20 Ways to Plot Ideas - Part One of Two

Happy Monday, good people of the blogosphere! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are sitting with your muses for the writing days ahead. Today, I'm gonna tell you ten ways you can get great plot ideas. I hit on this a bit before when I gave you a little bit on How to find an Idea.This will be a lot more in depth. Don't worry, ten more will come tomorrow! So grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

1. Fire in Your Belly
I've breached this first one in the past. It's all about what fires you up. What issues get you all riled up? Pick one and apply some pressure. If you care, your reader will care. But be sure and turn it into a story that people can identify with. No one likes a long lecture.

2. Listen to Music
Sometimes music is just the thing to get your creative juices flowing. Listen to the words and close your eyes. Picture scenes in your head and write a few down.

3. Visualize Scenes
Before you begin writing for the day, take a few moments and watch a little movie in your head. Think of an issue, character, or situation you'd like to hit upon. Free write for at least an hour. Don't think about plot, structure, or punctuation/grammar. Put it away and don't look at it again for a few days. After that, go back and give it a read through. See what makes you smile. Cut it out and use it.

4. Pick up a Newspaper
See what's going on in the world at large. Twist it around and use it as a plot. Those six people who got arrested for cooking meth in their house? They must have a background! Who better to write on a compelling story like that than you?

5. Fetishes/Obsessions
Think about what people are into. Is it a weird predisposition to wear other peoples' shoes? How about a desire to collect things (hoarding)? What could they collect? If you're a fantasy author, this could be pixies they keep in jars; and the MC could be willing to do anything to get that next, rare one.

6. Thought Web
Back when I was talking about Blog Topics and Where they Come From, I discussed thought webs. This technique works for novels, too! Choose a word and go nuts!

7. Jobs
Start with a job and work your way around what the person in that profession must be dealing with. Maybe the stress leads down a path of self-destruction, maybe it leads down the road of homicide. Perhaps that job has made everyone crazy because of a bug in the ventilation system. Your imagination is the only thing holding you back with this path to plot.

8. Change the Genre
Alice in Wonderland and Snow White have been redone so many times! Why? There's a great plot there that's begging for a makeover! Grab a book and think about how it can be changed to suit a new genre. Make The Princess and the Pea a Sci-Fi story, change the names, outcome, and situation. At the very least, it'll give you direction.

9. I really want to write...
Take twenty minutes out of your day and grab a sheet of loose-leaf. Start with "I really want to write about..." and fill in the rest with what your heart desires to put on paper. Let it take its own direction. Don't force it.

10. Borrow
Do you have a favorite novel? Borrow the plot line. Change everything but the plot. Give characters the personalities you always wanted them to have and write about it. Remember, there are few original plots. It's what happens from point A to point B that's different.

I hope this gets you writing if you were in a slump.

What do you do to get plot ideas?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo

Plotting, Pantsing, and 'Tweening

Happy Thursday, good people of the blogosphere! Today I'm gonna talk about plotting, pantsing, and 'tweeners. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, you're in the right place for learning! So, grab those pens and notebooks and let's get going!

First, let's discuss plotters.

If you're a plotter, chances are you have copious notes about where your character is going, what they're going to do, and where they'll end up when the story comes to an end. How many different plots are there? A ton. But every plot will tell you exactly what your character will face and achieve by the end of the story.

Plotters often go all out and make an entire outline before they begin writing.

Pros of Plotting:
You're almost guaranteed a well structured plot.
There are no holes in your story.
You have a lot of control over what happens and when.
A huge sense of security is provided for the writer.

Cons of Plotting:
Possible loss of spontaneity by the lead.
You can become stuck going in a direction you don't want to go in.
Twists that could happen are beaten into submission by structure.
Index cards can become overwhelming.

Now, on to the pantsers.

If you're a pantser, you probably write with abandon. There are no notes to guide you, and your lead goes wherever he/she wants to. You're but a follower and chronicler. Just the thought of an outline leaves you running for the hills, screaming gibberish about how you can't work under this kind of pressure.

Pantsers often grab a story idea and run with it; having no idea where the characters will end up.

Pros of Pantsing:
You have the freedom to let your characters do as they wish.
With a set word count goal every day, you write what you feel.
There is no direction you have to force your way toward; opening your story up to twists and turns.
Characters feel real and you have an excellent understanding of their nature.

Cons of Pantsing:
Your plot may have gaping holes.
Characters can get sidetracked in a big way, leading to parallel plots you didn't intend.
You have no control beyond what you decide to put on paper.
Fixing your manuscript when complete can be a huge pain in the ass.

What the hell is a 'tweener?

A 'tweener writes out a loose plot and pantses their way through the rest. If you're a 'tweener, you'll oftentimes change the plot halfway through or end up abandoning the finale you had in mind from the beginning altogether. You're in a class with some of the most creative writers because you hold an idea in your head but are open to changes along the way.

'Tweeners write down an idea, work it through, then write with a kind of abandon that sticks loosely to the original.

Pros of 'Tweening:
You have structure from the beginning, but aren't pigeonholed to one story line.
Your characters go where they choose and do whatever strikes their fancy with no prerequisites about how that should happen.
Your plot is generally solid.
Index cards are your friends, but you aren't afraid to set fire to them or put them through the paper shredder when need be.
Stories written by you are full of adventure.
There's a hint of security in that you have an ultimate goal for your lead.

Cons of 'Tweening:
You may find yourself burning those index cards only to re-write them and tack them back on the board because you lost your plot along the way.
You're more susceptible to writer's block because twists leave you with no way to get back on track.
Characters can take over your story and run amok.
You must keep copious notes as you go.

No matter what kind of writer you are, every story has a Lead, Objective, Confrontation, and Knockout (ending). Every story also has a doorway (moment of decision) through which plotters lead their characters, showing them exactly where to put their feet and telling them what to expect on the other side, pantsers shove their characters and step back to watch what happens, and 'tweeners send their characters to the door, educate them about what may be on the other side, open it, and note what happens next.

When doing your first round of edits, look for holes, fat, and structure. Make sure it's all working the way you want it to. If you know what kind of writer you are, you know what to be leery of.

What kind of writer are you? Why?

Well, that's all for today, folks! Until next time, WRITE ON!

Jo