Lessons on Plot, from Writing Irresistible Kidlit
This is a second post summarizing some of what I learned from reading Writing Irresistible Kidlit, by Mary Kole. This time, I'm going to focus on what she has to say about plot. Obviously, there's a lot in the book that I won't be able to cover. I'll focus on things that I think are still useful for EsNoWriMo.
The most useful heading ever: Be a curator, not a camera. That's something I learned while writing my first novel. I noticed my tendency was to report on every little detail. After all, it helped get words, and I'll never complain about any strategy that will bolster a word count. The problem is that I had trouble shifting between being incredibly detailed, and then skipping over big chunks of time. Both are necessary for storytelling; you wouldn't be anywhere without the details, but you can't tell them all. So while I won't beat myself up about having too much or too little detail, I think i'll allow myself to focus on the parts of the story I want to tell (assuming, of course, that I know what those are... I spend a lot of EsNoWriMo time writing pretty aimlessly).
Now, some tips that might help to craft a plot that I'll enjoy writing.
She talks about Emotional Plot Theory (giving credit to Lewis Buzbee). Basically, rather than thinking about a typical plot arc that starts low, steadily increases to the climax and then decreases to the denouement, she describes how the characters' emotions shift over the course of the story. You start with 'The Normal,' but don't stay there for long. However, 'normal' still includes some tension and conflict, to hook the reader from the beginning. Then, the 'Inciting Incident' happens that "lights the fuse" that carries through the rest of the novel. The "nothing will ever be the same again" incident. 'The Rise' is the immediate reaction; maybe the inciting incident doesn't seem so bad at first. We learn more about the characters, have some excitement, maybe some funny and fun moments. This can get to a point where the character is feeling really good about themselves... and then comes 'The Fall.' This turning point needs to be a significant moment in the plot, that then continues on through most of the novel and keeps dragging the character down and down. It has to keep getting worse and worse (not unremittingly depressing, but the situation might improve a tiny bit but really keeps getting more dire). Then, 'The Climax' which is the only time the character gets to succeed in a really big way. End with the 'Evening Out,' or the new normal.
For month-long noveling, I don't start out knowing exactly what is going to happen. Often, I know almost nothing about what is going to happen. However, I know I have a tendency to write my character out of trouble pretty quickly. I don't like conflict, in real life or in my writing. So I put in mini-conflicts, and then resolve them, and then cast around for something new to happen. This time around, I want to experiment with letting things get really, really bad for a while, without needing to fix it. I also want to play with making it seem like things are getting better, but then having a little success turn out to usher in something worse.
She spent quite a bit of time talking about the importance of stakes and tension. That is, make sure you are writing about things that matter to your character, that have an impact. Suggestions for ramping up tension:
Going back to the previous chapter on character, I got a lot out of some recommendations about 'chapters, scenes, and beats.' I don't think I can really craft a chapter while writing for EsNoWriMo - that requires too much thought about structure. I think more in terms of scenes. A scene is "one complete plot point or exchange" (p. 114). Every scene has to have some change in it. It can change the tone of the action from positive to negative (or vice versa), change the relationship between two characters, introduce new information or characters, etc. But something has to change. "Each character must want something that is unwilling to happen," (p. 117). She provides a basic formula for a scene, something that can come in handy when I'm uninspired!
The most useful heading ever: Be a curator, not a camera. That's something I learned while writing my first novel. I noticed my tendency was to report on every little detail. After all, it helped get words, and I'll never complain about any strategy that will bolster a word count. The problem is that I had trouble shifting between being incredibly detailed, and then skipping over big chunks of time. Both are necessary for storytelling; you wouldn't be anywhere without the details, but you can't tell them all. So while I won't beat myself up about having too much or too little detail, I think i'll allow myself to focus on the parts of the story I want to tell (assuming, of course, that I know what those are... I spend a lot of EsNoWriMo time writing pretty aimlessly).
Now, some tips that might help to craft a plot that I'll enjoy writing.
She talks about Emotional Plot Theory (giving credit to Lewis Buzbee). Basically, rather than thinking about a typical plot arc that starts low, steadily increases to the climax and then decreases to the denouement, she describes how the characters' emotions shift over the course of the story. You start with 'The Normal,' but don't stay there for long. However, 'normal' still includes some tension and conflict, to hook the reader from the beginning. Then, the 'Inciting Incident' happens that "lights the fuse" that carries through the rest of the novel. The "nothing will ever be the same again" incident. 'The Rise' is the immediate reaction; maybe the inciting incident doesn't seem so bad at first. We learn more about the characters, have some excitement, maybe some funny and fun moments. This can get to a point where the character is feeling really good about themselves... and then comes 'The Fall.' This turning point needs to be a significant moment in the plot, that then continues on through most of the novel and keeps dragging the character down and down. It has to keep getting worse and worse (not unremittingly depressing, but the situation might improve a tiny bit but really keeps getting more dire). Then, 'The Climax' which is the only time the character gets to succeed in a really big way. End with the 'Evening Out,' or the new normal.
For month-long noveling, I don't start out knowing exactly what is going to happen. Often, I know almost nothing about what is going to happen. However, I know I have a tendency to write my character out of trouble pretty quickly. I don't like conflict, in real life or in my writing. So I put in mini-conflicts, and then resolve them, and then cast around for something new to happen. This time around, I want to experiment with letting things get really, really bad for a while, without needing to fix it. I also want to play with making it seem like things are getting better, but then having a little success turn out to usher in something worse.
She spent quite a bit of time talking about the importance of stakes and tension. That is, make sure you are writing about things that matter to your character, that have an impact. Suggestions for ramping up tension:
"When he has an ally, take that person away. When she has a decision to make, put a ticking clock on it. When there's an object that he absolutely requires, obliterate it. When she craves a safe place, make it inaccessible. Always think of how you can exert more pressure on the events you already have in your plot" (p. 142).She has some great pointers about tension that I want to take into account. Tension exists whenever character's objectives are in doubt. This is especially easy (and interesting) to do when you have characters that the reader knows have conflicting objectives. (And from last time, the reader should always know the objectives of the main characters. Or if there is doubt, make it interesting doubt, not just confusion!)
Going back to the previous chapter on character, I got a lot out of some recommendations about 'chapters, scenes, and beats.' I don't think I can really craft a chapter while writing for EsNoWriMo - that requires too much thought about structure. I think more in terms of scenes. A scene is "one complete plot point or exchange" (p. 114). Every scene has to have some change in it. It can change the tone of the action from positive to negative (or vice versa), change the relationship between two characters, introduce new information or characters, etc. But something has to change. "Each character must want something that is unwilling to happen," (p. 117). She provides a basic formula for a scene, something that can come in handy when I'm uninspired!
1. Character goes in wanting something, meets another character with conflicting Objectives.
2. Character tries actions to get around the obstacle.
3. He either fails or succeeds briefly... only to encounter another, worse obstacle.
4. He ends up with a bigger problem than before.
Comments
Post a Comment