Okay, a slight change of plan, I have combined this week's and next week's lesson into one, since the two are very similar. So, this class is going to be a six week class. Alright, now that that's out of the way, we can begin.
Plotting
Alright, now that we have covered characters, it’s all about what these characters will be doing. From beginning to end, it’s important to have a handle on your story. If you’re just letting the story run loose, you stand a pretty good chance of losing control. Another pitfall you want to be wary of is the dreaded information dump. You know, when you open the floodgates of information and force your reader to take in too much in the first few chapters. If you want another good way to make your readers angry, make sure to leave a bunch of unresolved cliffhangers in the end. I’m sure they’ll love it. Don’t worry, we’ll be covering all of these this week, so pay attention, because these few tips will help you plot out your story and make it all the more enjoyable.
A mistake I see in a lot of new writers’ fics, is the information dump. The reader is calmly walking through field of flowers, and then you drop a refrigerator on top of their head. That’s kind of what it feels like, and it’s a huge turn off. If you want to avoid this situation, you have to be careful on where you decide to release the information and when. It’s all about control. Just release the information when it’s necessary, and you’ll be fine. Does your main character have a full party of six pokemon? Great, but don’t let the reader know right away. Have them get into a battle where the full party is required, or have them meet an old friend and introduce the pokemon as it becomes relevant in the conversation.
Another thing with the information dump is that not all of the information is going to stick. So, your reader could be losing valuable clues, and now the story is really confusing. I understand if you’re trying to let the reader know how life on a distant planet operates, but don’t go through and give a detailed explanation. Once again, I say to let the information reveal itself when it becomes relevant. That’s the real trick, and it’s how you get information to stick too. In other words, it’s less about words, and more about examples. Don’t tell us the court system is harsh on this alien planet, have the main character sentenced to death for stealing a candy bar. It will be more interesting, and get the information across a lot better.
One tip I can’t stress enough is to plan ahead. Some of you really enjoy spontaneous writing, and that’s great, but if you want to get the information across, and make sure it stays relevant, then planning is key. One way I go about it is to make sure I have my basic plot down. I would personally write it down, just to make sure you don’t forget it, and to make sure you can actually describe it. Sometimes you have an idea, but you just don’t know exactly how to explain it, and that can spell trouble.
Once you have your plot down, it’s on to events. Remember in the first week when I explained the story tree and fractals? Well, you’re going to take the tree apart and go into detail about each and every branch. Some questions that should be answered are: why the event is happening, how it is happening, what the reader should get out of it, and how you are getting that across. If you can’t answer these questions, you haven’t thought about it enough. Once you have a list explaining what’s going on inside the event, you’ll find it a lot easier to write it out and get information across. You’ll be organized, you know where you’re going, and the story will thank you for it.
I think planning ahead really helps with staying motivated too. When I first started writing, I wrote two fics that I didn’t plan ahead for at all. I got to a crossroad where I would have to decide what the fic was about, and I never touched them again. Neither one of those fics made it past chapter two. I spent a year of on and off planning my next fic, and now I’m working through chapter twelve. I don’t think that it’s a coincidence. I invested a lot more time into it, and I don’t want to see all that time go to waste, so I’m seeing it through.
Now that we have covered the beginning and the middle parts, it’s all about the end. Please, for the love of all things writing, never, EVER, end your story in a cliffhanger unless you actually plan to write a sequel. I have been crushed by so many movies and books that end, and never come out with a sequel, despite the fact that they have laid it out perfectly (I’m looking at you, District 9). You have to make sure to tie up all the loose ends, or your readers will pay the price. This is where planning ahead comes in handy, because you have a list of all the conflicts that need resolving. If you don’t plan to write a sequel, all conflicts have to have a close. Otherwise, your reader will feel cheated, and they’re left wondering what happened to Zuko’s mother, who could actually still be alive.
Anyway, the trick to all of this is staying organized and releasing information on a need-to-know basis. If you can do that, your reader will appreciate not getting hit in the head with a refrigerator. It might seem like a lot of work, which it can be, but it’s all beneficial. If you want to make your fic the best it can be, I believe these steps are a must.
Homework Assignment:
Alright, I want you guys to come up with a main event to your story. I want a description of events, what you plan to get across, how you are going to get across, what you plan to accomplish, and how you are going to accomplish it. Plus any other details you decide to throw in. I would just like to see some effort made into planning.