Time for the Outline!

We talked plot, now it's time to talk about how to do your outline. There are several ways to do an outline and I'll walk through one or two of them before I get into how I do my outline. As always, these might not work for you but I suggest that you try them.

In Order to Plot, Pick Your Genre

Happy Monday! We are two weeks and a day away from the start of NaNoWriMo. You get a few minutes to panic and then we'll start with the topic of the day. I'll time you.

....and done. Today, we are talking about plots and I know this is a weird time to talk about them. We've done the ton of world building, the characters, and now I want to talk about plot. Here's the thing about plot... when you're doing the rest of it, you might already have the glimmer of an idea in your head. I mean, you've created an entire world, you have a cast of characters, therefore, you must have an idea of why you did such a thing. Now, that's not to say that you didn't lay out your plot first and then built up everything else. It can go either way.

Let's take a baseline plot of a hero going off to save the world from something that will end it. For example, let's say that it's a evil overlord who, if he or she takes over the world, will plunge it into darkness for the next untold generations or something of the like. From that one little idea of a plot, you can do so much with it when you decide what genre you want to write in. If you're writing fantasy, then this is your good old fashioned standard plot line. You will need to do more in order to not appear stale. This is where a good what-if would come in handy. Perhaps write it from the world view of the evil overlord. Or perhaps a minion who really is the hero but works a crappy day job under said overlord. You will need to work on it.

Now, let's say you're writing dystopian fiction. You're somewhere in the darkness, possibly right after it happened or a generation or three in. You're going to need to figure out how your main character fights back against it and what he or she does to take down the evil overlord. Or, maybe he or she does, but realizes that, by taking said evil overlord down, it's going to kill off everything. So, now you're at a crossroads of what could really be done because your hero doesn't want to destroy the world. Or he or she could as destroying everything is a way to set everyone free.

For the third and final example, let's take mystery / thriller. For this one, it doesn't really need to be an evil overlord. It can simply be someone who is making the main character's life hell and he or she decides to do something about it. Or, someone else tried to, and now they're dead and your main character has to put the pieces together in order to find the killer. With this genre, you're going to want to figure out if you're dealing with the main character as the killer or as the solver. The killer needs to figure out a way to keep one or three steps ahead of the police in order to win. The solver needs to figure out the puzzle and catch the killer. Be wary of the hybrid unless you're willing to dive deep into what you're doing with your outline. Also, have a way out. I know it's cliche, but I never say no to the idea of an evil twin.

So, yes, the genre you write in will drive your plot. It's best to pick that before you fully flesh out the idea of your plot and what your story is going to be. However, you're got two weeks and a day - so not a reason to panic yet.

Until next time, keep on writing, plotting, and not panicking.

Setting: Exercise for an Alternative Earth Setting

Okay, time to give some of our AU Earth setting writers some love. Okay, well, we have with both past exercises, as they can use some of both, but we're going to dive into the idea of just how far you're alternative setting is going to go.  Let's dive in.

The first type of alternative Earth and one that people really like is taking a part of our past and twisting it. What if we never got into the second world war (Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick)? What if we never set off the nuclear bombs and we never entered the nuclear age? What if the cold war never ended? Those are a lot of more recent history changes, along with the assassination of JFK (11/23/63 by Stephen King), but that's not to say you couldn't go back farther. What if Rome never fell? What if Cleopatra never took her own life and Egyptian culture had a resurgence? We have a lot of history that, if you have a favorite time period, you could go back and twist something to write a plot from there.

The second type of alternative Earth is taking something we do not have - magic, mythological creatures, etc - and bringing them into the world. Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series has a mage detective working in Chicago. That's still the real world but it's urban fantasy due to the magic and supernatural creatures in the world. Now, that doesn't mean that you have to use the age we're in right now for your story. You could set it back in Elizabethan time and have a magic user who was in service of the Queen to take out her enemies. Or something else. You're not restricted to the time period of the here and now. Next week, we're going to be diving into different cultures and the rule of magic that will help those who want to write in this type of setting.

The third type of alternative Earth is where you go into the near or distant future. What do we have that we don't have now (flying cars anyone)? Are we still the same with slight differences if you're just going a small jump in the future? For me, as I have a novel that I'm working with the near future, is that we still have a lot of the same things. Racism isn't as prevalent as it is now and there's different types of it woven into the novel (half supernatural beings looked down upon). We still have the tech we have now but it's many numbers ahead of what we have now. Think Samsung Galaxy Note 20 instead of Note 7. So you do need to think of what we have different, what we have the same, and how long you are jumping. If you're jumping into the year 3000 or beyond, you might want to look into doing a bit of the second world setting plotting because culture will probably change a lot. We might have different beings that have evolved into living alongside humans. So keep that in mind when you're doing this type of AU Earth.

