To Cut a Subplot or Not to Cut a Subplot

The action at the Climax is big and external and life or death and... well, it's great. The scene sounds like the culmination of exciting action in a truly exotic setting. We move from the dramatic action plot to the character emotional development plot -- or, in other words, why the protagonist does what she does at the climax and what her actions mean to the story overall. By the gaps and questions she has, I understand she's written the first draft primarily from the dramatic action and the correct historical point of view.

With probing and support, she establishes the character emotional development arc. In doing so, she knows who the character is throughout the story and how to begin incrementally showing her true transformation as she enters the final quarter of the story.

We establish the other key scenes and begin plotting out scenes from beginning to end. As we do, the writer throws out a subplot, entirely. Later she throws out another. Granted she is a bit nervous about having too many subplots. Still, before she cuts for cutting's sake, I'd like her to consider the subplots for what they contribute to the story thematically. I'd like her to consider all her plotlines for what they contribute to the story thematically.

She's written an entire draft and ended up with the bones of a fantastic story. Her first rewrite is a terrific time to begin searching for themes and how plots and subplots help tie the themes together and bring meaning to the story overall.

For an in-depth resource to all the questions to ask about theme when writing a novel, memoir, screeplay, refer to  The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.

AND

Watch Thematic Significance Playlist at How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay?

*****

PW BOOK AND WORKBOOK GIVEAWAY!
Sue Bradford Edwards of WOW! Women on Writing Blog has written a wonderful review of the PW book and workbook by showing how she used the resources with her own story. We are giving away 3 The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master and 3 The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Character Flaw, Fatal and Otherwise

By Prompt 47 in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing you have are firmly in the middle of the middle of your novel, memoir, screenplay. Perhaps you felt resistance upon entering the middle and gave yourself time to consider your story and even give into your doubts.

Each time you found your way back to the PWBook of Prompts you moved yet one scene nearer to your goal of finishing.

Many of the prompts you've worked through have guided you to continually re-define the protagonist's goals and what is driving her forward to persevere against all odds and to create formidable antagonist to prevent her from reaching her goals.

By Prompt 47, you are asked to re-establish her character flaw-- that internal belief pattern that limits her and keeps her from reaching her goals.

Now, if you haven't discovered the exact right flaw for her, is the time to do so. Search the traits she's displayed thus far and the actions she's taken. Dig through her beliefs about life and people and her place in the world.

When you've found the flaw(s) do not succumb to the desire to go back into earlier scenes to develop this flaw. You'll slow yourself down. Don't believe me? Try it one day and then assess your word count for the day. Once should be enough to show you how going back slows down your forward progress. Rather, write notes to yourself on your plot planner to include in the first major rewrite. As you write forward, watch how that same flaw of hers pops up and how deep her flaw runs.

For an in-depth resource to all the questions to ask about theme when writing a novel, memoir, screeplay, refer to  The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.

AND

Watch, at How Do I Plot the Character Emotional Development Plot in a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay?

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Writer Hates Questions of Theme

The writer sends very little about theme in the pre-plot consultation material. The first time we talk about theme during the actual consultation I feel her shutdown and a bit of her blazing passion about her story fade. She doesn't give up. She keeps trying. Each success renews the fire.

Even so, during our last session, she cries out in response to yet another thematic question.

"I hate those questions!" she exclaims.

She prefers questions about the fascinating world she has researched and created. She loves explaining more about all the plot points that spin the energy of the story ever higher.

Her resistance and frustration about theme is not uncommon. We all want our stories to resonate with meaning and emotion and lasting connection with the reader and our audience. We just want that connective impact to happen by magic, all on its own through our writing without having to consider something as abstract as theme.

I persist. She continues to try. Whether or not she comes up with the exact right thematic significance statement doesn't matter. Knowing what questions to ask does. She knows those questions now. She'll continue to find the answers in the deeper meaning of her stories.

For an in-depth resource to all the questions to ask about theme when writing a novel, memoir, screeplay, refer to  The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.

AND

Visit our Thematic Significance How-tos, a series of 4 videos, at How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay?

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Writing Forward Everyday

Her fear of having lost her passion for writing wanes and she finds herself writing more consistently.  Her progress forward does not hide the struggle it's taken her to get that far. Morning after morning she let slip by precious writing time. She's intrigued by the story as it appears in her head. The problems cut on the edge of nearly personal, making the anticipation of writing certain scenes difficult and easier to ignore. Often as she follows the prompts in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing she can't always remember exactly what she's already written.

