.
Write That Down! Compulsively Collecting Content for Your Writing
Have you ever read someone else's writing and thought one of the following things:Where did he get such great stories?Why can't I think of examples like that?How does she always develop amazing illustrations?The answer is: content.In writing, content is KING.
Starting a Freelance Writing Career (or Thoughts About Taking the Plunge)
Nike's ad has taken on new meaning for me of late; "Just do it!" runs through my mind like a mantra. Although my dreams have nothing to do with athletic shoes and little to do with athletics (unless you count the long list of ideas I have developed which revolve around my sons and their activities), I have spent a long time avoiding the one thing I've always wanted to do - write.
Six Tips for Submitting Fiction - if you want it to get published
You can learn a lot about what it takes to place a story in an ezine by starting up one of your own.Last month I started work on a new ezine for writers, which I intended to use to publish high-quality, contemporary fiction, from writers all over the world.
Want to start a publishing revolution?
Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelance writers. It's time to breathe more life into your copy.
If You Want to Succeed As a Writer, Dont Just Think It, Do It
It never ceases to amaze me when a prospective writer confesses that he or she has never put anything down on paper. Obviously, that's the first step.
14 Tips On Writing The Short-Short Story
The short-short story has been likened by some as being closer to writing a poem than a story. And that makes sense-every word has to be packed with power; every line has to move the story along.
Comma Usage Made Simple
Don't they drive you nuts?You can visit all the rules of style you want, and you can readall the books and articles you want. You'll still be confused.
Apostrophe Usage Made Simple
According to one of my previous articles, whenever a Southernersays "Y'all watch this," get out of the way because those areprobably the last words he will ever say.Well, I'm a Southerner.
Is Now the Time for a Play about the War in Iraq?
Everone knows that comedy is mostly about timing. If you hit upon the right nerve (is a funny bone a nerve?) at the right time then, usually, you don't even have to be original or even marginally funny to win laughs.
Pairs/Groups Of Words Often Confused - Part 4 of 6
LATER, LATTERLater means afterwards; latter is the second of two things."Later that day we went for a walk.
Autobiography: Installment No.3
ESSAY 3Writing an autobiography involves a matching up of a specific plot-structure with a set of historical events. The autobiographer wishes to endow these events with a particular meaning.
From Book Notes to Book Reports
Writing papers and book reports has long been the bane of high school and college students' existence. It seems that no matter how hard you work to stay caught up, there is always a paper due tomorrow.
Save Time When You Write
I'm in the process of moving from one computer to another, and one of the things I really miss so far is a good keystroke macro program.That's a program, a communication technology, that allows you to trigger long strings of text, including names and email addresses, with just a couple of keystrokes.
Top 5 Rules of English Grammar
Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules make the written words understood.
Writer School?
Here's something from my mailbag. "Dear Michael, do you need todo good in school if you want to be a writer? I stink at schooland all my friends laugh at me when I tell them I want to write,but I'm serious.
Creating a Writing Space
It's important to have a space set aside in your home for writing. It can be a big cushion in a corner of your closet with a notebook and pen, if that's all you have room for, or perhaps the back seat of your car because that's the only place you can get some peace and quiet, but it should be all yours, waiting for you whenever it's time to write.
|
