Plotting & planning a novel in five steps!
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- Опубликовано: 11 сен 2024
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In this video, I discuss plotting & planning novels, including how to build tension in a cozy fantasy, how I decide between first and third person POV, and why I write the pitch first.
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🎬 1. Pitch: Write the marketing pitch first, if possible. Often it's better to start brainstorming with really great characters in mind, and *then* discover the conflict (high concept or not) afterwards.
🪞 2. Protagonist: What does your protagonist want vs. what do they need? It's more compelling if their wants conflict with their needs.
🚫 3. Plotting: Consider the obstacles the protagonist will encounter getting their wants / needs met. Which conflicts are external / internal? At the 50 page mark, what are three intriguing reasons why readers will continue on?
👀 4. Point of View: First person or third person? Consider the expectations of your audience and other books in the genre. Switching the POV after a draft is done is harder than you think!
🧭 5. Place: What location / time period is your story situated in? This will inform the protagonist, plot, and POV as the story progresses.
I absolutely love how you described the pantsing/plotting hybrid where your characters have one trail to their destinatino, but choose to use GPS and take a dirt road to get there- only to find the restaurant is closed due to pizza oven cleaning. I laughed at how good and ACCURATE the metaphor was.
I thought I was a pure plotter, with no pantsing whatsoever. But then I finished the first draft of my novel, and I realized how much I was winging it from character and scene perspectives. The plot was laid out in granular detail, with every twist and turn mapped, but the most of the main characters were little more than sketches, and I didn't even understand scene structure at the time. I know better now, my second draft is coming along nicely, and I'm coming to terms with my pantser side, embracing it as a valid method to reach my goals.
Legends and Lattes is hands down the one book that I have enjoyed reading the most in the last twenty years (my entire adult life).
It was so amazing!
I became a writer because I was tired of not seeing female characters that I could personally relate to anywhere. Then I picked up Legends and Lattes and saw myself in characters for the first time since I was a child.
I couldn't believe that a man was able to write women like me so well when other male authors (looking at you, Stephen King) were so laughably bad at it. I had to check multiple times that Travis Baldree was in fact a man because I just couldn't believe he was writing women better than most writers (men and women included).
TLDR: Legends and Lattes - must read recommendation.
I really liked this book because of the cozy angle. To write a book this good without resorting to action tropes says a lot about the writer. I also think he spent a lot of time writing this book. I feel like when you get established there is tremendous pressure to up your output at the expense of quality.
Pantser. Completely. My subconcious fills like a piggy bank. Ill see ideas file in, but i dont think about them too much bc it'll cause unnecessary stress and kill the idea's ability to present itself without the bias of predetermination. Then the moment comes and they spill out delighting even me at how brilliantly they intertwine. It's all about trust. Lol somehow it works.
This! Me too!!
I used to be a pantser but I wrote myself in circles, then I tried being a plotter but I couldnt plot too far ahead because I didnt know what was going to happen till I wrote some, now I'm a little bit of both 😂
I'm a meticulous plotter. I started out as a pantser and oly ever finished novels 1/4 to 1/2 way through. I figured out if I plot out every scene in every chapter with at least a brief statement then I can fill it all in.
Great timing! I was looking to procrastinate my main novel with a side project heheheheh
I’m a total pantster. The characters tell me the story. I trust the process. I do what I call a reverse outline where I keep track of what has happened and of course the characters.
HOW PERFECT THIS IS, you must be reading my mind. I am going to follow every step you recommend and only hope that my novel can be half as good as yours are. I am going through EXACTLY what you describe... thought my book was ready to go out to Agents, but when I went to write a pitch, I could not do it. The current version is about too many different things and has no clear one direction. SO I am going to try to save part of the book, but rip the good part out and use it. I am one of those "in between", I loosely plot and then pants. Like the concept of "Symphony of Change.'
Hi there! I love your videos, the advice you gave, and how you gave examples from your experience as a writer. I've been writing off and on since 2019. My 1st novel is about to come out, and it's been a lot of work. I'm a mix of plotter and pants-er. I start with an idea, then see what setting and characters fit that situation. This works well for me since I write cozy mysteries, and I feel the crime works best in certain situations, and the victim and the setting affect who the other characters in the story will be besides my sleuth. So I try to start with the ending, the victims, killer(s), motive, etc, and work backward to the beginning, and as I write, I see what happens to get to the end. It's like how you said sometimes the characters hijack the story because they make different choices than what you initially thought as the story plays out. But sometimes I get stuck because I don't know how to get past a certain situation to lead to the ending I'm trying to get too. 😅 But it's all a learning process. I think experience is the best teacher, along with good feedback. That's why I like your channel. You tell us about your experiences good and bad, and inform people the reality of writing and I appreciate it. Keep up the good work!
