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alexlcuri07
Apr '21

Time to be honest here:

I wish that I could say that I was a plotter. I find it very inhibiting to not have a general idea of where my plot will go until I've written out at least one full draft, and the idea of my output dwelling on how creatively inspired I feel is daunting. I'm constantly bullied by my characters and missing scheduled updates due to burnout. When I have a good idea or a general concept, I'm great. But when I don't it's... not so good. And frankly, the term just sounds better than :jeans:.

Which brings me to my point:

How do plotters do it? What does it mean to be a plotter? What does that look like for you? How would you say it benefits you to plot?

I want to know how the other side does it. Teach me your ways (so I can steal all of your methods for myself and incorporate them in ways that benefit me, mwahaha.)

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ivanskilling
Apr '21

For me, I need to have an idea of how the whole plot needs to look before I start writing the first line. :joy:
It doesn't mean that I outline every single little thing that has to happen. But more of a general plot arc - who are the characters, what is the story concept, what are the main conflicts, how do I want it to end.

Then, I do a deeper dive. How do I get them from the start to the conflict? How does the conflict get resolved?

It's like slowly filling in the plot, one layer at a time, each time going deeper and in more detail. Where you want to stop is up to you. For me, I stop when I outline 10 chapters or so (or less, it varies). Those chapter outlines are not fixed either. I've changed lots of details if the character has evolved or the pacing seems wrong or I didn't take something into account in the original outline. But broadly speaking, it doesn't deviate from the main plot arc.

Plotting is very beneficial in my opinion! :smiley: I think it works wonders for pacing and seeding clues. On the more administrative side, it also helps if you want to know when to drop a Q&A or when is a good time to do promotion, scheduling, etc.

IndigoShirtProd
Apr '21

I'm a plotter! I honestly could not finish a project if I didn't know what the end looked liked.

I'm not sure how other plotters do it, but it really doesn't take much to write an outline over the course of a few days to maybe a few weeks, then generally follow it until the literature is at completion. It's not like heaps of editing don't occur, or even that some story elements are thrown out or moved around. It's just helpful so you don't lose track of anything. I still want some spontaneity in my story, so things are often left open to change.

I'm pretty sure it just means you write an outline before starting the first draft. I write the outline, character motivations and descriptions, and any important moments or scenes I want to include.

It keeps me from forgetting things or from not knowing how to continue if I get writer's block. Right now I'm having writer's block with the novella I'm writing, and it's a portion I didn't outline before I starting the thing.

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
ivanskilling

Ah! We're not so different then! :grinning:

I always thought plotters had to have a full story laid out. I had very little ideas planned other than my initial character ideas, but after writing up a few interactions between them the whole thing sort of blossomed into an idea. Seems like we do the same things, just my way is more hands on and narrow and yours is more broad.

Never even thought to work on chapters in batches. Maybe I should consider this. :thinking:

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
IndigoShirtProd

Yeah, see... my first outline was my first draft. :joy:

But jokes aside, I do occasionally make a bulleted list of things I want to happen when I'm stuck. And once I had a draft, I rewrote and revised it with those key events in mind.

It's really great that you can outline before you begin writing. I envy this. :triumph:

Sometimes, even though the draft is fully written out and I know what happens next, I'll get writer's block with the smaller moments in between.

ivanskilling
Apr '21
alexlcuri07

Depends on what you mean by full story, I guess! :joy: I think definition-wise, the main conflicts and resolutions and the how-does-that-happen-in-general should be laid out for plotters.
I agree! I'm definitely more plot-driven than character-driven. My plots drive my idea of what kind of character I want to have.

Working on chapters in batches is great! It doesn't tire you out and when you get further down the story, it also gets harder to outline the smaller details. By the time you reach the half-way point of the outlined batch, then you can perhaps start outlining the next batch. That way, you have a better idea of what's happened to be able to plan further ahead. :wink:

Freemints30
Apr '21

Master Guide of Plotting. Expert.

It all starts with an idea and general concept. That leads me writing character sheets....to know how to shape my plot

My out lines comes in 2 phases after I write out the concept and characters.
First phase: I try to fit the plot into a 3 act structure and these three acts are sub divide into many tiny acts (Example act 3 has downfall, rise, final battle, end)

Phase 2: Is a chapter my chapter by chapter summary of what the hell happens. The longest phase. Once that's done. It becomes my bible to use for my plot.

Then I write in several drafts each one changing with my increase in skills. The one upload to tapas before I do my final edit is draft 3.

