# Building a Plot



## monemi (Jun 24, 2013)

I have lots of ideas and characters in my head. I've been writing them all out lately. Tying them all into a plot proves a lot more difficult. 

Example of one idea is that airlines often pool their resources at airports and purchase jet fuel together. They buy it from one distributor and use it from one source. Same with fueling up vehicles at airports. They all take gas from the same places with key codes for different groups. 

If I were an evil bastard, I'd search for deadly respiratory chemicals that react when burned at high temperatures but not change drastically when combined with fuel. Then I'd find a way to get them into jet fuel sources going to major airports and try to synchronize it. Then when the planes were flying the chemicals would be dispersed over large numbers of civilian populations causing slow deaths. It would be very difficult for investigators to find the source pattern. It has a high capacity for maximum damage, with minimum damage to infrastructure. 

I'd like to read a story about this. But alas, it's my idea. If I want to read it, I'll have to write it myself. But trying to make a plot is like pulling teeth. I'm getting frustrated at the number of ideas I can come up with but turning them into readable plots is a pain in my ass. How do you go about taking an idea and turning it into a plot?


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## Crimson Ash (May 16, 2012)

UtterM's Friendly Guide to! ---> Attempting to write a Plot. 

Step (1) Create a structure for your story.

What is the setting? Who takes part in it? what drives the plot? A basic mapping out of the beginning and end.(which can be altered later).

Step (2) Outline the character roles in the story.

Whos the main? are there several? is it perspective driven? is it a narration? how will they be represented? 

Step (3) Go do something that makes you laugh and/or smile or gives you pleasure.

It can get awfully stressful when trying to write characters into plots. 

Step (4) Think about and then map out the outline of the first chapter.

You don't need anything concrete as it can change. But try and have some vision as to how you want it to play out.
Start writing it!

Step (5) Attempt to maintain connectivity.

A lot of times when you have a flood of ideas, you want to incorporate them but you don't know where they would fit.
Note them down but don't try and pile them up together.
Instead try and figure out how you want to tell the story and how you want it to be presented. Then incorporate them together in the way you see fit.

Step (6) Just keep writing.

Once you figured out what your characters need to be doing and how that fits in to the overall structure of the story all you need to do then is just to keep writing. Even the ones that you get frustrated with just write them.
You never know what you might get out of it.


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## android654 (Jan 19, 2010)

It has always been, and forever will be, my opinion that the best way to structure any story is to start with the hero/heroine. A thoroughly well developed character will write the story for you as she will provide the setting and environment for actions to take place.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

monemi said:


> I have lots of ideas and characters in my head. I've been writing them all out lately. Tying them all into a plot proves a lot more difficult.
> 
> Example of one idea is that airlines often pool their resources at airports and purchase jet fuel together. They buy it from one distributor and use it from one source. Same with fueling up vehicles at airports. They all take gas from the same places with key codes for different groups.
> 
> ...


Ah, writing. The great gift of awesome that was given to us all by the muses. Call upon Calliope for aid!

But, more seriously... As already stated, the right character's going to speed your story along.

I often start the way you do-- With an idea. And then I think-- Who do I want to be the one to use this idea? You seem to have an eye on The Evil Bastard. 

Main/Manipulative Bastard - Television Tropes & Idioms

So, what does your bastard look like? What's his or her motivation? Begin with evil, maybe. I've found that evil is a lot of fun, and unique. Tap into your inner evil.

Maybe you'll even write the entire story with this villain as your protagonist.

Or, maybe you'll just start it from that perspective, and then zoom in on the hero, who is just happening upon the area because his profession is _____.

Oh yeah, you're doing NaNoWriMo too, aren't you? I should probably get started on my outline... I've got a zombie apocalypse goin' down.

Ah, and always turn to Tvtropes for aid. Such awesomeness that one could spend days within.


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## monemi (Jun 24, 2013)

Word Dispenser said:


> Ah, writing. The great gift of awesome that was given to us all by the muses. Call upon Calliope for aid!
> 
> But, more seriously... As already stated, the right character's going to speed your story along.
> 
> ...


Villain's are always so much easier to write. There was a previous discussion on here about writing a story with only villains. It is tempting. I wouldn't have to scratch my head over good guys.


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## Antipode (Jul 8, 2012)

That's a very tough question to answer, because no one starts at the same place.

For me, I begin with the plot and then move to the characters, rather than the other way around, because I first need a world for my characters to grow in, which is impossible if I make my characters first. 

Keep in mind all stories need constant conflict, you should start with an A, B, C plot like the one you posted, but then you will inevitably be forced to change it to keep the reader interested. I don't just mean side-plots, but, for instance, in Jurassic Park, the character's main focus was to go to the island and look at the dinosaurs, but then everything ran amok. Now it's also hard to suggest plot advice when one doesn't know the genre you want to write in, because that changes the entire ball game. 

If you're new to this, I suggest looking at your favorite authors and see what they do, and also read many novels in your selected genre and study their patterns. And of course, never stop writing, even if it's just a page here and there. You never know, you might decide to change your plot but also want to keep certain aspects of it that you've already written down. --A writer knows how to write, but a great writer knows never to stop.


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## monemi (Jun 24, 2013)

I don't tend to read specific authors or genre's. I seem to find I like one story from one writer but often don't like other books they write. For instance, I loved reading LOTR as a kid, but didn't like the Hobbit. I liked The Stand from Stephen King but haven't enjoyed his other work. I like Crime and Punishment, but haven't been interested in more from Dostoyevsky. On The Road by Kerouac was amazing but when I tried his other stuff, lost momentum. For Whom The Bell Tolls made me think, but couldn't get into more of Hemingway's work. American Psycho had my undivided attention. Davies' Fifth Business is really good. Sarum by Rutherford. The Strain by Toro. Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Bourne Identity by Ludlum. People of the Fire by Gear. Scott Pilgrim by O'Malley.

