Help with Plot Development
How to Improve Your Story:Tips for Advancing a Fictional Storyline
Feb 20, 2008 Elizabeth Richards
Plot and character development are crucial parts of your story, but also key areas where a novel can get bogged down. Taking each item and phase apart sensibly and putting them back together with a formulated plan can help you on the road to completing your story.
Start by assigning one page for each character; it doesn't matter if you are writing with pen or in a computer, designate a system so that you can refer back to each individual page.
Describe
Write out a list of adjectives to describe and define your main character. Try to come up with at least 8 vivid and colorful ways to help your reader picture your main character.
Define
On the same page, make another list:
What drives your character?
What is he trying to do with his life?
What is his history?
Try to list at least 10 things for history
For example:
1. My main character was born into a middle class family
2. He had a close relationship with his grandmother on his father's side.
3. His 4th grade teacher was a big influence and encouraged him in math and science
4. He met his first love at 16, married young
5. His education included college, but he never finished
Get the idea? Paint a real background of your character, get to know him
Direction
Where is your character going?
What drives him to move forward?
Write out at least 5 things that could affect the direction of your character.
Once you've written out the 3 D's for your protagonist, make pages and do the same for your antagonist and then again for any other important characters.
Conflict
Designate another page for conflict; the catalyst of your work. How do each of the characters interact? What happens to them along the way to their destination? Transfer the conflict information to the characters pages too.
Change
The best and most interesting stories work because the people in them change and grow. The characters react from the conflict, either good or bad.
Add to each character's page how you see them as the story progresses, how they change and grow.
What conflict changes each character? How does it affect them personally, their values, their outlook?
That old saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is true of your fictional characters. Do the forks in the road make them stronger or does it defeat them? How do you see them progressing?
Resolution
You probably have a good idea how you want to your story to end. Sometimes breaking down each character and separating the conflict and changes into individual segments can reset or establish your story's ending. Allowing yourself to see the entire story in pieces and see your characters as individuals with a history, a conflict and possibly their future, may help you work out your plot development problems.
Other Sources
An overlooked source by fictional writers is John Vorhaus' book The Comic Toolbox: How to Be Funny Even if You are Not. The ideas in this book can be used with any genre. Vorhaus, a screenwriter and author ,clearly and easily explains techniques like the ones listed here and others in depth. Another one of his books, Creativity Rules! A Writer's Workbook is also a good source for outlining and developing. A self-described "kick in the pants" strategy for when writing gets tough.
Formulated writing can help you finish your novel
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