During plot consultations, my most reliable judge of whether something is working in a writer’s story is goosebumps. Weird… I know. Still, that sublime sensation of connection, of perfection sweeps over me and I know the writer is onto something special.
A writer in London tells me her story. Scene after scene and the sensation pops up. Once. Twice. Several times.
That said, this writer has many plot lines: character emotional development, dramatic action, political, thematic, cultural. Nothing wrong with that. Problem arises because all of the plot lines come and go with little coherence. The rising energy is off. Key scenes are a jumble. Nothing adds up to anything.
Still… goosebumps never fail. Plus, it’s not that hard to pull the threads all the way through once you understand how.
Step Five of the Plot Seriescovers plot lines. It should be up early next week.
Until then, grab a tablet of paper and a pencil, click on How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? Begin on Step One, which is confusing because videos are duplicated and I haven’t figured out how to fix it yet… so, just stick to Step 1, 2, 3, 4 and begin a new story.
Even if you’re in the middle of another story, take a brief couple of minutes every week, visit the Series, and before you know it, when you finish your first story, the next one is all plotted and ready to write.
Click here to view more free information on plot.
Perhaps the goosebumps come because this writer is dangling so many intriguing plotlines.
To me, though, the key is not just dangling teasers at me, but when a story shows that the author knows how to pay off in small ways all the way through.