Entries tagged with plot skeletons

Original Posting 6 June 2009

Hum. I could have sworn I saw a posting asking for "can't fail" plotting help. Okay, so I'm answering a plea that wasn't posted. Oh, well, I enjoyed writing it up :-)

Remember the advice that the King gives to the White Rabbit: "Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end: then stop."
I've forgotten where I picked this up, but I like steppingstones plotting. What do I mean? Put down a word or phrase for a starting scene at the top of a sheet of paper, do the same for a climax at the bottom, then sketch in the key scenes to get from one to the other. Rearrange the steppingstones as needed. Then write adding smaller scenes and details as you go. A rough plan, but my own, and then write, write, write.
How about ye olde three act structure? Still a good solid framework to work from. Start with an inciting incident -- a disturbance that sets things going. Move along to the first doorway of no return -- a confrontation that forces the character out of the ordinary into conflicts. And then there's the middle, where we fill in with conflicts -- throwing rocks at the character up in the tree? Until we get to the second doorway of no return, the final confrontation where the stakes are so high that the character must make a total commitment to win or lose in the climax. The rest, as they say, is left as an exercise for the student.
20 Master plots, seven basic plots, Heinlein's trio of romance -- the little tailor -- and the man who came to realize -- pick your favorite basic plot skeletons. Yes, you've seen them before, and you will see them again. Why? Because they work, and work, and work. Rescue the victim, Slay the monster, Find the treasure, Boy meets Girl, Sin and Redemption, Betrayal and Revenge, Impersonation, Overcoming High Odds, Quest... use them. No charge.
Last, but not least. Start with "Once upon a time..." and finish with "And they lived happily ever after." You fill in the middle. And then revise as needed. Works every time.

Plot: arranging scenes and events in a meaningful order. Luckily, you don't have to know the order to start. You are free to revise to improve the plot. So if you think you know what you want to write, do it. Then if you think of something better along the way, change it.

The real key is to write and finish what you write. Then do it again.

Hope that helps.

last night upon the list, I saw a posting that wasn't there. It wasn't there again today, oh gosh, I hope it stays away, that nagging posting that isn't here...

Original posting 4 September 2007

Hum. Little or no time, but on another list, I saw a rehash of the famous discussions of how many plots are there (and what good does it do)? Anyway, along the way various folks starting spouting out their "plot skeletons" - the key notions that they use to hang a story by, if you will.

E.g. man against man, man against society, man against nature.

Or maybe:

Rescue the victim
Slay the monster
Find the treasure

boy meets girl
sin and redemption
betrayal and revenge
impersonation
overcoming high odds
quest

There's Polti's list of dramatic elements, there's the 20 masterplots, plenty of plots to go around.

But what are the ones you like to use? If you want to start with one of the big lists, at least highlight the ones that you really feel driven to write about. Or maybe just start from your own heart, and try to sketch out the ones that sing for you right now.

Make a list of . . . say five to ten . . . key plot skeletons for you. Give each one a memorable title, and maybe sketch in the main acts or scenes of the plot. Feel free to share your list with WRITERS (that's us) or keep it close. But consider drawing up a list of the plots you want to use, and when you feel dry, take a glimmer of the news or some such and consider how you might tell those stories again - you'll find that it refreshes both the stories and your juices.

Let the muse play sometimes.
watcha'tink?

TECH: Surefire Can't Fail Plotting In Five Easy Steps

EXERCISE: What plot through yonder story breaks?