Now first, I have to say, that the plot you’re able to come up with in one day is not going to be without its flaws, but coming up with it all at once, the entire story unfolds right in front of you and makes you want to keep going with it. So, where to begin?
What is your premise and basic plot? Pick your plot. I recommend just pulling one from this list. No plots are “original” so making yours interesting and complicated will easily distract from that fact, that and interesting characters. Characters will be something for you to work on another day, because this is plotting day. You’ll want the main plot to be fairly straight forward, because a confusing main plot will doom you if you want subplots.
Decide who the characters will be. They don’t have to have names at this point. You don’t even need to know who they are other than why they have to be in the story. The more characters there are the more complicated the plot will be. If you intend to have more than one subplot, then you’ll want more characters. Multiple interconnected subplots will give the illusion that the story is very complicated and will give the reader a lot of different things to look at at all times. It also gives you the chance to develop many side characters. The plot I worked out yesterday had 13 characters, all were necessary. Decide their “roles” don’t bother with much else. This seems shallow, but this is plot. Plot is shallow.
Now, decide what drives each character. Why specifically are they in this story? You can make this up. You don’t even know these characters yet. Just so long as everyone has their own motivations, you’re in the clear.
What aren’t these characters giving away right off the bat? Give them a secret! It doesn’t have to be something that they are actively lying about or trying to hide, just find something that perhaps ties them into the plot or subplot. This is a moment to dig into subplot. This does not need to be at all connected to their drive to be present in the story. Decide who is in love with who, what did this person do in the 70’s that’s coming back to bite them today, and what continues to haunt what-his-face to this very day. This is where you start to see the characters take shape. Don’t worry much about who they are or what they look like, just focus on what they’re doing to the story.
What is going to change these characters? Now this will take some thinking. Everyone wants at least a few of the characters to come out changed by the end of the story, so think, how will they be different as a result of the plot/subplot? It might not be plot that changes them, but if you have a lot of characters, a few changes that are worked into the bones of the plot might help you.
Now list out the major events of the novel with subplot in chronological order. This will be your timeline. Especially list the historical things that you want to exist in backstory. List everything you can think of. Think about where the story is going. At this point, you likely haven’t focused too much on the main plot, yeah, it’s there, but now really focus on the rising actions, how this main plot builds its conflict, then the climactic moment. Make sure you get all of that in there. This might take a few hours.
Decide where to start writing. This part will take a LOT of thinking. It’s hard! But now that you’ve got the timeline, pick an interesting point to begin at. Something with action. Something relevant. Preferably not at the beginning of your timeline - you want to have huge reveals later on where these important things that happened prior are exposed. This is the point where you think about what information should come out when. This will be a revision of your last list, except instead of being chronological, it exists to build tension.
Once you’ve gotten the second list done, you’ve got a plot. Does it need work? Probably. But with that said, at this point you probably have no idea who half your characters are. Save that for tomorrow, that too will be a lot of work.
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On December 9, 1867, the Zakynthian writer Grigorios Xenopoulos was born in Constantinople.His family moved to Zakynthos soon after, where Gregorios spent his youth until 1883, when he enrolled in the University of Athens to study physics and mathematics. He never completed his studies: already in the first year, he had begun writing literature, which was his sole source of income at the time.
Xenopoulos was a prolific writer. He wrote over 80 novels and a large number of short stories. He first became known to the literary world through his first novel: “Ο Άνθρωπος του Κόσμου” (O anthropos tou kosmou, “Man of the world”). This novel and his next one, “Nikolas Sigalos” (1890), written in the New Athenian style, were not successful. He then turned for inspiration to his birthplace, Zakynthos, and as a result wrote some of his best novels, such as “Magaret Stefa” (1893) and Κόκκινος Βράχος (Kokkinos Vrachos, “Red Rock”, 1905). These were followed by further novels in the New Athenian style: “Ο πόλεμος” (O polemos, “War”, 1914), “Οι Μυστικοί Αρραβώνες” (I mystikoi aravones, “The Secret Engagement”, 1915) and the Ionian School novel “Laura” (1915), which was also one of his most admired. But his most ambitious work was the trilogy: “Πλούσιοι και φτωχοί” (plousioi kai ftochoi, “The Rich and the Poor”, 1919), “Τίμιοι και άτιμοι” (Timioi kai atimoi, “The Honest and the Dishonest”, 1921), “Τυχεροί και άτυχοι” (Tycheroi kai atychoi, “The Lucky and the Unlucky”, 1924). Other novels include: “Αναδυομένη” (Anadyomeni, 1923), “Ισαβέλλα” (Isabella, 1923), “Τερέζα Βάρμα-Δακόστα” (Teresa Varma-Dakosta, 1925).His novels are set in Athens and Zakynthos, and he is considered to be a proponent of the “urban novel”. The main theme of his works is love, particularly love between people of different classes. His work has been criticised for putting quantity ahead of quality, with many sequels, and for pandering to the tastes of his readers with scenes which were sexually provocative for the period. However he has also been praised for his narrative strength and ability to hold the readers attention.
