A Purposeful Plot
Chess is a story as well as a game. This article shows parallels between stages of story plots and stages of chess games.
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Tag: plot
Bringing Subplots Back to Life
Even though I have spent my whole month doing just that, I’m having trouble articulating the steps I used. I’m going to pull up Scrivener, look at my notes, and try to reverse the process by listing 5 of the strategies that I used. Plan, plan, plan (if you’re a plotster) the subplot’s progress so […]
7 Point Plot: Big Finish
The whole book leads up to the Big Finish. The battle can be primarily internal external, or a cunning blend of the two. But even in a book without a villain, the main character struggles against something or someone outside of herself. The Big Finish is the lowest, most grueling point of the […]
7 Point Plot: Crisis
In the last plot point, the main character came out with a win. The most story-logical next big plot point must, therefore, be a failure. After all, where’s the tension for the reader otherwise? This Crisis marks the end of the middle of your book. This failure fires your main character from a […]
7 Point Plot: Pop Quiz 2
This is the second pop quiz. If the Midpoint was about changing from reacting to acting, then Pop Quiz 2 is about changing from loosing to winning. Readers everywhere see this as a sign that ultimate victory is possible for the main character. This doesn’t mean you make it easy for your character. It needs […]
7 Point Plot: Midpoint
I love the midpoint of novels. I tend to be a proactive person. It is like Midpoints were made for me. On the outside, the Midpoint can be new information and/or a confrontation. It is the second-most tense time in your story. But what I love most is the inside of the […]
7 Point Plot: Hook and Ordinary World
Beginnings are wonderful. They really are. Because a book doesn’t really begin there. A book usually begins in the middle of action of some kind. Dialogue, a search, a chase, something that grabs the reader’s attention. It begins with a Hook. A Hook is usually the first hint of trouble – trouble the hero doesn’t […]
