This is the first time I've plotted a book from the very start. I don't know if this is the correct method of plotting or even if this is a method that works for me. I'm going to give it a go and see what happens.
I think reading multiple books saying the same thing in different ways really helped me to understand what they mean. After reading Story Genius, I read Plot and Structure and understood Story Genius much better. And after reading Story Engineering, I read Save the Cat! and understood both books better.
Briefly, a book can be split into 4 parts. The setup (0% - 25%), the fun and games (25% - 50%), bad guys close in (50% - 75%) and the finale (75% - 100%). Save the Cat breaks each of these parts of the novel down into beats.
There's a beat sheet on Jami Gold's website which is amazing and really useful. None of this is my own idea, everything's come from everyone else. I'm still learning.
You should absolutely read Save the Cat! if you're interested in this sort of thing, but briefly:
- Act 1,it starts with the Opening Image
The opening image is a snap shot of your hero's life. Something that tells the reader exactly who your character is at the very start of the novel. - Theme Stated
This is where someone not a main character says to the main character what their flaw is. Maybe someone tells the main character they're too aggressive, or too scared, or too greedy. - Catalyst
This is where something happens that tells the main character that their life needs to change. Maybe they find a treasure map or their boss shouts at them for something they've done really wrong, or they have a huge fight with their spouse. - Debate
This is where the main character make a choice. In HP it was when Harry went to Diagon Alley. It can be an actual debate or preparing for the next part of the book. - Break into Act 2
This is where something monumental changes for the main character and they enter into an upside down world of Act 2, which is markedly different to Act 1. - B-Story
This is often a love story, but it's something else that's happening in the story to help the main character to realise their flaw. - Fun and Games
You said you were writing a romance, this is where the romance comes in. You said you're writing a science fiction, then make spacey science fiction things happen. But remember to keep up the conflict, the tension, make every scene be purposeful. - Midpoint
This is the moment where everything changes for your main character and they really think about their flaw. They still don't do anything about it though, because it's still the middle of the novel. - Bad Guys Close In
What happens in this beat depends on what happened at your midpoint. But your main character is now more purposeful and had a better understanding of the challenges they're facing. - All is Lost
This is a low point for your main character, obviously. - Dark Night of the Soul
I'm still figuring this one out but I think it's where your main character realises their flaw has caused all the trouble and they have to change to fix it. - Break into Act 3
This is where your main character summons up the courage to do something about IT. - Finale
Save the Cat! says that there are five steps to the finale. - Gathering the team, it's when the main character either calls on friends to help or gathers tools to help them achieve their task
- Storming the Castle, it's a metaphor but it's when the main character has a go at fixing the problem head on.
- The High Tower Surprise, again another metaphor but like when Voldermort was hiding on Professor Quirrel all along
- Dig Deep Down, where the hero summons all their courage for one last stand
- Execution of the new plan, because the old plan couldn't work after the high tower surprise, or it does work but they have to use it a different way.
- Final Image
This is what your main character will look like after they've been through this ordeal and come out the other side. It could be a mirror of what they were like in the beginning of the story. For example, if your main character was getting told off by their boss at the beginning of the story, they could be getting a medal from their boss by the end. Something like that.
While I've been plotting Book 2 of my currently unpublished series, I've been keeping all these plot points in mind. I try not to think of them as constraints but rather a road map that you could use anywhere, and for anything.
While I'm sketching out ideas, I've used postit note so I don't cover my book with scribbles of things I don't like. It also allows me to pile on ideas and switch things around if I want to do it a different way.
I've had an idea for my opening image which shows the main character in her status quo world, doing things she's used to and familiar with. I know what's going to happen in the debate, I'm sure of what Break into 2 is going to look like and now I'm just working on the other beats. Fun and Games, and Bad Guys Close In are the most difficult parts for me. I write a saggy middle. It's what I need to work on. I always have an excitement packed setup and an action packed finale, but in the middle, I have pointless ramblings.
Well, no more! Now that I am plotting out my novel, I should be able to make it work better and only include scenes that move the plot on or show character development, or ideally, both! I have to remember:
Action - Reaction - More Action
Let's see how this first draft turns out!
Also, I'm entering Pitch Wars today, so wish me luck!
No comments:
Post a Comment