New stories are being updated weekly, and are free for anyone to access. Whether they are adventures with dragons or the melodramatic times of co-workers spending an annoying weekend together, there is something there for everyone to enjoy. If you’d like to check out these stories and the other completed works I’ve written, you can do so by visiting one of the following websites.
▪️write tension: your story should be full of struggle. Even after resolving one conflict, quickly introduce the next. This keeps things interesting for your reader.
▪️outline:I personally don’t use this method but everyone has what works for them. At least have a goal in mind and constantly ask the question “what if”.
If you are like me, ask these questions for each scene:
▪️write detail: don’t forget the senses, especially sound, sight, and smell.
▪️read other books and ask yourself why you like that book or what keeps you interested and try to learn from it.
▪️it’s okay to vary chapter length, it keeps things interesting.
▪️write hand gestures
▪️let your characters’ personalities speak through action.
▪️there doesn’t always have to be a moral
▪️delete “very” and be precise:
instead of “very good”say“excellent”.
▪️delay plot twist reveals, allow suspension to build
▪️avoid clichés
These are common clichés:
▪️show don’t tell
▪️captivate your readers from the start: pose a question:
Mary would never walk again. Why?
Peter’s heart was shattered.Why?
The day he came, my life drastically changed. Why? Who?
▪️put your story aside and then come back later (this helps you see it more clearly)
▪️read writing tips
▪️download Grammarly (there’s a free version)
▪️try not to edit as you go (this slows you down and makes you question everything. It can be quite frustrating. So, it’s better to wait until the end of the book to edit.)
▪️keep in mind that no one writes a perfect first draft - they are going to suck.
▪️actuallyfinish a story. (This builds confidence like crazy. You’ll feel so accomplished.)
For someone who has typed upwards of 200,000 words for their novel, taken advanced English all their life, has a family of multigenerational English teachers, and has a formidable library in their room, I sure can’t spell worth a damn.
I spent a length of time I will not disclose cursing spell-check, more confident than I had any right to be that “paid” was actually spelled “payed.”
Alice Walker sees the world differently, and not just because a childhood accident left her blind in one eye. This civil rights firebrand and talented novelist is famous for penning “The Color Purple”, but she’s also focused on pushing over the status quo, one prejudice at a time. Read her work, and you’ll get true Push Girl inspiration.
Tell your friend she’s got a little Alice Walker in her. Share now to give her a little push.
Remembered for penning the popular children’s poem “Over the River and Through the Wood”, Lydia Maria Child often shocked audiences from the 1830s to the 1960s with her extremely liberal views. She called for the emancipation of slaves without any compensation to slaveholders, believing that women could not make significant progress in their rights until slavery was abolished.
Child’s 1833 work An Appeal in Favor of That Class of Americans Called Africans is said to be the first anti-slavery book published in the United States. She also wrote fictional short stories in support of her anti-slavery beliefs, often exploring how sexual exploitation affected both the enslaved and the slaveholder’s family. The more she delved into these concepts, the more negative reactions she received from readers.
This was not, however, Child’s first taste of controversy. In the mid-1820s, she published a historical romance novel entitled Hobomok: A Tale of Early Times, writing under the anonymous pseudonym “an American”. The book caused quite a stir in the literary community due to its central relationship - an interracial marriage between a white woman and a Native American man.
Decades later, Child would publicly endorse Native American rights, compiling various pamphlets throughout the 1860s. One of her pieces, An Appeal for the Indians, called upon government officials and religious leaders to make a difference, leading to the establishment of the US Board of Indian Commissioners in 1869.
#OTD in 2003 – James Plunkett, best known for his epic novel of Dublin, ‘Strumpet City’, dies at the age of 83.
#OTD in 2003 – James Plunkett, best known for his epic novel of Dublin, ‘Strumpet City’, dies at the age of 83.
“Two divine persons in one. A mother lamenting her children in bondage. A girl ravished by the Saxon, who weeps over her stringless harp. But her young champions keep watch in the mountains, awaiting the dawn of the bright sun of Freedom. They will gather around her with pikes and swords.” –James Plunkett ––Strumpet City Plunkett grew up among the Dublin working class and they, along with the…