So those are the three types and the challenges and differences of each. I really like working in the third type, especially for the novel I'm writing now, but that is not to say that the second and third do not blend. None of these are set apart from each other. You can use all or none or some in each of them and come up with a great novel. Until next time, keep on plotting (and writing)!

How to Plot Your Short Story

We've talked about the different type of short stories, different challenges, and ways that habits and short stories interact.  Today we're going to touch on the idea of plotting the short story.  I'll go through how I plot and why it works for me.  You can feel free to try them out or see if one of the methods I use for a longer short story might work for you as flash fiction.

1. Drabble: This is pretty straight forward for me.  I look for a prompt, feel it out by finding a definition or a picture, and try to figure out which characters I have would work best for the prompt.  This is where one of the big books of prompts would help me and it has in the past.  The only problems I run into is that sometimes I think a character and prompt fit but then they don't.  When that happens, I will brain dump why it might not be working, which is a form of outlining sometimes, and one of two things will happen.  I'll either go back to the drawing board and find a new character or the block will be broken to write the drabble.

2. Flash fiction: This is where plotting gets a bit more involved.  Sometimes I'll use the same idea as the drabble.  I'll find a prompt, select a character, and write.  Sometimes it's a bit more tricky, like when I do a challenge and people have to read it, but that seems to be few and far between.  When I do a challenge, I'll sit with the prompt and sketch out what I would like to write.  Do I want to do fantasy or do I want to do a genre that is a bit outside of my comfort area?  Do I want to use a character I know and love or would that be a point against me?  It involved a bit of a brain dump at times, so I know what I'm doing but also so I can write a stronger story.  I find that I do a lot less editing when I've brain dumped ahead of time or sketched out a basic framework of my story.  That framework might be more of when to introduce or not introduce a plot point or character but that's about it.

3. Short Story: This is where it gets fun.  What I like to do with a short story is create an outline of scenes as a pathway from start to finish.  Sometimes I end up with a story that I realize would be better as a novella or novel than a short story.  Sometimes I realize that I have a plot hole and I need to fill it in by creating a side character or adding a bit more to my main character.  Either way, I try to make sure that it is a cohesive story.  Now, this is the only time that I don't do a brain dump because I create an outline.  Also, I usually have a story idea that came to me instead of using a prompt.  This is not to say that I won't use a prompt from time to time to write a short story but it's less likely when I write the longer short story.  I usually already have a story in mind, I outline it, and realize that the short story format will work for it or it won't.

So, that is how I plot my short stories.  Do you feel these would work for you or do you have another way that you plot out a short story?  Feel to share it below in the comments or hit me up on either Facebook or Twitter.  Have a good Monday and keep on writing!

Throwback Thursday: How I Used to Plot

So... how I used to plot.  I have to think back to 2008, because, before that... I didn't really plot.  I was a pantser, who just wrote what I thought would work, and didn't think there was anything wrong with it.  Heck, I still don't think anything is wrong with it, because I will pants short stories vs outright planning them, and I like it.  So, again, nothing horrible with pantsing.  I am a former and current one.

But, thinking back to 2008, for my first NaNoWriMo win, I don't think I really had an outline?  It's been eight years (jeez!) and I had a lot going on. For starters, I was a volunteer in the field for the OFA.  I was doing long days and I didn't start until day 5 of the month.  Also, I had one of the worst flus of my short life and I don't think I wrote more than 500 words a day until I was better.  But I put my head down and wrote, getting to 50,000 words.  I then put the novel away until marathon writing to get a free proof as part of the winner goodies.  I still have that proof.

As for if I had an outline, I did.  I finally found it, in the deep dark depths of my computer, and see that I was doing a back and forth between the good guys and the bad guys.  It's something that I've only tried once again, with Mystery of the Dark going back and forth between Kate and Justinian, but it didn't work.  I feel like going back and forth can work, considering A Song of Fire and Ice, but you have to make sure that your plot is strong enough.  It should also be consistent, which my plot was not, as I had three or four chapters before it changed sides.  I feel like the plot of Power is strong enough to go through that, but I need to go back and edit.  The writing... well, it's horrible.  I love the plot but that writing from 2008 is horrible.  I don't even feel bad telling on myself.

