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Copywriting TipsDo You Cognize What A Plot Is?
by:
Nick Vernon
What a plot is and what a story is can be sometimes confusing. If you think they are the same¡K They are not. A plot is the outline of your story. The story is everything included.
I wish illustrate the difference by asking you to visualize two pictures¡K
1. Visualize a skeleton.
Then
2. Visualize a body.
The skeleton is your plot. It¡¦s the outline of your story. It won¡¦t be visible once
we flesh it out but it wish still be there, holding your story together.
The body is your story. It¡¦s everything, which our story wish contain, including the plot. The story is the plot fleshed out.
What does it mean to ¡¥flesh it out?¡¦
Let me show you.
I¡¦ll take a brief plot¡K
A man meets a woman and they fall in love. They encounter great difficulties because their family are against the relationship.
This is the outline of the story.
Now we are going to flesh it out and do it into a story. Fleshing it out means adding things to do this basic plot into a story. To do this we wish add the rest of the ingredients such as¡K
„« Setting ¡V Wherever
wish our story take place
„« Dialogue ¡V What wish be aforementioned and by whom
„« Characters ¡V How many a characters wish our story contain? Who are they? What is their role?
„« Problems ¡V What and how many a problems wish the couple encounter
„« Goal ¡V What is the couple¡¦s goal?
„« Conflict ¡V What is the conflict?
„« Climax ¡V How is the conflict going to come to its peak?
„« Ending ¡V Wish their love win in the end?
„« And thing
else I¡¦ll need in my story
Once we have written up all these ingredients, this wish be our plot fleshed out into a story.
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Have You Planned Your Story Before Writing It?
The writer, who doesn¡¦t have the time to plot, always finds the time to rewrite.
Sound familiar?
I¡¦ve been guilty of this too, back in the early days of my writing apprenticeship. I was so eager to get stuck into writing my story that I wouldn¡¦t bother with plotting.
Plotting gives you a sense of direction. It¡¦s your map, which wish lead you to write your story. Bounce into the unknown seldom
works. Without a plot several things can happen¡K.
„« Our stories aren¡¦t focused
„« We lose our way
„« Our characters don¡¦t come to life because we don¡¦t take the time to develop them
„« We get stuck
„« The story strays from us
And all this happens once
we haven¡¦t patterned
everything out first.
Your plot is the foundation of your story. It¡¦s the skeleton, which wish hold your story together. Your plot is there to activity everything out 1st ¡V to see if it can be worked out, and then flesh out that skeleton with different elements that do a story.
Plotting is the difference between writing a story for yourself and writing one for an audience. Writing for ourselves doesn¡¦t require too more strain because we only have ourselves to please. It¡¦s once
we have to please our readers that the hard activity begins.
If you are aiming to sell your stories, plotting is a must.
Have you planned your story before writing it?
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Do You Plot With Your Character In Mind?
You are plotting the story. You write down what wish happen, what problems wish arise, what obstacles you wish place so the character won¡¦t reach his goals immediately, what he¡¦s going to do to overcome these problems etc¡K
So all these things wish be happening to your character since it¡¦s his story we are telling.
Does it do sense then to have your character in mind as you plot these things?
It does. Because it wish depend, based on the type of person he is, how he wish face these problems, what he wish feel, what he wish think, what he wish do.
Different types of personalities do up our world. Several folk worry too much, so some problems come along, they wish worry with the same intensity. Different folk view the lighter side of life. Minor problems do not affect them as for the most part
as major problems. To several challengers are welcome - they thrive on them. To others, challengers are viewed with fear and uncertainty.
As you¡¦re plotting the events of your story they have to correspond with the type of personality your character possesses.
What happens once
you plot without thinking of your character?
He wish act ¡¥out of character.¡¦ He wish do, say, think, feel things that don¡¦t suit his personality.
For instance¡K
If your character is a fusspot and you place him in a situation wherever
he doesn¡¦t worry, then that¡¦s fashioning him act according to how you want him to act in your plot.
You¡¦re manipulating him to suit your plot - You¡¦re not writing with his personality in mind.
As you plot the events in the story, at the same time
build your character.
Cross-reference what you have written simply about your character and the situation he is in. Do they correspond?
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What Can Go Into A Plot?
