…….. Plotting at the bus stop

For many of us, it’s not a good idea to start by sitting at the computer and wondering what to write. We need to be prepared for those snatched half hours when we inhabit the world of our imaginations. We need a plot that excites us, one that makes us eager to switch on and make a start….. even if at that point we don’t know where the story’s going. So, start plotting your next story while you work in the garden, or go for a walk, or wait for a bus.

What exactly makes a good plot?

It’s been said that every story has one of seven basic plots. Could it be true? Next time you read a short story or a novel, ask yourself whether the fits into one of these categories:

A quest

Overcoming the monster

Rags to riches

Voyage and return

Comedy

Tragedy

Rebirth

And now ask:

Was it a good plot? If yes, what made it a good plot?

Did it have a strong beginning that drew you in?

Did the hero or heroine (the protagonist) have some sort of problem to face, or some kind of conflict to overcome?

Did the plot have a satisfying end?

Creating a good plot

One way to start is to ask ‘What if……?’

In one of my stories I asked, ‘What if a couple are all set to move from a grim flat to a house of their own, and the man hasn’t put down the deposit as agreed? He’s gambled it away.’

In another I asked, ‘What if a young widow is so bitter about her soldier husband’s death, she becomes unable to show kindness to anyone, including her young daughter?’

Both these plots were successful in competitions.  The first became Leaving it all behind was shortlisted in the Chorley and District Writers’ Circle competition, and published in an anthology in 2013.

The other one, The Cake Stall, came second in the 2009 HE Bates short story competition, and is published in an anthology called Beauty in the Bog.

You could try the following for yourself

1 What if a stranger bumps into you and slips a small package into your pocket? Do you open the package? What do you find? Will this lead to a quest? Or maybe it’s a rags to riches story.

2 What if someone plans a revenge that misfires? Will this be a tragedy, a comedy, or a story of the character’s rebirth?

3 What if your computer develops a mind of its own? What if it orders the most unusual things from the internet? What if it links you on Facebook to someone you can’t stand?

Frog: (sadly or joyfully, you choose)

I’m waiting for a princess.

What do you mean, will this be a comedy or a tragedy?

……….. Make your ideas work

For a successful story you’re going to need three things:

One or more characters

It helps if we like your protagonist (the main character), but that doesn’t always have to be the case. The important thing is that we empathise with them. Then we start caring about them, and this makes us want to carry on reading. We want to find out what happens to them.

 A setting, where the story takes place

Where-ever it is, a living room, a busy department store, the middle of the moors, or the far side of the moon, the reader should be able to picture what’s going on in his/her head. This doesn’t  require paragraphs of description. A phrase can sometimes paint a few brushstrokes which inspire the reader to fill in the rest of the details from his/her imagination.

 A plot

There’s a problem that needs to be solved, or some sort of conflict to overcome. It could be that someone is treated like a servant by her step-sisters and is desperate to go to the forthcoming ball. Or maybe someone has to deal with a control freak at work. Or perhaps the problem lies within the protagonist himself. Can he pluck up the courage to do that bungee jump he boasted about and signed up for? Did he really think he could impress that sporty-looking girl at the gym?

CONFLICT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE VIOLENT, BUT IT HAS TO BE BELIEVABLE

Next time you read a really good short story, ask yourself, why do I like it? Why does this work so well?

Think about the following:

• What made me like or empathise with the main character?

• Which words or phrases made me visualize the setting in my mind?

• Why was the plot successful? Was it different, funny, quirky?

Characters, settings and plots are the nuts and bolts of story-writing.

Make yours memorable.

Frog: (haughtily)

Isn’t it obvious?

I’m trying to empathise with the birds.