I don't know. Like my musical tastes, my literary tastes have a funny habit of bouncing through genre's. I like something new. Different. Does that make any sense?


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## Antipode (Jul 8, 2012)

monemi said:


> I don't tend to read specific authors or genre's. I seem to find I like one story from one writer but often don't like other books they write. For instance, I loved reading LOTR as a kid, but didn't like the Hobbit. I liked The Stand from Stephen King but haven't enjoyed his other work. I like Crime and Punishment, but haven't been interested in more from Dostoyevsky. On The Road by Kerouac was amazing but when I tried his other stuff, lost momentum. For Whom The Bell Tolls made me think, but couldn't get into more of Hemingway's work. American Psycho had my undivided attention. Davies' Fifth Business is really good. Sarum by Rutherford. The Strain by Toro. Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. The Bourne Identity by Ludlum. People of the Fire by Gear. Scott Pilgrim by O'Malley.
> 
> I don't know. Like my musical tastes, my literary tastes have a funny habit of bouncing through genre's. I like something new. Different. Does that make any sense?


That's how I am, but I view that more as a good thing--it keeps your own writing style unique and not a carbon copy. However, you need to read from the genre you wish to write, in the same way you need to read a math text book if you're planning to ace the math test. That way you learn what is going on in the current market and how different authors pull off different techniques. For instance, when writing the first chapter of a book, ideally, what should happen? Every author pulls this off differently, but there are many common aspects to it.

Soft universalism, if we shall. roud:

Edit: Also, I should point out I don't mean ONLY read from the genre you plan on writing--there have been times I've used the transitive property that I learned in math on an Ethics essay. But I'm sure you get my point.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

monemi said:


> Villain's are always so much easier to write. There was a previous discussion on here about writing a story with only villains. It is tempting. I wouldn't have to scratch my head over good guys.


You could write a good guy who's actually _very, very _flawed. So he almost looks bad, and you kinda want to hate him 'cause of his choices, but you root for him, and he's actually awesome in some way. Like Dexter. Or Gabriel Knight.


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## d e c a d e n t (Apr 21, 2013)

@monemi
Well, you sound like you're better of than me. I don't even have an idea yet. :bored: And shit, November is almost here.

But anyway, if you want to write a villain protagonist, I'd say go for it. I've seen writers talking about their antagonist being more fun to write than their protagonist, and I always wonder why they don't just make it about the antagonist then. I mean, yeah, writing a whole book probably won't be 100% fun regardless, but if you don't even enjoy your main character, I think your story might suffer over-all.


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## Word Dispenser (May 18, 2012)

Nonsense said:


> @_monemi_
> Well, you sound like you're better of than me. I don't even have an idea yet. :bored: And shit, November is almost here.
> 
> But anyway, if you want to write a villain protagonist, I'd say go for it. I've seen writers talking about their antagonist being more fun to write than their protagonist, and I always wonder why they don't just make it about the antagonist then. I mean, yeah, writing a whole book probably won't be 100% fun regardless, but if you don't even enjoy your main character, I think your story might suffer over-all.


Yeah, big rule of thumb for me, is... The more you enjoy what you're writing, the more the reader will enjoy it.

Essentially, I see writing as synonymous to reading, it's just that I'm the author and not someone else.


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## Zombie Devil Duckie (Apr 11, 2012)

You mean like this?

Chemtrail conspiracy theory - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia



-ZDD


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## Vic (Dec 4, 2010)

Word Dispenser said:


> Or Gabriel Knight.


Dig the reference.

I'm in this boat. Don't like thinking about the structure of story because I prefer to write it as I go (short stories are the best form), but there's this novel I want to bang out for nanowrimo. There's a nugget that I think has potential, but Jesus. 50,000 words' worth? There's not much I've read that's worth its 50,000 words. Oftentimes something can be reduced for stylistic and narrative improvement.

But I'll give it a go.


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## monemi (Jun 24, 2013)

Vic said:


> Dig the reference.
> 
> I'm in this boat. Don't like thinking about the structure of story because I prefer to write it as I go (short stories are the best form), but there's this novel I want to bang out for nanowrimo. There's a nugget that I think has potential, but Jesus. 50,000 words' worth? There's not much I've read that's worth its 50,000 words. Oftentimes something can be reduced for stylistic and narrative improvement.
> 
> But I'll give it a go.


50,000 words really isn't that hard. If you can write 1700 words per day, you'll surpass the quota. It's not really novel length. It's more like a novella. I had something I wanted to write when I did Nanowrimo and found meeting quota easy. Quality... well, that's another issue altogether. But 1700 words per day, is completely doable. 1700 words in an hour requires a typing speed of 28 words per minute. If you can type 40 to 50 words per minute, that gives you time to think as you write.


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## Thief Noctis (Jan 6, 2012)

I usually do this:

1. Make characters I enjoy writing about.
2. Take an interest of mine, be it liking a certain theme or concept or something material.
3. Link the two together and form the plot based on it.

'Course that's probably the most vague advice you're ever gonna get given, but I just let the plot form itself around the characters and concept I want to write about.


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## dvnj22 (Apr 24, 2013)

make sure you have a theme and your theme is consistent with the plot. if you remember your theme the plot may unfold naturally.


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