TECH: Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (8)

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Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (8)

Let's see. We are slowly working our way through Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. Right now I'm about to pick up on page 50, part way through Chapter 3 about how to explode with plot ideas. Bell started with a list of ways to generate ideas. Now we are going to look at what he calls nurturing your ideas. So let's take a look at what he says.

First, pick an idea and write a hook, line, and sinker. Just like the fish swallowed it -- hook, line, and sinker. The hook is a big idea, something that makes readers browsing in the bookstore go, "Wow!" Figure out why your idea pulls in readers.

The line is one or two sentences that presents your idea graphically, as a setting or situation, with a problem and a human predicament. It's the cover story version of your story.

Last, think about a sinker. This is the negative angle, the problem with your idea. Not that you are going to necessarily throw out your idea, but you may want to strengthen it and avoid the sinker. Some questions to consider are:

1. Has this type of story been done before? Almost always, the answer is yes. So what do you add that makes your story unique?
2. Is the setting ordinary? If so, where else might you set the story? What do you know that is unique about the background?
3. Are the characters old stock? How can you make them more interesting? What fresh perspectives can you bring?
4. Is this story big enough to grab a substantial audience? If not, how can you make it bigger? How can you raise the stakes? Remember that death on a physical or psychological level should be a real possibility.
5. Is there another element you can add that is fascinating? Look at the idea from different angles, and see if you can come up with a twist or two to make it more interesting.

Okay? So figure out the big idea or hook, write up the core of the story in a line or two, and think about the problems with the idea -- and patch them up.

Next, Bell suggests Bell's Pyramid. The base is plot passion -- pick a story that you are passionate about, that you really want to tell. The middle is plot potential -- is this an idea that will reach an audience? And the peak of the pyramid is precision. Make sure you know where the plot is going, and focus on achieving that goal.

So first we need to brainstorm, generating lots of ideas. Then we need to narrow down the field, looking at the hook line and sinker, along with Bell's Pyramid. Passion, potential, precision.

Bell provides several exercises related to ideas. Let me quickly sketch those out:

1. This week, choose two ways to get ideas. Set aside at least one hour of time for each, and do them.
2. Pick the idea you like the best from the ones you generated, and develop this idea in terms of a hook, line, and sinker.
3. Apply Bell's Pyramid to the idea. Does it have the passion, potential, and precision for you to continue?
4. If you like the idea, go ahead and work with it. If not, develop another one.
5. Set aside a few hours out of each month just for getting ideas. Jot down notes, rip out newspaper items, and so forth. Then go through the ideas and explode them into many, and nurture the best.

That's it. Chapter 1 told us about LOCK -- lead, objective, confrontation, and knockout. Chapter 2 introduced a disturbance, a doorway that forces the lead into the main conflict, and a doorway that forces the lead into the final confrontation. And now Chapter 3 has introduced producing ideas and nurturing them. Next, well, let's wait until next week, okay?