When I begin a short story or a novel I like to have a firm idea of the plot in my mind. Once my imagination is pre-loaded I flesh out characters and work through various outcomes. I do best when I have the rough draft of six major scenes. If I do not know some key things going into a story I usually fail to connect enough to finish it.
I wrote a post about plotting about this time last year.
What’s in a Plotline
- Main Character
- 2nd Character
- Setting, Situation
- Theme
- Character Action
Each of these items combine to make a plot line. Add some dialog and poof…
I am going to borrow a Randomly Generated Plot Line and paste it below. Please feel free to work on this prompt and drop it in a reply box below.
- A man in his early forties, who can be quite imaginative.
- A man in his early thirties, who is very manipulative.
- The story begins at a camp-site.
- Someone takes the law into their own hands.
- It’s a story about sacrifice.
- Your character takes control of the situation.