Plotting With Michael Hague's Six Stage Plot Structure By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy So far we've discussed the Three-Act Structure, the Hero’s Journey, and the Save the Cat Beat Sheet. That leaves one more popular structure--Michael Hague's Six Stage Plot Structure. (Side note, if you ever get an opportunity to sit in on one of Hague's workshops, I highly recommend them.) This structure is a great choice for those who want a minimal amount of outlining. Extra tip: It's also a solid template for writing a synopsis when you're getting ready to submit your manuscript. Act One: First 25% Like every other act one so far, this starts out with the protagonist being who he is and getting an opportunity to act. 0-10% - Stage One: The Setup: The protagonist is fully in his identity. 10% Mark - Turning Point One: Opportunity: Something happens that provides an opportunity for the protagonist to act, and this will lead him to what will ultimately make him happy and complete. Act Two: 25-75% 75-100% - Act Three And there you have it.
How to Create a Formal Outline ~ Writing Simplified About a month ago, I promised to follow up my blog post about informal outlines with one about formal outlines. It’s taken me a while but here is that subsequent blog post. Never let it be said I am not a woman of my word! When a teacher or supervisor asks you for a formal outline, she or he is requesting a document that has very specific formatting rules. Some rules will differ according to the kind of project you're working on and any specific instructions given to you, but there are a few general rules you should be aware of that govern all formal outlines. Items should follow logical order. Items should follow logical order. First of all, make sure that the content of your outline is logical before you start nitpicking on the format. The higher the heading level, the more general the statement. Don’t let this rule confuse you. I. To further clarify the levels of specificity, here is a short example. I. Every “A” must be accompanied by a “B”. Items must be in parallel structure. I.
Fill in the Blanks: A Plot Template to Keep you on Target By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy Last week I shared some great plotting tips from Southpark creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I've been using them myself as I revise, but I couldn't stop thinking of other ways to apply this technique. I was also thinking about something a commenter said, and how this applied to the bigger marco issues, not just in the smaller goal-driving aspects. I was working on a blog post for that when it hit me. This could make a really cool plot template. The tip works on a micro level to see if your protagonist's actions are driving the plot, but when you pull back, you can also see how the entire scene works on a larger scale. Nya is trying to steal eggs for breakfast when she's caught by a night guard. This describes the first scene. Nya goes to the Healers' League to get rid of the pain she healed the night before. The cause and effect between these scenes: The boys see her shift pain, therefore/and so they tell the Elders about her. Trying to.
Creating Outlines Creating Outlines by Kathleen Lietzau (printable version here) What is an Outline? An outline is a way of formally arranging and developing your ideas. The purpose of an outline is to help you organize your paper by checking to see if and how your ideas connect to each other, or whether you need to flesh out a point or two. Besides the basic structure (Roman numerals followed by capital letters followed by Arabic numerals, etc), there is no right or wrong way to make an outline. Macro Outlines Macro outlines, also known as topic outlines, help you to see the larger picture through a series of short phrases. For example, an outline for this page may look like this: I. A. II. A. 1. III. A. IV. A. V. A. As you can see, each part of the outline consists of just a few words, and conveys the basic idea of what belongs there, without going into too much detail. Micro Outlines Contrary to what its name might suggest, micro outlines can be even longer than macro outlines. I. A. II. A. 1. III. A. 1.
Free Beat Sheet Template – Simple Story Development Tool There are many ways to create a “beat sheet.” On a computer. On a sheet of typing paper. On the back of an envelope. 3 by 5 cards. If you aren’t familiar with the term, a “beat sheet” is a bulleted listing of the scenes in your story. Your beat sheet can be generic (such as, “Hero meets prospective love interest”)… or specific (“Butch sees Rachel being interviewed on the news and realizes he has to meet her”). In fact, one of the ways you use a beat sheet is to evolve the generic toward the specific. If you can identify your major story milestones here, you can begin to identify the ramp-up and reactive scenes that surround them. When you’re done, you’ve got your story on one or at least several pages. Each of the four sections shows 14 beats, or scenes. Huge thanks to Storyfix reader Rachel Savage, who provided this for us. Click. Yes, you can. Will it be final? That’s what the beat sheet is for. Enjoy. CLICK HERE to get your reprintable beat sheet template.
Writers.com: Online Creative Writing, Nonfiction, Screen Writing, Genre Classes & More Worksheets for Writers The writing community is fortunate to have many great resources. Based on things I learned from phenomenal teachers like Larry Brooks, Michael Hauge, and Martha Alderson, I developed these worksheets* to help all writers, from plotters to pantsers (those who write by the seat of their pants). Let me know at my Contact page if there are other worksheets you’d like me to create. Scroll down to see all my worksheets, or click to jump to the one you want… Story Arc Beat Sheets Writing Craft Worksheets Publishing Process Worksheets * With the exception of the Save the Cat Beat Sheet, which was developed by Elizabeth Davis, all worksheets were created by Jami Gold. New to Beat Sheets? Need examples? Note: I love sharing these worksheets, but if you give others the direct links to the files, the links won’t work. Want to Thank Me for These Worksheets? Stay Updated with Jami’s Book Releases and Blog Posts! Want to hear when Jami’s books come out and get pre-order sale prices? Save the Cat Beat Sheet:
Creative Writing Worksheets--The Writer's Craft Feel free to download and use the following Creative Writing Worksheets to develop compelling characters and rich, vibrant settings. You’ll find plotting your novel much more manageable with our scene chart. These Creative Writing Worksheets are free for your personal use. Character Worksheet Meeting a well-written character is one of the things that initially hooks a reader, and creates a lasting impression in fiction. I developed the following Create a Character worksheet for my novel writing course. You’ll find this creative writing character worksheet to be helpful without becoming a burden. Setting Worksheet This creative writing worksheet will help you to generate vibrant story settings. When we read we should be able to engage all of our senses, to merge fully with the protagonist. We often use our sense of sight to the exclusion of our other senses, but the other senses trigger the strongest memories and images. Scene Chart Need a spreadsheet to plot your novel?
