Hatrack River Writers Workshop: Finding Plot

This is topic Finding Plot in forum Open Discussions About Writing at Hatrack River Writers Workshop.

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Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :

I find this to be the most difficult part of finding story elements. I get plenty of random ideas for situations, locations, characters, but nothing just seems to just spring to mind of a plot nature. I do find plot, asking lots of questions about what would be logical to happen next with said situation, location, or character or that had to happen to get them to that place, and growing it from there, which works. I just was wondering was if anyone else had ways of coming up with workable plot structures that I might like to try. Or maybe you guys are lucky, and you get random thoughts of a plot nature as well.

Posted by JeremyMc (Member # 1400) on :

For me, plot is a pure derivative of conflict. And that's something I've learned only recently. In fact, I've actually completed the last couple of stories due to this concept. Before I focused on conflict, the story would start but never end.
If you have a defined conflict the story will right itself.
Just think: conflict = want + obstacle
Give your main character a want, either conscious or subconscious, then present him with one or more obstacles. In the case of a novel, you'll want to keep adding greater obstacles, thus increasing the main character's want. In a short story, with limited time and space, one or two main obstacles should work.

Posted by JeremyMc (Member # 1400) on :

Hehe. Used right instead of write. But either one works.

Posted by JOHN (Member # 1343) on :

I usually come up with a setting and/or genre, than I come up with the characters. When I start writing a story I have very little knowledge of the plot other than a few vague ideas, but I know the chracters as if they were my family before I evn write down notes. After that the rest is easy, I just let my characters do the writing for me. Even if a story on a pretty epic scale, like the fantasy novel I'm attemptng to write now. I have a basic outline of the plot, but my three protagnoist are writing the story for me, including the supporting cast. (Don't worry I make the supporting cast people too.)

JOHN!

Posted by SiliGurl (Member # 922) on :

Briefly, this is how I'm tackling this issue with my current project, a novel that I'm about 70,000 words into:

1) World creation - This was a very lengthy process in which I took about 30 pages of notes about what my world was like. We don't live in isolation, and our environment absolutely shapes who we are and our conflicts.

2) General story concept - What is this novel about? Who are my principals and why?

3) General synopsis - This was primarily about my conflicts. Each of my main characters (there are about 6) had their own agendas, their own stories to tell. Where their stories led them eventually all ties together to my general story concept. From this BRIEF sketch of key conflicts and characters, I created a list of key scenes. Stuff that-- no matter what else happened-- had to be included to get me from A to Z.

4) Finally, I just started writing. Actually, I started kinda backwards in that the first chapter I wrote was smack dab in the middle of the action (later, it became chapter 11). I knew what my conflicts were for the principal character of this chapter, and let him wrangle with those problems. I knew how it had to end up, but not necessarily how he was going to deal with it. I've approached all of my chapters/scenes that way-- An idea of what had to happen, a firm grip on what conflict/crisis we're dealing with now, but with only a loose idea of how the story would flow. I've let the characters drive the scenes and really create the world around them. The scenes have progressed pretty easily from this approach-- instead of banging my head against the wall trying to figure out what to write, I've thrown a character into crisis and "watched" how they dealt with it.

Did that make any sense at all?? Hope so!

Good luck!

Posted by Liza (Member # 1123) on :

GZ,
I have the same problem with plot.

It sounds like you tend to write character-driven stuff. I think Jeremy's advice would be good for you. Think of a conflict your characters have to deal with and see what happens. Start with a few exercises. Have them arrested and see what they do.Have them disagree about something, and see how they handle it.
Liz

Posted by GZ (Member # 1374) on :

Yes, you make sense SiliGurl.

Actually, everybody’s comments make sense. And Liza, you're right, I'm a more interested in working with the characters of the story.

The conflict drive might well be the kick I need. I’ve been using it to a point, I know I read about it before and knew it was sound advice, although it hasn’t been at the front of my mind lately. I think I need to maybe “up the ante” so to speak on some of my obstacles to really push the story and create the tension and drive I feel is missing. That way all the smaller problems will be much more interesting, and force the characters to reveal more about themselves, which will better feed into building tension the overall plot frame I set up for the novel (there is a mystery element involved, but I’m really focusing more on how the characters grow and react to the situations that it places them in rather than the mystery part itself).

Posted by ZoVet (Member # 1414) on :

I know exactly what you mean, because I'm the same way myself. I have no problem at all coming up with characters that I know I'll adore for years to come, but when it comes time to stick them in a plot somewhere, the plot never lasts me more than 48 hours or so.

Conflict is a good one, in fact, I'll have to try that myself. It's what I ended up doing to some degree, but the main thing that helped me, was to put the characters in a situation that not only hurt them, but that I know would hurt me as well. Of course, that won't work for everything, but if the story effects you personaly, it should be somewhat easier to make your readers care about what's happening as well.

-Zoe

Posted by Survivor (Member # 213) on :

Conflict is not just a good idea, 'tis the essence of dramatic structure. Everything about your plot comes down to the effort of the characters to resolve the central dramatic tension.

There are two other things that affect the final shape of your plot, though neither is actually essential to plot (only to effective and interesting fictional narrative). Imagination, or invention, is the quality of elements that are the creation of the writer. Craftsmanship, or discipline, is the degree of care and expertise used in structuring the narrative and integrating the narrative elements (this includes elements--such as actual events or physical realities--that the writer does not invent) into a story.

No writer can do anything about the elements that are outside the imaginative control of that writer, other than ignore them in favor of invented elements. Thus I do not include them as an element of plot development except in the negative sense (by saying that what is imagined is part of plot creation).

But the essence of any plot is defined by the central confict and its eventual resolution, not by the story elements.

Posted by Kathleen Dalton Woodbury (Member # 59) on :

You can build plot from almost any situation you come up with by repeatedly asking questions (which come from the 1000 ideas in an hour seminars that Orson Scott Card has given from time to time):

What does the character want?

What does the character try to do to get it?

What can go wrong?

You can probably cycle through these questions forever.

The clincher comes when a price is paid that is worthy of the goal. Then you have your plot resolution. (You can't have a satisfying plot without a resolution.)