Plotting a Story

I spoke about crafting characters in another blog post. Today I am going to talk about the methods I use for developing my actual plot.

Usually, I have an idea to get me started. A tiny little spark that comes from. . .somewhere. Sometimes it's just a phrase I heard on a TV show (like 'earthquake house') that spirals into a multi-book series. Sometimes a short story contest prompt turns into something that could be a LOT bigger, like with a new idea circling in my head called Owl Academy. And sometimes I have no clue where the idea comes from at all.

Below are the steps I follow to prepare to write my first draft.

The Initial Idea

First, I create a new folder on my computer named with a working title (or just New Idea #478594). Then, I create a Word doc titled something so generic I will never find it again once it's purpose has been served. Usually, it ends up being called 'Initial Idea'.

In this document, I write down everything I've thought of so far. As I mentioned in the intro, I usually have an idea to start from. This document is where that idea goes. I don't pay attention to sentence structure--I just write, as quickly as I can, before the idea disappears into the ether.

Some of my ideas don't make it past this phase. I have more ideas than time to write them (see my Facebook page for some that I've turned into writing prompts for others to enjoy). But if this idea is one of the lucky few that I am able to keep working on, I grab my ever faithful Ideas Notebook, full of every thought I've ever had about anything that could even remotely become a story, character, sub-plot, or personality trait, and I skim through it, looking for things that could work with this story. I list them in the doc, often adding new thoughts that arrive as I type. I go over this list over and over, striking out the ones that won't work, until I am left with a manageable muddle of words.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel

And then I hand it over to Jessica Brody, author of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel. Jessica has no idea who I am, and I'm not being paid or anything to highlight her excellent approach to plotting. I just genuinely love it, and I have found it an excellent way to plan a story.

I won't go into too much detail here, because Jessica explains it far better herself in her book and her LinkedIn Learning course (which I took and loved). The basic idea is that there are 15 'beats' that make up a solid, well-told story:

1. Opening image
2. Setup
3. Theme
4. Catalyst
5. Debate
6. Transition to Act II
7. B Story
8. Fun and Games
9. Midpoint
10. Bad Guys Close In
11. All is Lost
12. Dark Night of the Soul
13. Transition to Act III
14. Finale
15. Final Image

If you plan each of the above well and thoughtfully, you will have the beginnings of an excellent story to tell.

Write v1

Then, once I have my plot planned out, a detailed character sheet, and specific notes and plans regarding the world I am writing about and all of it nuances, I write the first version, v1, of my manuscript. The Save the Cat! outline I create forms the basis of v1, and I refer to it closely.

Once v1 is done, the Initial Idea document and even my plot outline can be archived. I know that I still have a long journey ahead of me. Usually I am up to at least v5 before I feel ready to look for an agent or self-publish my book. But you can't write v5 until you've written v1, and I always celebrate this important first step--finishing an entire story from beginning-to-end.