Someone on the other boards suggested a thread on plotting and we've started posting there. Thought I'd spread a little of the wealth.
I'll start with a couple websites that have some good info:
Cheat Sheet for Writers You'll just have to ignore the hearts-and-lips cursor.
Ten Points on Plotting Plotting the Novel And one more that's not really about plotting but just writing in general...
Keep \'Em Coming Back for More ... because you can have the best plot in the world but if you make a lot of common author mistakes they'll stop reading mid-sentence and pass up anything else with your name attached.
The terms A-plot and B-plot are bandied about with regard to L&C fanfiction. A few years ago I had to ask what in the heck those were. Basically A-plot means that the story is plot-driven. B-plot means it is character-driven. Here's a site that answer the question
Are You a Character- or Plot-Driven Writer? .
Neither one is right or wrong. They are just different and given that both kinds sell equally well, it only proves that different readers have different tastes. I personally am more of a character-driven writer. Most of my fanfiction was about the development of the relationship between Lois and Clark. And the original fiction I'm pursuing now is the same.
Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Deb Dixon is a great book to help with plotting. It's only available at
Deb\'s site but many writers consider it to be their Bible.
The following site will give you an overview of exactly what GMC is:
GMC website Here's a process that a critique partner sent me. She's using it to help plot her book. It's called
The Snowflake Process . It didn't look like it would work for me, but every writer writes differently so it may work for you.
Speaking of plots, I moderate author chats for a website and invariably the author will be asked "Are you a plotter or a pantser?" This means do you plot your book out in advance or do you write by the seat of your pants with just a general idea of what you have in mind.
Lucy Monroe has written a little about the process of plotting. And I've read somewhere (sorry I couldn't track down the site) that plotting seems to be more common among authors who write plot-driven stories whereas the seat-of-the-pants method seems to be more common among those who write more character-driven pieces.
Another question I hear frequently is "Which comes first? Characters or plot? Among romance authors in the "passion" lines (meaning they are generally more character driven) the answer is usually that the character comes first. A character will invade their head and reveal him or herself piece at a time until the full story is revealed. That's what's happened to me. I had a vision of a high school nerd who had become a successful businessman as an adult and returned to his high school reunion. Bit by agonizing bit he has revealed himself to me.
Here's a short article about
Which Comes First by Elizabeth Grayson.
And last but not least, from writing teacher Alicia Rasley comes the
Thirteen Prime Plot Principals . I read everything I can find by Alicia Rasley. She's highly respected in the writing field and teaches online writing classes that have come highly recommended by many writers.
Alicia\'s site is loaded with great information for any writer whether you write heavy plots or character pieces. She even has a free newsletter where you can get writing tips and articles by email. It's listed on the first page of her website.
I'm sure others of you have processes that work for you and would love to share.