If I don't like something I usual change it immediately if I can. If not I just turn my head an move on.

marbl
Apr '21

When writing something, I need to have the whole story at least roughly planned out. The way I plan things out is really random, more of just dumping everything in my mind into text so I don't forget.

Fafnir
Apr '21

this series is amazing. its a free lesson in writing from one of the best writers in the business. and he talks about plotting A lot.

impossiblesoul
Apr '21

As a plotter, I don't think it's so much about talent as it is about having messages I want to get through to the reader, and that means working my way backwards. In a way, it's like solving an algebra problem. If I want A + B to equal 30, then I need to take a good look at A and B to figure out what numbers they need to be in advance.

The difficult part comes in when I'm trying to write the equation without it coming off as a deus ex machina, because if I give the solution at the start of the story - well, I've spoiled it, but if it's too much of a surprise - then people will think I blindsided them. That's why I have to leave hints everywhere from the beginning of the story to help the reader narrow it down but not get a full answer so that there's still a surprise here and there and in the end. What does A equal, my reader? Something between 5 and 15. What does C equal? Something between 25 and 35. Give them enough to get their imagination going. People like mysteries and plot twists in moderation, and those too need to be reverse engineered.

So for me, it's about having a conclusion in mind while aiming to keep the reader guessing by giving a few numbers (themes) which allow the reader to imagine what the answer might be.

childofbooks
Apr '21

I learned this in my film class and was told that it helps not to get stuck in any type of storytelling.

1- Write the premise line of your story.

A premise line is usually one or two sentences that explain your story as a whole. It is not a summary or a theme, it is the core of your story.
It is hard to explain so I recommend checking examples in film websites such as IMDb, a couple of sentences under the movie poster is the premise line.

1.PNG875x469 235 KB

2- Determine the CLOSAT

CLOSAT stands for Character, Location, Object, Situation, Action, and Theme.
Define your characters' names, personalities, occupations, likes and so. Define the location and its properties. The objects that are important in the story, like a special sword your main character uses, or a cup that everyone tries to win. Define the situation your characters are in and the action they take with the reasons. And decide on a theme.

We learned these in class not to lose track of the story.
I hope this helps you as well :grin:

Kaydreamer
Apr '21

I'm half-plotter, half pantser. I tend to write random snippets of dialogue, scenes and such all out of order, whenever my imagination conjures them. I know that I want certain things to happen, so that gives me some direction. With Blue Star Rebellion, I know how it ends, and I have an idea of what each arc will involve. That gives me some direction.

Beyond that, sewing all those snippets is the part which feels more like pantsing. I'm not quite sure what that's going to look like until I'm working on it, and I'll go through multiple ideas until I hit on the right one.

My best friends when writing are bullet points on my iPhone's Notes, which I later put into Scrivner on my Mac. Having character files for all those random dialogue snippets is a lifesaver.

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
ivanskilling

I wonder if characters will allow me to work in batches. The idea of scheduling breaks sounds lovely~ Very hard when you don't know what the story will look like beyond a week from now, haha.

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
Freemints30

Yes, the three act structure. I have heard of this magical item that you plotters use to cast your story spells. :nerd:

Can't say that I've personally had to utilize one. Seems like I just jump right into your third step. :joy:

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
marbl

I do something similar in terms of dumping things onto a page. The biggest sad is knowing that you had a good idea and then forgetting what it was. :sob:

cyborgmermaid
Apr '21

I kind of work backwards while plotting. I have my major plot points that I map out when in the story I want them to happen. From there I break down how do my characters get from one point to another. I then break those actions down into what I want from each chapter then start writing dialogue from there. After I'm done with the dialogue, I write the details of the scenes.

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
arxianfall

Timelines and Tables??? My non-plotter brain cannot compute :scream:

I have a few character sheets and world notes somewhere, but those came long after I had begun writing. This seems so much more detailed and organized.

I will say though, my folder files for my drafts are labeled, color coded, and neatly stored on my drive. :relieved:

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
impossiblesoul

Keep your math our of my writing! :joy: (Jk, jk)

I like the point that you brought up though. I'm not sure that with my writing style that I could effectively write a mystery or thriller. That's in part because I don't really consider the full story when I initially write one out. Hard to leave clues if you haven't decided who the murderer is yet.

alexlcuri07
Apr '21
Kaydreamer

Wow! It's like you put how my brain works into words. I'm definitely less plotter than :jeans:, but after I decided general plot points my process was exactly like this. Snippets of dialouge, random scenes. Sometimes I have a hard time writing in chronological order, which I think is why having multiple point of view characters really helps me. I stay with one character until their "story bit" is through and intersplice it with what's happening with another character.