| Learning how to plot a novel is probably one of | | | | designed to bring them one step closer to the |
| the most demanding areas of writing a novel that | | | | prize they are seeking. |
| there is. Plotting a short story is simple: you take | | | | Needless to say, things will rarely turn out the |
| a character, give them a goal, throw some | | | | way they planned, largely because they will |
| obstacles in their way and see what happens. | | | | encounter opposition - internal, external and |
| Plotting a novel is obviously a little more | | | | environmental. They will never give up, though. |
| complicated. | | | | Yes, they will encounter many setbacks, but they |
| The best way to tackle a difficult process is to | | | | will make breakthroughs, too, and eventually find |
| break it down into stages - and with novels that | | | | themselves in a position to achieve what they set |
| means beginnings, middles and endings. | | | | out to achieve: the reward provided by their |
| How To Plot A Novel's Beginning | | | | overall goal. |
| Begin by introducing your main character in their | | | | Plotting novels is about being mean to characters, |
| ordinary world. It is just a normal day, nothing has | | | | though, and it is at this point in the story - just |
| happened yet. Their life won't necessarily be a | | | | when they believe they are on the cusp of |
| bowl of cherries here, but they will have no | | | | victory - that you must deal them a devastating |
| pressing concerns demanding their immediate | | | | blow and send them crashing to rock bottom. |
| attention. | | | | How To Plot A Novel's Ending |
| And then something happens. It might be | | | | The central character won't literally die at this |
| something minor or something catastrophic, but | | | | point in the novel, but they will experience a |
| the effect will be to furnish the character with a | | | | metaphorical death. They have given it their all |
| goal - either to regain something they have lost | | | | and there is nothing left inside. |
| or to find something they don't have but want. | | | | How do they recover from this? By experiencing |
| (Note that these first two steps are frequently | | | | an epiphany - a moment of revelation in which it |
| flipped around when writing a plot. This is known | | | | suddenly becomes clear to them where they |
| as beginning in media res. By starting with the | | | | have been going wrong all this time and what |
| "something happening" then backtracking to show | | | | they now need to do to put things right. It is |
| the way things were before, you stand a better | | | | during this epiphany that the character can be said |
| chance of hooking the readers.) | | | | to change inside. They become stronger, and it is |
| Finally in this stage, the character makes a | | | | this new-found inner strength which allows them |
| commitment to try to achieve their goal, perhaps | | | | to go on and do whatever needs to be done to |
| after a period of hesitation. The game is now | | | | seize the prize they have been seeking |
| afoot! | | | | throughout. The end. |
| How To Plot A Novel's Middle | | | | The above is obviously a condensed version of a |
| The best way to tackle plotting a novel's middle is | | | | lengthy process, but hopefully it has set you on |
| to break down the character's overall goal into a | | | | the right path to learning how to plot a novel of |
| whole series of mini goals, each of which will be | | | | your own. |