We all tackle plotting differently. How you plot wish be individual to you, as it is with every writer.
Below is an outline of what can go into a plot. How more you choose to develop each point is entirely up to you.
So several basic questions to ask are¡K
1. In brief what your story is simply about
2. The theme?
3. Main Characters
a. For main characters it¡¦s better to write a full account of them.
4. Secondary Characters
a. Who are they?
b. What wish their role be?
c. What is their relationship with main character?
5. Beginning of the story
a. Viewpoint ¡V who wish be telling the story?
b. Setting ¡V wherever
wish the story take place?
c. How wish you introduce main character?
d. How wish you introduce different characters?
e. How wish the story begin?
f. What wish happen in the beginning?
g. What is the conflict?
h. What is the character¡¦s goal?
i. How wish the conflict prevent the character from reaching his goal?
j. What¡¦s motivating the character?
6. Middle of the story
a. What wish happen in the beginning section, of the middle of your story?
b. How wish this be tied to the beginning of your story?
c. What wish happen in the middle section, of the middle of your story?
d. What wish happen in the end section, of the middle of your story?
e. What events are going to occur?
f. How wish you show your character¡¦s personality?
g. What problems are you going to introduce? (List each problem and how the character solves it)
h. How are you going to do things harder for your character?
i. What wish happen in the climax?
7. End of the story
a. Wish the character attain his goal?
b. How wish he or won¡¦t he attain it?
c. What¡¦s going to happen in the end?
d. How are you going to end your story?
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Or if you prefer you can plot in scenes¡K
First, numbers out how many a scenes your story wish contain. Then plot each scene.
Scene one
a) Setting
b) Introduce characters
c) Introduce conflict
d) Introduce goals
e) What wish happen in the 1st scene?
f) How wish your 1st scene develop the character and the story?
Scene two
a) Introduce 1st problem
b) What does the character feel simply about this? What does he think?
c) Have the character solve the problem
d) Begin fashioning things harder for him
e) How wish the second scene develop the character and the story?
Scene three
a) Throw another obstacle in your character¡¦s path
b) Have him solve it
c) How wish the third scene develop the character and the story?
Etc¡K
How you plot doesn¡¦t matter. The most important thing is To plot.
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Have You Completed A Character Questionnaire?
Complete a character form
for each of your main characters or even as secondary characters that play a vital role in your story. This way you wish cognize your character(s) well before you start writing simply about them.
Fill in as more information simply about them as possible. Don¡¦t only answer what you wish need in your story. The objective here is to get to cognize your character till he becomes a ¡¥live¡¦ person in your mind.
So let¡¦s begin¡K
1. In a few sentences write down a summary of the plot
2. Character¡¦s personal details
a) 1st name
b) Cognomen
c) Age
3. In a few sentences write down the character¡¦s back story (a bit simply about his background)
4. The role of the character in your story
a) What are character¡¦s goals?
b) What are character¡¦s motivations?
c) What is the character¡¦s conflict?
d) How wish the conflict finish the character from reaching his goal?
e) What is he going to do to overcome the conflict?
f) What problems wish crop up during the story?
g) How wish those problems get worse?
h) What wish the character do to overcome those problems?
i) How wish he resolve the conflict?
j) How wish your character¡¦s background influence how he behaves in your story?
k) What is the relationship with different characters, if any, in your story?
5. Physical Descriptions
a) Height
b) Eye colour
c) Hair colour
d) Hairstyle
e) Hair length
f) Complexion
g) Shape of face
h) Body type
i) Weight
6. How does his expression change when¡K
a. He¡¦s with a adored one
b. He¡¦s with being he dislikes
c. He¡¦s with his boss
d. He¡¦s with a colleague
7. Personality
a) Type? (shy, outgoing, insecure, dominant etc)
b) Distinguishable traits?
c) Mental scars? (Complexes etc)
d) Ambitions?
e) Sense of humour?
f) Fears?
g) Anxieties?
h) Phobias?
i) Overall personality?
j) How does his personality change once
he¡¦s experiencing several emotions?
k) How does he act once
he feels confident?
l) How does he act once
he feels inadequate?
m) What gestures does he use once
he talks and thinks?
n) How does he walk? With confidence? Makes he slouch or stride?
o) What mannerisms does he have? (Does he fold his arms? Makes he flick his hair?)
p) How does he speak? (Clearly, mumble, confidently, drawl etc.)
q) His voice? (Rich, loud, soft, etc)
r) His vocabulary? (Casual, formal, illiterate etc)
s) What does he think once
he¡¦s alone?
t) Makes he have any private secrets he hasn¡¦t disclosed to anyone?
u) His prejudices?
v) Dominant motives?
w) Values most?
x) Desires most?
y) How does he treat those about him? (children, superiors, etc)
z) Any vices or virtues?