» Blog Archive » Plotting Your Novel – The Quick Outline Tool Nothing draws a line in the sand of novel writing like the question, “To outline or not to outline.” Is there any kind of middle ground? In fact, I think there is. When I started my first novel, I wrote into the void, with no outline to guide me. It was exciting. Freeing. By the time I’d rewritten the 3rd draft with no more idea where the story was going than when I’d set out along the path years earlier, I decided I’d better channel my inner Virgo and see what outlining could do for me. So I learned everything I could about outlining. I made convoluted complex road maps. As my good friend and YA author Janice Hardy is fond of reminding me, “Plot is a verb, not a noun.” So let’s go plot your character’s journey… Okay, so if we think of plot as a verb, then what we are looking for isn’t some magical overlay that we place onto our story or our characters, but an organic progression of actions our characters “do” or “take” that become the plot. But what choices should they make?
20 Essential Elements of a Bestselling Thriller, by Jodie Renner If you want your thriller or romantic suspense to be a compelling page-turner, make sure you’ve included most or all of these twenty elements: 1. A protagonist who’s both ordinary and heroic. Rather than having a “Superman” invincible-type hero, it’s more satisfying to the readers if you use a regular person who’s thrown into stressful, then increasingly harrowing situations, and must summon all of his courage, strength and inner resources to overcome the odds, save himself and other innocent people, and defeat evil. 2. A likeable, sympathetic protagonist The readers need to be able to warm up to your main character quickly, to start identifying with her; otherwise they won’t really care what happens to her.So no cold, selfish, arrogant characters for heroes or heroines! 3. Your antagonist needs to be as clever, strong, resourceful and determined as your protagonist, but also truly nasty, immoral and frightening. 4. 5. If it doesn’t, change your protagonist — or your story line. 6. 7. 8. 9.
Old Plots, New Plots This turned out to be a long entry so Thriller Guy is going to break it up into two. He'll be putting the other half up in a few days. TG has spoken many times about the difficulties in coming up with great plot ideas. TG reads a ton of books, and most of them are running through the same old plots, mash-ups and ripoffs. But instead of continuing to rail against the paucity of today's plots, TG is going to reprise an old plot and give you some new ones he likes over the last year's reading. Clive Cussler used to be the master of the over-the-top, bizarro plot. It's 1865 and the Confederate ship CSS Texas takes on a special prisoner and fights her way out through a Union blockade. OK, TG is too tired to go on. The point is, it's one hell of a plot. Next up: More about Cussler and his son and co-writer Dirk Cussler (yes, he named his kid after his series hero) and three new plots TG thinks are pretty cool.
The 39 Steps to writing a perfect thriller by author John Buchan's grandson By Toby Buchan Updated: 22:01 GMT, 15 January 2011 'The 39 Steps, in its language, its settings, its nods to contemporary technology and its characterisation, belongs firmly to the 20th century,' said John Buchan's grandson, Toby On a late-summer’s day in 1914, a man walks with his small daughter down a rickety flight of wooden steps leading to a private beach from a house on the clifftop. ‘Thirty-six, thirty-seven, thirty-eight, thirty-NINE!’ Thus Alice Buchan gave the title to her father’s, my grandfather’s, new novel, little knowing that it would prove to be one of the most enduring adventure stories ever to be published. John Buchan wrote The 39 Steps in a few weeks towards the end of 1914, while staying with his wife and children at Broadstairs in Kent, in a house on the cliffs overlooking Stone Bay. Buchan posted the manuscript to Blackwood & Sons in Edinburgh, publisher not only of books but of the famous literary magazine that bore its name. He need not have fretted.
Five Rules for Writing Thrillers - David Morrell Thrillers have never been more popular. On the New York Times fiction bestseller lists, over half are often filled with examples of the genre. Thrillers even have their own organization, International Thriller Writers (which I co-founded with Gayle Lynds). But thrillers didn’t always have this presence. Not that thrillers were entirely absent. If you’re a writer who’s thinking of going in this direction, here are five pieces of advice that might help. NUMBER ONE: KNOW YOUR MOTIVESHave a good reason for writing a thriller. I remained sane by imagining stories in which I was a hero overcoming adversity. By contrast, if you’re merely writing thrillers because they’re currently popular, you ought to think twice. What’s more, events might prevent the book from being published. Imagine how hollow you would have felt if you’d written one of those thrillers just to pay the bills. NUMBER TWO: KNOW THE GENRE’S HISTORYEach year, I teach at many writers’ conferences. I love doing research.