Plotting Your Novel

    SANDRA DAVIDSON ‑ PLOTTING THE NOVEL

    

     

1.    The first step of plotting your novel is coming up with  the idea for your story.  It is impossible to tell anyone how to do this, for everyone is inspired and motivated by different things.  But basically your ideas come to you in two different ways, either by serendipity, which is the most pleasant way, or by deliberation.

        By serendipity, I mean the idea just seems to come to you like a gift.  Most likely, something you saw or thought triggered the inspiration.  For instance, the inspiration for one of my novels was the name of a woman on an ancient tombstone and her eerie epitaph.  Immediately the idea of a story came to my mind that I really wanted to write, but I still had to go through the process after that, of thinking  the story out.

        By deliberation ‑ I thought of the idea for my forth book using this method.  I decided to write a book that took place in Florida because I thought it would be easier to do the research.  Then, I discovered that Osceola the famous Indian leader was captured by the army about a half  mile from where I lived.  That decided it for me I would write a story about Osceola.  It was an actual deliberate decision, rather than an idea that floated to me from the ozone.

2.      Some authors build their stories around the characters.  They see the characters first in their brain and fit the story to suit them.  Other authors see a scene of action and find the characters to move that story along.  I think, with me, it all kind of happens so close together I can't really tell you which came first.

3.      Now, it's time to ask the question what if?  That is  the spark that ignites the creativity.  What if Blade McAmmon is an officer in the army, but he is part Indian and ashamed of his Indian blood?  What would happen if he is thrust into a situation where he has to deal with that?

 Next, I ask the same question of my stories heroine, what if Shining Dawn a woman who loves her Indian way of  life is forced to live as a white woman?

4.      The next inevitable question is what is going to happen next?  Hopefully that is what the reader will want to know after they finish every chapter.  Every chapter must hold the readers attention so you cannot have small problems or   small emotions.  Early on in your plotting think of what your character wants desperately.  Whatever it is should clash with your other important character.  This is what makes a page turner.

5.      Make your reader care about your main characters.  This means putting them in one after another terrible situations where the stakes are high, and the rewards great if they win out.

 Make sure that you have enough conflict built into your story to keep it going until the end.  There are two kinds of conflict.  Internal and external.  It is good to have both kinds of conflict in your story.  Usually there is one main conflict. A terrible problem that must be solved by the end of the book.  But, most likely there will be several smaller conflicts as well, both with the main characters  and with secondary characters.

Along the way, the smaller conflicts will be solved one at a time, or possibly some of them at the same time, but the main conflict won't be solved until the end of the  book.

The conflict must be believable.  And it will be if you make the motivation for your characters so powerful that the reader will be able to accept it.  This is one of the most important things you can do to have a publishable novel.  It also means using your creativity to its fullest.

 6.    Make sure that every scene you write furthers the story. Ask yourself this question.  If I take out this scene, or this chapter, will the story suffer.  If the answer is no, take it out.

7.      Make your characters further the story in more than one way.  The more ways the story is furthered with each sentence, each scene, each character, the more powerful and  readable the story is.  This is what makes readers turn the pages.

8.      Always keep in the back of your mind the overall theme, so that you can stay on track.  Which means you must have some idea of how the conflict will be resolved.  This doesn't mean you should write your last chapter before you write the beginning and middle of your book.  I wouldn't recommend this to anyone because it restricts your imagination and won't allow you to veer off on paths that might make your book more interesting.

Think of your story as a colorful map, with many roads leading to your destination.  Each road  will take you by different landscape, different circumstances.  When the characters of your book seem to take over and write  their own story, let them, if you don't like the path they take, you can always turn back and start down a different one. 

9.      Give your characters strengths and weaknesses.  This will help write your story.  They will react in different ways because of their basic personalities.  Their weaknesses might get them in trouble, their strengths find  a way of dealing with their problems.

10.     The only way to write a book, is to write a book.  What it comes down to is how important is it to you to become a  published author.  If it is very important, you'll do whatever it takes.  You'll become obsessed with your book until you have gone through the whole, miserably hard process, the lonely hours, the self doubts until you have it down on paper as good as you can get it.