HOW TO PLOT

 

Although on the previous page I advised you to stop writing short stories, the advice on this page applies equally to that format, because all stories follow the same format, whether they be crime fiction or sci-fi or romance. Once you know it, you’ll spot it yourself, in every book and every movie.

Essentially, there are five stages to every story, which I will summarise as follows:

1.    Set-up
2.    Interesting …
3.    OMG!
4.    Damn!
5.    Hang on …

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Of course, more formal writing guides will have fancier headings, but the above list is what they all boil down, to, which I will explain below.

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1.    Set-up

The first part of any story is the introduction. I’ll stick to crime fiction at this stage, as that is my genre, but it’s where we meet the protagonist, perhaps a victim, or even the villain. You’ll understand their world, perhaps a few hints of their flaws, their idiosyncrasies, but you’ll start to see what makes them interesting and make you want to carry on reading.

Then, something will happen that will change the path of the story. It might happen very early in the story, or a few chapters in, but whatever it is, it is something that changes everything.

Take, for example, the film Psycho. The main character stole something from her boss and fled town, which is why she ended up booking into the Bates Motel. The stealing of the money isn’t the trigger for the plot. It is merely explaining the decisions she has made, and why she was on the road and staying at a quiet motel as she tried to flee. 
 

No, the trigger event is the scene in the shower. Until that happens, she could have taken the money back, troubled by her conscience, or just blown it on booze and gambling, or even invested it in a family home and settled down behind the picket fence.
 

None of those stories would have been worth a trip to the cinema, but the shower scene? Bang! That’s the trigger for all that follows.

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2.    Interesting ….

Now the trigger event (or inciting event, as it is often called) has happened, the characters involve themselves more in it. Whether this is the cop chasing down suspects, or the private investigator sticking their nose in, or the curious eye-witness trying to work out what they have just seen, this is where the story begins to unfold.
 

3.    OMG!

This is the early peak of excitement, and every great story has one. If you think of cinema, the point of memorable high drama happens in the middle. Indiana Jones being chased by the giant rock? James Bond tied to a table, a laser heading to his groin? All in the middle. The most memorable part of a story is often in the middle. This is where there’s the car chase, or the part of the heist that is the most tense. The characters are highly involved, and it’s high drama.

But for every peak, there’s a trough, which is where the next part comes in.

 

4.    Damn!

This is where all hope is lost. The crucial part of the ebb and flow of every story. There has to be the slump. The crook has got away, or the hostages have lost all hope, their chance of being saved driving off into the sunset.
But you need the trough, so that you get the following peak.

5.    Hang on …
The finale, the last part of the story, where victory is grabbed from the jaws of defeat. This is where the action is restarted, all building towards a thrilling climax.

I said it applied to every genre. Here’s a quick cliched example of how it would work in romance:
Man walks into a café. Makes eye-contact with the waitress. A mild frisson, but it’s coffee and go. He leaves his wallet behind.
-    The leaving of the wallet is the set-up, what makes all that follows it happen, because without it, he is going about his day.

The waitress, anxious to do a good deed, maybe bring some intrigue to her day, or remembering the mild buzz she felt as their eyes met, decides to return the wallet. They talk. Make no real plans, but begin to think about each other.
-    This is the “interesting” part, the characters discovering each other.
 

They begin to fall in love, ending with the consummation.
-    OMG! Yep.
 

She is so happy she could skip, but she knows he is leaving town, only ever passing through, so she decides to surprise him at his hotel, prepared to say that she’ll go with him. Another woman is helping him with one of his suitcases. Tall, attractive, clearly comfortable with him.
-    Damn! Just another love-rat, hiding his real other half just for a quick fling with a local waitress.
 

He is at the station. She is feeling down. But one of his friends finds her, because he is feeling down too, because she won’t answer his calls. The woman? His sister, of course, waiting to wave him off the station. Cue rush to station to catch him before the train pulls away.
-    Hang on …. Victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.
 

The five stages underpin all great stories. But how do you use them?
 

Move on to the next page.