I wrote almost only in first pov for years. Switching to third pov has made writing scenes with 3+ characters so much easier
10:28 Does your realm have any magic that can disguise the doll-people? What if the doll-person decided to use a magic like a polyjuice potion and try to fit in with the high class society alongside the general? They would compare & contrast how characters treated them as a doll-person vs. how they treated them under a fake identity w/magic, then drama would ensue if they didn't have access to the human-passing magic one day. To avoid jail for identity theft they they would escape to their musician colony? Idk, just thinking! Keep up the great vids!!! 😁
I like the brainstorming! That is a fun idea! It wouldn't work for this story since Arn is already a fairly well-known musician and that secret would be out in no time, unless they pretended to be someone else entirely (but that wouldn't be in character). It could be a really intriguing plot for another story later, though.
The timing of this was crazy because I am just finally starting to try to plot my story and it is….difficult. For some absurd reason, my story idea heavily revolves around time travel. And is set in an epic fantasy world. With multiple cultures. Multiple time periods. I cannot express enough how much I do not recommend that anyone try to write a story like this, lmao. My brain is breaking in half but somehow I shall prevail…
Thank you for the tips!!
Oh gosh, that does sound hard and I totally identify with choosing something way too ambitious to write...I'm in it now!
Sometimes it is a place that pops into my mind, other times an idea, or a character will begin chatting in my head. I am mostly a character driven writer. I free write to get to know the character's likes, dislikes, and reactions to certain situations I throw up for them, and once I have a good idea who they are then create a plot to ensure they change to a better version of themselves by the end of a story. I don't really plot or pants, I guess I sort of jot scenes, images, dialogue and try to put it all together like a puzzle. I don't know if being neurodivergent makes my chaotic way of writing and creating sort of non linear but I can't work things out before I write then create a character to fit in, but I do jot down a basic sort of outline for each major plot point. I am also dyslexic.
Thank your for a great video which I have saved for later viewing and note taking!
haha, interesting how you bring up that you don't enjoy two characters wanting and needing the same thing cause for me it's the exact opposite. i actually vastly prefer stories where it's "them against the world" so to speak, so the examples you brought up of your characters really spoke to me in a "oh that sounds lovely" kind of way :D it's just great how we all end up enjoying our stories in different ways like that, and this video was a great perspective to take in! you always package ideas in very enjoyable and relaxed ways, and even if i don't agree with all of it, i think much of it is still very much applicable and makes for a great resource ☺
I do actually like "them against the world", my Cursed Soul trilogy especially is VERY much that. But I also do like some internal conflict. It doesn't have to be something crazy with the characters fighting and lying to each other just to create drama. I hate that! But I like them to be working through some subtle and realistic stuff that's more internal.
Can you make a video of planning a new novel Live? Personally, I learn a lot better from examples than lectures. (My favorite video of yours is the first page editing one.) I would love to see your approach as you are a highly skilled and prolific author.
I will add this to the list!
I absolutely agree with your take about the "make the worse thing happen to your characters" advice. I don't WANT to read that, therefore I don't want to write that. That's a reality for way too many people already. Moreover, it can make the story goofy and hard to take seriously when bad things happen because of the author's cosmic grudge against the characters instead of their own actions. They feel passive, like puppets. If that's the point of the story then it's fine, but most of the time, it doesn't seem to be, just... bad writing. Sorry.
One thing I’m struggling with is I always saw myself writing a novel and now because I’m a panster it feels overwhelming and I find myself much more drawn to writing short fiction and screenplays. Would love a video on deciding which genre of writing is right for you. Enjoyed this video as always!
I say, the best way to decide is just follow what you're drawn to, and try different things! Nothing wrong with writing shorter!
Thank you. Love these videos. 🦋
Oh my gosh you need to get out of my brain. I was just hoping you'd talk about your plotting method. And now I see this!!!!
There will definitely be more plotting videos ahead as well...I seem to plot every book differently!!
Funny timig; I was researching one of my MCs hometown and there is a German heritage museum so I was considering giving the character a German last name.
I want to be a plotter, but too much and my brain says "didn't we do this already" and nopes off into the sunset.
Perfect video ❤
Someone reminds me of Wednesday Addams. I hope i spelled that right, coz she has a vousdieu doll I do not want to be on the wrong side of!
I'm a half and half