Tutorial :: Making a Plot Pt.2

So, now you know the mechanics of a normal plot.  So, what do you do with it?

Inspiration
Inspiration is the number one thing that can make or break your work of fiction.  If you don't have a good idea, you're going to fail.  Miserably.  There is no substitute for inspiration.  It's a magical thing; it cures writer's block, and it suddenly makes things much cheerier in your life.

My favorite way to gain inspiration is to think about plots when I'm laying in bed, trying to sleep.  Counterproductive, I know.  But, if you lead a busy life, you're more likely to be able to think of plot lines when you're not worrying about the latest homework assignment / work issue.  Also, when you're thinking about it before bed, you're more likely to dream about it.  Dreams work wonders for inspiration, so don't push the idea away if it seems outlandish.  Make it work.

Okay, I've Got Inspiration.  Now What?
Inspiration usually only works for one scene.  What if it's not a scene that you can make a book out of?

Firstly, write down whatever scene you've got in your head.  I like doing it in a 3rd Omniscent point of view because I get everyone's opinions in the scene.  I can go back and choose whose point of view I want to use, or just limit the point of view later.  The point of writing down what you've got in your head is that good ideas tend to flee when they've been thought of.  After a certain amount of time, you might lose it, so write it down while you can.

Secondly, pick a main theme.  Main themes are broad, one to two word ideas that explain the big idea of the work.  For example: War.  Love.  Strife.  Family.  What is your work going to be about?  Your fiction might fall into more than one category - that's okay.  The first theme is what you want the climax of the story to be about.  For example, if you decide that you want your fiction to resemble All Quiet on the Western Front, then your main theme is war, even if in the work, your character falls in love with a Red Cross nurse.  Themes are tricky, but they can easily be changed.

Finally, just start writing.  With inspiration, you are on a figurative "Cloud Nine".  Don't worry about what happens.  You can always change the beginning.  I prefer writing by hand; it makes it a lot easier.  Studies have shown that people who type everything up on the computer first tend to edit what they're saying.  This is a first draft.  Don't be afraid to write out EVERYTHING, and edit out later.  It's easier to edit out than to put things in.

Tips and Tricks
Because every genre's different, there's not a lot that I can tell you about writing the beginning of your novel.  But, here's some tips and tricks if you get stuck.

- Don't get discouraged.  Believe in what you're writing.  Write what you're writing for you.

- Write the story that you want to.  Don't write what's popular - the trend will have left before you can efficiently finish your work.

- Avoid Mary Sues.

- Avoid putting in too many characters at once; your reader will have to wade through a million names before Chapter 1 ends.

- DON'T use the "backstory dump".  I don't care what happened before the action happened.  Show me, don't tell me.

- If you get stuck, try writing the middle of the novel first.

- Avoid letting people read as you write the first chapter.  They'll ask too many questions.  After the first chapter, allow people to read, but not before.

The Writer's Block Monster
Around page 80 (if you're writing a long work), you'll experience something familiar.  The lack of inspiration.  The lack of enthusiasm.  You're going to look at your work of fiction and ask what sort of drugs you were on when you started it to think that you could finish it.  Believe me, it's normal.  If you're meant to finish it, you're going to keep going.  If not, leave it for about a year, and then reevaluate it.  By that time, you'll have a different work going, more than likely.  Because around page 80 brings different ideas.  So many different ideas that you're going to end up probably switching works.  If you keep with your current work, then finish it.  You know that the work that you finish is a good one.

Tips and Tricks for Battling the Monster
- No matter what, dreams are like liquid inspiration.  The only problem is that you can't control them.

- Meditation and thinking will eliminate any sort of writer's block problem that you have.

- If all else fails, go to the next chapter, or think about the possible sequel.

- If everything else fails, go to a random word generator.  Find a word, write the next chapter with it.  Getting something down on the page is imperative to keeping your work.

The Climax
According to the plot triangle, this basically comes right before the end of the book.  This is the end; think of the most epic thing you can think of and put it in there.  If your beginning is a violin, your climax is an entire orchestra.  Go all out.  Again, you can scale back, but it's harder to put in more.

Tips and Tricks
There really aren't many tricks and tips for your climax.  Make sure that nothing comes up especially new in the climax that hasn't been referenced earlier in the story.

The Happy Ending : Tips and Tricks
Yeah, the ending doesn't get two sections like everything else, but you can end your story the way that you like.  Do you want a happy ending?  Go ahead.  Depressing ending?  Oh, of course (I encourage it!).  Don't be afraid to go too extreme.  Just avoid zombie apocalypses.  They're cliched nowadays.