Create A Plot Outline In 8 Easy Steps By Glen C. Strathy How would you like to create a plot outline for your novel in less than an hour that is emotionally compelling and dramatically sound? It's easier than you think. The secret is to incorporate the 8 Basic Plot Elements. Starting with your story idea, you only need to make eight choices to ensure the plot of your future novel hangs together in a meaningful way. Sound intriguing? I'll describe each of the eight elements in turn. On the other hand, if you already have a draft for a novel, that you're looking to revise, then ask yourself, as we go through these elements, whether you have included them in your story. 1. 15K+Save The first element to include in your plot outline is the Story Goal, which we covered in detail in the previous article, The Key to a Solid Plot: Choosing a Story Goal. There are many ways we could involve other characters in this goal. ... a mother who wants her to be happier. ... a jealous ex-boyfriend who tries to sabotage her love life. 2. 3. 4. 6.
Random Story Generator This thing is so fun. Prepare yourself! The idea I had was to create a sentence that sounded like a brief plot outline or even a TV Guide blurb for a Christian speculative novel. I wanted to create several variables that would be randomly supplied by a little software utility, thus supplying a plot outline that might just be crazy enough to give you an idea spark. So I conscripted my Christian speculative novelist buddy, Randall Ingermanson, to do the coding. Thanks, Randy! The paragraph you see below in blue is what the software generated for you just now. Have fun! Note that if nothing happens, you may have to click to allow ActiveX content to be shown on the page. This is a werewolf story about a pretender who wants to return to his/her home but is prevented from doing so by an earthquake bent on beating the devil at his own game. Tell me another story!
Get Me Writing » 5 Fool-Proof Ways to Put your Muse to Work EmailEmail Are you at the mercy of your Muse? Do you wake at night drenched in sweat, the icy fingers of a nightmare still clinging to your heart? A nightmare where you’re alone in a cold desert, digging in the dirt for just one idea (and you have no pants on)? Fear not, the Muse can be tamed! But first, as we’ll be speaking about inspiration, the inspiration for this post comes from an episode of The Creative Penn. Once upon a time, I was one of those awful teenager things, and wasted my time even more than I do now. By the time I decided to take writing more seriously (many years later), that fickle fairy had up and left, returning only very occasionally. It might be that the teenage mind has better access to the Muse phone line (for some reason I’m imagining a purple version of the Batphone in Commissioner Gordon’s office); it might be that my head had more space, more freedom to create (more on that later). "You're right, Chief O'Hara. For a Start, Write Stuff Down A good run.
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Tor.com - Science fiction & Fantasy Blog, Books, Stories, News, Forum WorldImages - Home 102 Resources for Fiction Writing « Here to Create UPDATE 1/10: Dead links removed, new links added, as well as Revision and Tools and Software sections. Are you still stuck for ideas for National Novel Writing Month? Or are you working on a novel at a more leisurely pace? Here are 102 resources on Character, Point of View, Dialogue, Plot, Conflict, Structure, Outlining, Setting, and World Building, plus some links to generate Ideas and Inspiration. Also, I recommend some resources for Revision and some online Tools and Software. Too many links? 10 Days of Character Building Name Generators Name Playground The Universal Mary Sue Litmus Test Priming the idea pump (A character checklist shamlessly lifted from acting) How to Create a Character Seven Common Character Types Handling a Cast of Thousands – Part I: Getting to Know Your Characters It’s Not What They Say . . . Establishing the Right Point of View: How to Avoid “Stepping Out of Character” How to Start Writing in the Third Person Web Resources for Developing Characters Speaking of Dialogue
justenglish The Classics Browse works by Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad and other famous authors here. Classic Bookshelf: This site has put classic novels online, from Charles Dickens to Charlotte Bronte.The Online Books Page: The University of Pennsylvania hosts this book search and database.Project Gutenberg: This famous site has over 27,000 free books online.Page by Page Books: Find books by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and H.G. Wells, as well as speeches from George W. Bush on this site.Classic Book Library: Genres here include historical fiction, history, science fiction, mystery, romance and children’s literature, but they’re all classics.Classic Reader: Here you can read Shakespeare, young adult fiction and more.Read Print: From George Orwell to Alexandre Dumas to George Eliot to Charles Darwin, this online library is stocked with the best classics.Planet eBook: Download free classic literature titles here, from Dostoevsky to D.H. Textbooks Math and Science Children’s Books Philosophy and Religion Plays
6 Ways to Hook Your Readers Although I consider myself an avid reader, I must admit I have a short attention span when it comes to getting into books. If you fail to grab my attention in the first few lines, I start spacing out. Most readers are like me. Most people don’t want to spend the first 50 pages trying to get into a book. Here are a few things I find annoying in the first lines of a story: Dialogue. The last thing you want to do as a writer is annoy or bore people. (N.B. 1. Put a question in your readers’ minds. “Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.” 2. By starting at an important moment in the story, your reader is more likely to want to continue so he or she can discover what will happen next. “It was dark where she was crouched but the little girl did as she’d been told.” 3. Description is good when it encourages people to paint a picture in their minds. “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again.” 4. 5. “They had flown from England to Minneapolis to look at a toilet.” 6.