8. Likes and dislikes
a) Favourite colour, food, etc
b) Favourite music?
c) Taste in clothing?
d) Makes character like thing
in particular?
e) Makes character dislike thing
in particular?
9. Fashion
a) Wherever
does the character live (country, city)?
b) Makes character live in a house, housing etc
c) Makes character like wherever
he lives?
d) Makes wherever
he lives reflect what kind of person he is?
e) Makes he have a favourite room? (Or a piece of article of furniture or different object etc)
f) Makes he have a car? What type? Makes the car reflect the person he is?
g) Any hobbies? Personal habits (neat, sloppy etc)
10. Background
a) Parents names
b) Parents occupations
c) Describe relationship with parents
d) Any siblings?
e) Describe relationship with siblings
f) What kind of childhood did the character have?
g) What kind of adolescence did the character have?
h) What kind of schooling did character undergo? (Private or public? Has this shaped who he is?)
i) What was the highest-level achieved in school?
j) Citizenship/Ethnic Origin?
k) In which country does he presently
live?
l) If the country he lives in is not wherever
he was born, why does he live there?
11. Character¡¦s current position
a) Any friends?
b) Any enemies?
c) Acquaintances?
d) Has character been wedded before?
e) Has the character been engaged before?
f) Any children?
g) Most meaning experience?
h) Any disappointments?
i) What is the character¡¦s goal in life?
j) Attitude towards the opposite sex?
k) Attitude towards life?
12. Employment
a) What kind of job does character presently
have?
b) What kind of jobs has the character had previously?
c) Is character content in current employment?
d) If not, what would-be be their dream job?
13. What do you feel for this character?
a) Admire
b) Love
c) Hate
d) Dislike
e) Like
f) Pity
g) Envy
Whatever you feel for this character, your emotions must be strong. If they are not, either build on this further or begin building another character altogether.
_____________
How Are You Plotting?
Writing is a creative process and how every writer chooses to create, is individual to them. Likewise, with plotting, every writer plots at a level they are comfortable with.
Some simply plot the bare essentials. They have a firm idea of the story they want to write and have a nice memory to be able to con everything.
Others go into more detail. These writers prefer to numbers everything out before they write the story.
How you plot wish as well depend on your level of experience. For the beginner, it¡¦s advisable
to plot thoroughly.
Before writing, think of every possible situation. Plot events thoroughly, plot scenes to the last detail and generally leave no questions unasked or unanswered. This way you wish always cognize wherever
you¡¦re going.
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Are You Mistreatment The ¡¥What If¡¦ Technique Once
Plotting?
Your short story of 500, 2.000, 10.000 words or some word length you choose to write, wish spring from a single idea - Maybe a one-sentence idea.
So once
you are still in that one sentence stage, mistreatment the ¡¥What If,¡¦ technique is a nice way of generating ideas to build on that initial story idea.
While you are in the plotting stage, experiment. Your aim should be to write the better story you can. Experiment to see what bits and pieces you can put together to write the better story ever.
So mistreatment ¡¥What If,¡¦ ask yourself questions then answer them¡K
„« What if the character was like this?
„« What if this happened to him?
„« What if I placed him in this situation? How would-be he react?
„« What if I took this away from him?
„« What if his worst fear came true?
„« What if he doesn¡¦t get what he wants? What wish he do?
„« What if I placed this obstacle in his path? What wish he do?
You¡¦ll be astonied what you come up with, if you take the time to experiment.
_____________
Does Your Plot Suit Your Characters And Vice-Versa?
When an idea comes to us for a short story, we either think of a story line 1st or a character first. Whichever we think of first, and later on build, we have to do sure the plot and the character suit each other.
Example one ¡V We think of a story line first.