All of these problems arise in her quest to forge forward rather do as she's always done when writing her other stories by continually slowing herself down, going back and refining. She knows she has something in her story and is excited to read it and refine when she's accomplished her goal of writing it all the way through to the end first.

She feels differently writing this story than when she wrote the others. The leap of faith feels further and positioned directly over a canyon of sharp rocks and shallow water. Granted her word count increases everyday she does write. Her story is full of conflict and excitement from following the prompts and from completing exercises in  The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.

She's nearly to the halfway mark... if she can hold on and keep writing forward just a little bit longer.

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Keeping an Eye on the Plot

Prompt 35 The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing leads you back to the Character Emotional Development Profile you created on Page 33 of  The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories.

By re-establishing her goals and commitments, you're given an opportunity to think further about her motivation, her fears and how to clearly state what she wants and why does she want that now here at the scene level in the beginning of the Middle.

This is also a great time to think about the story overall. Consideration of the overall time frame points to the 4 Energetic Markers and invites further exploration into how the scenes works together to create a whole.

(click HERE for a video explanation)

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises in The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Writing One Prompt at a Time Straight into the Middle of a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay

The deeper you write into the Middle of your novel, memoir, screenplay, the riskier your commitment turns to write a story with a plot from beginning to end following one prompt at a time from The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing.

By accepting this challenge, you forfeit your right to go back and start again or read what you've written. You resist the temptation to rewrite and revise and mess around with what you've already written and instead daily face the blank page and write into the unknown.

By Prompt 34, you find yourself everyday writing without any self-imposed doubts about what comes next, writing with the freedom of not having to plan and plot, and writing with the promise of reading the entire rough draft once you've reached the end at least one time.

By the middle of your story, you've established a writing ritual. You're showing up to write more consistently. Now, your imagination wanders without needing to come up with "what next." Instead, you find yourself stretching to expand and deepen the ideas you've already come up with while always looking toward the end, the climax, and the protagonist's final confrontation and crowning glory.

Writing daily by following the prompts provided you find yourself more and more you leaving behind the drama in your own life for the drama in your story.

Today, I write.

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts in The Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises inThe Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Jumping in Time in Writing a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay

I've written extensively about the problems with using flashbacks when writing a novel, memoir, screenplay. Just as jumping backwards in time, jumping forward takes the reader out of the here and now of the cause and effect between scenes and can interfere with their ability to drop deeply into your story.

Watch how often you make substantial time jumps in your story. Jumping in time too often can be disconcerting to the reader. Pace yourself. The tighter your scenes are tied by cause and immediate effect, the closer you keep your reader to your story.

Where's the best place in your story to make a time jump? At the beginning of the Middle.

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises inThe Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Main Character is Both Protagonist and Antagonist

A writer has worked for 7 months on a treatment about a veteran from the United States military. The story is timely and the writer's promise of insight and meaning into a troubling social issue is exciting.

At what looks like around the Crisis (based on his scene count), the writer comes to the realization that the protagonist is both the protagonist and antagonist because he is still at war with everything, mostly with himself.

Thanks to The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master (PW) he recommitments to finishing and wants help.

In PW, I talk about the protagonist as his/her greatest antagonist for the very sorts of reasons the writer lists in his email. I suggests he use PW to plot out the protagonist's story from his internal antagonist's POV. Treat that part of the charactered as he would any other antagonist, anyone or thing that interferes with his success.

What's key is finding the exact right external action to best show the internal struggle. When characters are at war with themselves, the struggle is internal and manifest as a thought (internal), an emotion (internal), desire (internal) versus showing his reaction (external) or an external event that happens to him (external). Be aware of his internal thoughts and emotions and desires. Show them in scene in external dramatic action that reinforces the greater thematic significance of the story.

Create challenges in the present to bring out what he needs to overcome.

Can be a bit challenging to separate the two parts of himself and well worth the effort. Great good luck!

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises inThe Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Searching for the Strongest Climax

I am often asked what the #1 problem writers have with plot. My answer varies, depending on the most recent plot consultation or plot workshop I've just done.

Writers often struggle with finding the exact right climax and resolution to their novels, memoirs an screenplays.

So much time and thought and writing goes into developing a compelling protagonist with a mysterious back story, deciding where is the exact right beginning of the story, how to make the action exciting and the book concept big, the details just right, the dialogue snappy, the setting exotic, the crisis disastrous.

I rarely (and I mean rarely) find a writer who has thoroughly thought out the climax and written the end quarter of the story as many times or more than the beginning.

