A recent blog post revealed I had 19 bookmarks in my Character bookmark folder. Not to be outdone, my Plot folder boasts 24 links. This does not surprise me as I find plotting much more fun than character development. To me, plotting is the excitement of designing the house, getting the foundation poured, watching the walls go up. Character development is hanging sheetrock, laying tile, and painting - gratifying when done well, but dangerously close to drudgery. So here's a few highlights from the fun part - PLOT.
- One of my favorite resources is this video from one of the Toy Story 3 collaborators. It's all about a strong beginning. Works for any genre.
- 9 Ways To Undermine Your Character's Best Laid Plans by Lisa Cron at Writer Unboxed. "Do make sure everything that can go wrong, does. The only time things come easily is when they are the opposite of what is actually best."
- Six of my links in the Plot folder are from Fiction University, including The Key to Creating Suspense Is . . . by Janice Hardy. In addition to that perfect title, Hardy also shares this nugget: "A reader who doesn't care what happens next won't read on to find out. It's our job as writers to create a situation that's so tempting, so exciting, so emotional, that readers can't put down our books."
- Had to go back to the well with this great article from the same source: An Unpredictable (And Fun) Trick To Keep Your Plots Unpredictable. If you love brainstorming but are a little thin on collaborators, this one's for you.
- How To Double Your Story's Conflict In Seconds by K. M. Weiland. "Never let your character get off easily. If you can hit him from one side, you can hit him from two. "
So many articles on plot recall or re-frame Joseph Campbell's work. But the different interpretations can be worthwhile. As Janice Hardy says, sometimes you just have to roll the dice.
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