Your story is set in a rural area. A institution opens a industrial plant and employs workers from that small town. The residents welcome this, as there aren¡¦t many a jobs going around. The management takes advantage of that fact and exploit the workers.
Using a detail in the system, maybe listing them under several job titles in their books, they pay them less than they are entitled. Your main character sees this injustice and leads the workers to rebel against the management.
Now in a plot like this you wish need your main character to posses certain qualities. Like¡K
Leadership
To be able to lead the folk to rebel.
Convincing
The workers are from a rural area. Several power be uneducated and not aware of their rights. The main character has to persuade them that what the management is doing, is wrong.
Persuader
Living in a rural area, jobs are hard to find. Most of the workers wish view the institution as their saviour. Their thinking wish be that receiving little money is better than none at all. The main character has to persuade them that being in a rural area the institution necessarily them as more as the workers need the company.
Strong Personality & Confident
We need a strong character that wish see things through to the end. We don¡¦t want being giving up once
things get tough. He wish as well need to be confident that he is doing the right thing (not to do things worse for the workers) and believes in himself (knowing what he¡¦s doing is right).
Strong folk skills
To be able to speak and relate to folk on all levels.
Negotiator
To discuss a resolution with management and workers.
Public speaker skills
To be able to address this mass group of workers, in a voice that is confident, persuading, authoritative etc.
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So these are the qualities we wish need our character to have.
Now let¡¦s see if we can do him believable. Remember he lives in the same rural area, so what does him several from the rest of the workers who are willing to settle for less?
I could say he recently come to that rural area from the city. He used to activity as a union leader and wanted to get out of the rat race. But having fought for workers rights his entire career, he can¡¦t stand now to see injustices and comes to the decision to fight for them and himself.
So this character would-be suit our plot because we need being like him for our story.
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Example two ¡V Thinking of a character 1st
We notice a man on the street. Thing
simply about him triggers our interest so we decide to write simply about him in a short story. So at this point we wish build the character 1st and then activity a story about him.
Let¡¦s go back to wherever
we saw him¡K
He¡¦s walking briskly on
a busy street. He¡¦s in a hurry. He¡¦s dressed in a three-piece suit, which indicates he power be a businessman. He¡¦s got a stack of documents under his arm; a case
in his left hand and his right hand is occupied by holding the phone to his ear, which he¡¦s shouting into.
Let¡¦s observe him closer¡K
He¡¦s in his mid thirties. He looks authoritative. Maybe he has his own business. Why is he shouting into the phone? Maybe one of his employees ready-made a mistake, which has cost the character a lot of money.
What if this worker
ready-made the mistake on purpose? What if he¡¦s on the q.t. working for the opposition, planted to destroy the main character¡¦s company? What if the owner of that opposing institution is the main character¡¦s own brother? Etc¡K
So as we analyze this character and ask questions simply about him, our plot begins to unfold.
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Plots and characters have to suit each other.
When we have finished plotting and are available to write the story, they shouldn¡¦t be ill-fitting pieces of a puzzle ¡V They should be a perfect match.
Does your plot suit your characters and vice-versa?
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Have You Tested Your Plot?
Our plotting stage is our testing area.
Everything in the plot should be tested for its effectiveness before we put in into our stories. If you believe thing
in your plot could be better, do it better.
Figuring everything out in your plot wish save you time editing later.
So how do you test your plot?
Start with everything that has gone into it.
For example...
„Ï Are the events interesting?
„Ï Makes your plot contain problems for the character to solve?
„Ï Have you given your character a goal?
„Ï Is the conflict strong?
„Ï Is the resolution of the conflict interesting?
„Ï Is the character interesting?
„Ï Is the setting of the story interesting?
„Ï Wish the incident or situation be engrossing to your readers?
„Ï Etc
Make a list of what your plot contains. Comb through it with kid gloves
and tick off each item. If you find that several things need to be worked on several more, activity on them.
I cognize this power be tedious work, but¡K
¡§Every one-minute you spend in planning
wish save you at least three minutes in execution.¡¨
Crawford Greenwald
Just simply about the author:
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Besides his passion for writing, Nick Vernon runs an online gift site wherever
you wish find gift information, articles and readers funny stories. Visit http://www.we-recommend.com
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