So, looking back, I was a lot more rigid in how I wrote with the outlines.  There was no "Hey, side mission looks cool" fluidity.  It was point A to point Z with nothing stopping them.  I don't think I could write like that now but it would be an interesting challenge to try.  So, readers, how much have you changed from when you finished your first novel and now with planning?  Have you not changed much?  Gone from pantser to plotter?  Plotter to pantser?  Leave your comments below and, until next time, keep on writing.

Plotting Time!: AKA How I Plot a Novel

Yesterday, I talked about pants vs plotter and showed a bit of the hybrid going between the two.  Today, we're going to go into what I usually do when I am plotting a novel and the steps I go through before I get to plotting.

Before I can even get to plotting, I like to set up what is called the basic stats of the novel.  I like to have a title in mind, even if it's mystery novel, more than any sort of real title.  I put which genre I'll be writing in, a subgenre if needed, how many words I plan to write, if there's a challenge involved such as NaNoWriMo, and a summary.  You're probably wondering how I can have a summary before I have a plot, but the summary isn't all that in depth.  Sometimes it'll just be a few lines of the idea that I have and then I'll come back to fill in the summary after I've got the plot outline done.

If you're wondering how long your novel should be, LitRejections has genre guidelines that can be found here.  For fantasy, I always try to shoot for 90,000 and to not go above 100,000.  It seems like a lot but, at the end of the novel, I'm always right in-between 90 and 100 thousand words.

After you have your basic stats, I then create the world through worldbuilding.  If you're setting something in the real world, you don't have to create a whole new world.  However, you do need to know where your characters are going to be at any given moment.  To take Chicago as an example, you'll want a map or two in order to see where your characters are going.  Are they going to travel by car or are they going to take public transport?  If it's public transport, are you going by bus or L?  So, it does take a bit of research and visiting the city that you want to set your city in.  I know that we have Google and other ways to look, but sometimes the best way to know your setting is to visit it.  How else are you going to know that the best way to get across town as quickly as possible?  You won't unless you go and see for yourself.  If you are creating a new world, I highly recommend Patrica C. Wrede's Worldbuilder Questions, 30 Days of Worldbuilding, and Anna Staniszewski's World Building Through Character.  I've used the last link a lot as it springboards into creating more of the fantasy world in different ways than the other two.

So, you've got your world, now it's time for characters.  There are a lot of character sheets that you can use out there.  However, I find it easy to boil down the characters to the following:

Name:
Age / Apparent Age:
Appearance:
Background:
About (Personality):
Weapons, Magical Ability, Misc:

Now, I sometimes do this before I get into world building.  It helps to have an idea of the characters I went to set in the world vs creating a world and then putting the characters into them.  You can write as little or as much as you want, but that's the basic formula I use to create my characters.  There are also various places where you can get appearance ideas, but I recommend just taking a look around you when you're out and about.  Sometimes you get the best ideas by seeing people in Starbucks and deciding that their mohawk works perfectly for the character in your head.

So, now we're at the outline.  You're probably all thinking "thank Deity of Choice".  Since we have everything all together before getting to this point, there are some novels where the outline writes itself.  All one needs to remember is the classic where you have a start, the middle, and the end.  I like throwing in a little curve or twist near the end, before you get the clear ending, as a way to put in a bit more plot.  It's usually used with police procedural, when they think they've got the killer, but it turns out to be someone they suspected but discarded.  It's not rocket science and this outline type has gotten me through a lot of different novels.

So, that's how I plot out my novels.  It takes a while, so I like to give myself a month or two before I sit down to write.  That way I can make sure that everything is in order and I don't need to change anything.  Plotting is a lot of work but it is nothing compared to trying to write the novel itself.  So, you want to make sure that you like what you're about to write, you like the characters, and you know the world.  If you've got those three, then you're going to be all set.

Would this method work for you?  I'd like to know, if you feel like leaving a comment, or if you've got a method that works better.  Until next time, keep on writing.

Pants vs Plots

Last week, if you didn't notice, we had a lot of talk about characters.  I thought we'd continue with trends and go into talking this week about plotting.  Now, this won't always happen, mostly because it was random last week and this week I planned this, but I thought it would be a nice little continuation.  I'm more than happy to also do a week about world building and please feel free to comment below if you would like that sooner rather than later.

