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Plotting and Planning it Out. Help!



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Sun Sep 07, 2014 6:49 am
Redbox275 says...



I feel as though I need a rode map when writing. I like my plots to make sense and I want tips for planning my story. What kind format should I use when doing this?
  





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Sun Sep 07, 2014 11:29 am
mitzeee says...



I don't have like a specific way I plan, but I am one of those people who could spend about an hour planning before I even write the first sentence of a story. The way I like to plan is to do character profiles. I do this because on the old writing website I was on, to sign up for RPG's was to do a character profile so the other members of the RPG would get a feel of your character, but after the website closed I found that this was also beneficial for the author themselves. It was a simple character profile consisting of:

Full name:
Age:
D.O.B:
Friends:
Rivals:
-
Personality:
Appearance:
Flaws:
Other info:

I would do this for each of the main characters, normally on the personality, appearance and flaws a good paragraph, or sometimes two or three. For the smaller characters, it really isn't needed, but you can if you want to.

As for plots, the way I do it is just in bullet points or note form. The thing I used to find was that I would write notes, but never actually remembered what they meant, so if you know you will do that it's probably best to write longer sentences. If I get properly into a story I will write sentences, packing in detail on the plot consisting of a page or more sometimes.

It all depends really. You need to find what planning style suits you best then expand on it. Hope this helped! (:

~ mitzeee <3
  





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Sat Sep 13, 2014 5:11 am
Rosendorn says...



My planning method is A to B to C.

I start off with the general concept, the stuff I want to play with as an overreaching arc. I usually come up with the ending first because cool battle scenes make for awesome end goals that keep me motivated.

Then I come up with a bunch of other scenes I really want to write. The climax is usually on this list, along with key character interactions and highly emotional moments. These get strung along in some sort of rough timeline, and I start figuring out how to get between those points. I also eventually figure out what the best place to start is, which is usually because I figure out what the general arcs are and what the emotional focus of the beginning is.

Once I have the beginning, I start writing and work between the points I've got established, writing my way based on what the previous points resulted in. This sometimes changes the plot ideas I have, because I realize these cool ideas don't fit in the narrative as it's currently progressing. This means I come up with new ideas that I'm just as interested in to fill whatever gaps don't fit, usually just finding another point to get to the ending I want.

So in general the method is "here's the rough diction I'm going but I'm not sure I'm going that way till I write it". Works for me, and keeps me interested in what I'm writing.
A writer is a world trapped in a person— Victor Hugo

Ink is blood. Paper is bandages. The wounded press books to their heart to know they're not alone.
  





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Sat Sep 13, 2014 12:58 pm
r4p17 says...



So first off, everything everyone else said is good advice! But let me build on it.

The first thing I do as a fantasy writer is to build up my world. First I will file through the maps of worlds already existing and see if I have anything interesting to reuse. If I don't, I will make another one. It also helps to write down facts about the various kingdoms and what they are like. Then you can get down to various towns and the like.

However, if you are writing fiction, I advise you to make a map as well, only on a smaller scale. If your particular character lives in a small town you could sketch out all the shops and write small bios up for the owners. You will also want to include important terrain features, especially if your character lives way out in the country.

After my world is built, I move onto the characters. No world is of any value without characters. I am not saying you have to come up with a bunch of random people equivalent of NPC's, but it is helpful to have at least most or all of your MC's. Though it is not necessary, now that I am into SBing I have found it helpful to draw up character charts about your characters appearance, personality, and background history. That way it helps you get an idea of what their personalities are so they don't act OOC.

Finally you can come up with the plot. If you already have one, you just have to fit the world and characters into the plot. At this stage, there is still a lot of room for changing things up, so if things don't line up, you can sort that out. If one of your characters just doesn't fit in at all, that probably means that he/she shouldn't be included in the story.

If you don't yet have a plot, my suggestion is that you should shape it around your characters and world. I know it can be a lot of hard work and sound like a pain but it is worth it... ;) Coming on YWS has helped my planning a lot. Before I would just randomly come up with an idea and then write it down into a story. I hope this helps!
One writer with one imagination makes thousands of new worlds and stories." ~ Anonymous author
  








Owning our story can be hard but not nearly as difficult as spending our lives running from it. Embracing our vulnerabilities is risky but not nearly as dangerous as giving up on love and belonging and joy—the experiences that make us the most vulnerable. Only when we are brave enough to explore the darkness will we discover the infinite power of our light.
— Brené Brown