Seminar Notes: Part II

Picking up from last time, I will finish the 10 plotting problems that many authors face eventually in their writing career.

Yes, think of writing as a career not as a hobby. By thinking of it as a career you are more apt to treat the process with diligence and structure.

To start today's blog let us look at the next plotting problems.

6. Pace the plot

     Constructing the plot of a book is like a dance. You never rush the story, as I spoke about in the last blog. You never let it lag either (which is where the sagging middle comes into play).

     Romance the storyline as if in a courtship. Point A, the beginning, must lead to Point B, the middle, which leads to Point C, the end.

7. What a coincidence

     Many authors refer to this as a "co-winky dink" for fun. But it can be a serious problem for new and established authors.

     Ever read a book and ask: that was convenient.

     You have a character in a quandary, and suddenly it's all fixed. Another character drops in or he/she suddenly finds the answer or have a resolution. Or maybe the solution to the problem impossibly appears out of no where in particular.

     There's no character growth, and it cheats the reader out of a story.

8. Conflicts and more conflicts

    

     There are 3 major conflicts: man vs man, man vs himself, and man vs nature.

     These create an umbrella where other conflicts fall under.

     When a writer throws multiple instances of each conflict the story bogs down, and the reader is left adrift in a flotsam of writing.

     Too many conflicts make reading the story too hard. Too few conflicts makes it boring.

9. Structural Weakness

     Structure are the bones.

     Does the story have a setting?

     Does the story have a mood and tone?

     Each story needs a foundation. Lay the groundwork of the story, the beginning, and build up around it.

     Example: where is the setting of the story? Big city? Small town? Northern region? Deep South?

     Setting affects dialogue and actions. Who are the characters? Their jobs? Their families? No families? Etc.

     You have to have a reason to write a story.

10. Whose story is this?

   

     You have to give your protagonist issues!! Face it; we all have issues and so do your characters.

     He has to overcome something, defeat something. Like the structure of the book your character has a story that needs to be told.

     To tell her story, you must become the character.

And this leads up to Part III.

How to Get into Character

Next time I'll give 10 pointers/advice on ways to make your character multi-dimensional.

Until next time, let us think about what we would like to see improvement in when it come to our writing.