Sure, writers bog down in the middle and thus the climax seems incredibly far away -- nearly out of reach. By the time a writer limps her way to the climax, the story is lucky to have an ending at all, much less an ending that is meaningful and different and leaves the reader satisfied and wanting more.

The end of a romance novel, even if it is for a teen, especially if it is for a teen, is so much more than... they lived happily ever after. You have been so careful not to use cliched phrases, metaphors, settings and have worked to make every element uniquely your own. Why settle for a cliched ending?

When a character rises in triumph at the climax, what does she look like, act like? In the resolution, what does the world look like now that she is new and different and transformed and has shared the gift she came to share?

Take an ending you're sure has no value and turn it on its ear. See the ending from a different angle or perspective. Write that.

Strive to give the reader something new and fresh and miraculous...

The Story End 
That fabulous beginning of your story and that wild twist in the middle do not count nearly as much as to a reader as the end of the story. Sure, you hope she looks back and sees how everything is seamlessly tied together. In fact, what she’s going to think about first is how the story ends.

Readers and audiences are affected first and foremost emotionally by the story they read, whether the story evokes fear or anger, joy and celebration, or sadness and resignation. Connecting with readers emotionally to the point they become instinctively involved in the story is the dream of every writer. The best place to search for this emotional effect is at the climax.

Think Different
Look beyond the words and sentences and scenes to the deeper pattern of your story. Every protagonist begins a story wanting something. The real reason that she goes after what she wants never (or rarely) is her stated reason. In fact, at the end of the story the protagonist can, and often does, fail at her stated goal. The reader cares because she knows the protagonist has actually won what she wanted and all that really matters is herself. She has gained self-knowledge and because of that she has been changed and transformed.

After having all of her layers stripped away one by one as false or unreliable, the protagonist reaches the point where she either must break down and live an unlived life or stand straight and rely on herself. To do that, first she must find the self on which she can rely. This is why often in a story, the protagonist’s stated goal fades and is replaced by the real goal.

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises inThe Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter

Thematic Significance of Stories

First, he writes a rough draft of what sounds like an exciting middle grade novel filled with external dramatic action, likable characters, rich historical events and meaning.

Next, he's slogs through a re"vision" process that includes re-plotting his story after attending a plot workshop with me, reading The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master and The Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories and, before pulling the entire story together in one massive rewrite, he signs up for a plot consultation.

He sends me his first stab at a thematic significance statement for his story. I recommend he pin the statement on the wall where he'll see it, write it on the bathroom mirror, whatever. Every time he works on his rewrite, he'll consider the statement and revise as he sees fit. By the end of the entire rewrite, the exact thematic significance statement will have emerged.

As he rewrites and evaluates his statement, I encourage him to ask himself if the general themes are reflected throughout the story. For instance: if the need for telling the truth is needed for the protagonist to prevail at the end and included in his thematic significance statement, ask himself if that is spot on. Is it telling the truth or is it something else, deeper perhaps that she must learn?

Look throughout the story for instances or references to the themes you mention in the overall thematic significance statement. Your story isn't so much about digging deep so perhaps that isn't a true fit. Your story doesn't reflect the idea of digging deep as much as letting go, taking the plunge?

Keep exploring themes in a similar way. What other themes do you find in your story. Do any of those belong in your statement? What about forgiveness? Whatever you add or subtract to the statement needs to be reflected throughout the story.

I don't want him to perfect his themes now. Rather, I want him to organize his notes and then rewrite the story from beginning to end. He's more than ready. He knows his story and characters and setting and plot. As he writes, themes will emerge and he'll acknowledge and further incorporate them. I encourage him to challenge himself to complete the rewrite on a specific date. Then work backwards to determine how many pages he intend to write daily to accomplish his goal / challenge.

*****

Knowing what to write where in a story with a plot allows for a more loving relationship with your writing. Whether writing a first draft or revising, if you falter wondering what comes next in a story with a plot, follow the prompts inThe Plot Whisperer Book of Writing Prompts: Easy Exercises to Get You Writing

Today, I write.

To familiarize yourself with the basic plot terms used here and in the PW Book of Prompts:

1) Watch the plot playlists on the Plot Whisperer Youtube channel.
2) Read The Plot Whisperer: Secrets of Story Structure Any Writer Can Master
3) Fill out the exercises inThe Plot Whisperer Workbook: Step-by-Step Exercises to Help You Create Compelling Stories
4) Visit:
Blockbuster Plots for Writers
Plot Whisperer on Facebook
Plot Whisperer on Twitter