Plot Me This!

I’ve had people ask me which one I think is more important, the plot or the characters? I say, both. If I’m reading a book where I’m madly in love with the characters but the plot is weak or easy, I get bored and don’t like it. On the reverse side, the plot could be mind-blowing but then the characters don’t have enough…well…character, it ruins the story for me and then I’m off to grab a different one. Or I’ll read the rest of it because I’m in it now, so I have to know how it ends.

The plot is the character’s misfortune that will either get better or crumble entirely. As a writer, I love using the opportunity to bring up things we don’t usually think about in our world and put it into my own world. Majority of my stories are fantasy, so people can sit and enjoy it or look into the deeper meaning. Most of all, I just want the reader to have as much fun with my story as I did creating it. Furthermore, to write a solid plot, you need five things:

· Exposition: sets the mood for the story. It introduces the main characters and shows their personalities through action.

· Rising Action: this is a big chunk of the story. During this phase, the issues build up and lead the reader to discovering the main idea of your story.

· Climax: the most exciting part of your story. This is the turning point and is given near the end of the story. It should be exciting and keep the reader needing to know how it’s going to end. The main character should face their biggest problem here.

· Falling Action: this arrives immediately after the climax action, and where the consequence of the main character comes into play. It’s the decreasing moment of suspense that leads to the end of the book.

· Resolution: the final answer for the story. The ending can be good, bad, or be set up for a second novel. This is the end results, bringing the book to its close.

This is known as the plot diagram. Some people prefer web diagrams where you put the title in the middle, circle it, then branch off like webs to connect ideas. Personally, I like pulling up different tabs in Microsoft Word and label them: outline, characters, changes, and the story title.

In my outline page, I bullet every main scene I want to happen. Sometimes I’ll have an idea and jot it down as well. After I see where the story is going, I put the plot at the very top, so I don’t forget it. My plot changes frequently as I get the ball rolling and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Here's an example for what I do when creating a plot (I’m making it up as I go for a reference):

· Eve is 23 years old and a princess. Her father is King Ashton and her mother Queen Sophia. Her older sister, Rose, is in line for the throne, but she wants nothing to do with it. Eve, on the other hand, wants the crown and insists on upholding all of her teachings, even if her parents don’t seem to care about her activities as much.

· Rose mocks Eve and often escapes to inns at night to party and gamble. Eve tells their parents in hopes of earning their favor. Instead, they blame Eve for not stopping Rose. Eve is determined to become the next queen; therefore, she must eliminate her competition.

· Eve catches Rose climbing out of the window from curtains and cuts the curtain. Rose dies. Her future husband, Prince Otto, arrives the next day in shock of finding his future bride had passed. He stays for a few days while Eve makes her next plot. She decides to attempt gaining his affection, marry, then poison him and rule over his land.

· The king and queen mourn over their favorite daughter and apologizes to the prince. Eve says she can step in and show him around, while acting sorrowful.

· Rose’s maiden notices the sheets weren’t torn naturally and tells the king and queen. They look into it and find that it was murder. Everyone gets questioned. As more evidence points to Eve, she turns it around to other servants and guards, who take the fall. Prince Otto treats Eve with affection, and she starts to care for him, the one person who showed any interest.

· The King and Queen mention to Eve during a private dinner that they had just received a letter from another kingdom that Prince Otto is to be sent there for their princess, who has a higher status. Eve finds out only they, and the messenger, knows about this. She finds out who the messenger was and asks who they told. They say no one and she kills them. She plots to poison the king and queen so that she may marry Prince Otto.

· Her plan fails as another servant was told about the letter and they found the body of the messenger. The servant puts things together and threatens to tell the king and queen. During their conversation, Prince Otto finds out.

· He refuses to marry her and word spreads of Eve’s actions. She tries to explain but what’s done is done.

· Eve is killed for the murder of her sister and an innocent.

The plot is a revengeful sister who craves power and will stop at nothing to get it. She then falls in love and just when she thinks she can have the best of both worlds, her actions are revealed, and the consequences unfold. This still follows the plot diagram.

· Exposition: Eve is jealous and spiteful.

· Rising Action: Her sister can do nothing wrong and doesn’t even care about the crown. She kills people. Falls in love. At risk for discovery.

· Climax: Gets discovered of everything.

· Falling Action: She loses her fiancé and is taken away.

· Resolution: She’s punished for her crimes.

I know this was on a darker side, but I hope it helps!