However, this week, there's plotting.  Plotting can involve a lot of things.  Making character sketches is a form of plotting, even if you don't think it is, because you're thinking out ways that your character has a form and background.  World building, even if you're using the real world around you is another form of plotting.  So there are a lot of little ways that you can plot without even knowing it.  For the purpose of this post, we're going to talk about the traditional form of plotting, an outline, versus going by the seat of pants, aka pantsing.

Disclaimer: There is nothing wrong with either.  I have done both and both have strengths and weaknesses.  I've even done a hybrid form of pants and plotting, which I will explain, but I am not bashing one way or another.  Both have their place in the writing world and both can work and not work for you.  That out of the way, let's talk.

Pantsing is exactly what it sounds.  You are going by the seat of your pants, wherever you want to go, and you write your plot.  This frees you up to write the story as it comes to you and it is quite freeing.  You don't have a road map and you can go all over the place.  This is really nice if you have these great characters and just want to throw them into a situation then go from there.  So, character A and character B walk into a bar and they can meet up.  They can get in a fight and then go through how their lives intersect before possibly getting together in the end.  One of the more popular ways to pants is to take on dares from other people to further your novel, like include a trip to a taco bar, and go from there.  Like all things, there's also challenges to this because you have to be self disciplined.  You have to be willing to just write, no matter what, and hope that you're connecting all your plots in the end.  I feel this also needs the most editing after you've completed a draft.

Plotting is also the same thing as it sounds.  You create an outline, a road map, where you go from point A to point Z with your characters.  To take the example of the two characters walking into a bar, you'd probably have all the reasons stated for why one of the characters are there.  You have a setup and a background and probably a few chapters before that character walks into the bar.  This is great and, while there will still need to be editing, there's less chance for having to edit for stray plot holes.  However, you're locked into what you're doing.  You can't really have a random taco bar meeting that you would if you were pantsing unless it's already in your outline.  You are set in that outline that you have put forward and you need to get through your plot.

Now, there is a third way, which I think a lot of plotters do that's a hybrid of plotting and pantsing.  Basically, you have the outline, but it's a fluid one.  Say you like the idea about the random taco bar meeting and you have a place where it could go in your outline.  So, you put it in and, while writing, character C becomes involved and you have a love triangle.  You go back to your outline and change out what happens in the chapters going forward.  The outline, while still your road map, is now changed and possibly for the better.  This might be the way for you, if you do need that bit of plotting, but want the freedom of pantsing.  I've found that it helps, especially when I get in the middle of a story to completely change a character, and it helps to make sure that all the tendrils of the story still goes together to make a complete story.

There are a million other ways to write and make sure that your story is complete.  What's the way that you decide to go forward with writing your novel?  Do you plot, pants, or something in between?  Feel free to leave comments below and, until next time, keep on writing.

Let's Talk About Plot Twists

Plot twists are usually a good thing when you're reading a book or series.  They show that something exciting can happen and change the characters.  It gives growth and makes sure that you're still engaged in the book or series.  When done well, the reaction can range from "oh my God, yes, that's brilliant!" to "...what the hell but why I don't get it".  I've gone through both and everything in between when it comes to things that I read and watch.

That said, plot twists can go past the bad reaction I posted above into "what the fuck just happened?" and turn off your reader or viewer.  Such is the case here, with Marvel completely changing Captain America (spoilers for the comic, not the movie), and I think that this is one of the times where the plot twist is not being used correctly.  Is there a case for them doing this twist, going back as far as the interview suggests?  Probably.  There's also the case that this is an iconic character and you've just completely retconned him into something he isn't.  I wonder where the editor is on this, as I doubt this would fly unless you're a really big author like George RR Martin, but it did.

Maybe they did need something fresh.  Captain America has been who he is for a very long time.  They did twist that the serum broke down and he became old so Falcon became the new Captain.  That brought something new into it and they could have kept on going that way.  Explore the idea of mortality and how nothing lasts forever.  Plot twists, of course, can be taken anyway but this crossed the line into unforgivable.  I hope that the MCU, the Marvel Cinematic Universe, doesn't pick up on this idea and turns it into Captain America 4.

What do you think, dear readers?  What are some horrible plot twists?  Please be aware that there might be spoilers for current shows in the comments, as there was a big Game of Thrones twist on Sunday that is still being talked about (I vote good twist on that one), so tread carefully.

Until next time, have a good Wednesday.