Today’s Writers’ Tip: Fiction Plot 17 – Discovery

PLOT # 17

DISCOVERY

Death of a Traveling Salesman

Ghosts

Oedipus Rex

(Painting compliments of Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oedipus_Rex )

If you’re interested in writing fiction, take a good look at what it takes to write a best seller with the theme of “discovery.” But what are the elements involved in writing that masterpiece? Let’s take a look:

1. Remember that the discovery plot is more about the character making the discovery than the discovery itself. This isn’t a search for the secrets of the lost tombs of some Incan king; it’s a search for understanding about human nature.
2. Focus the story on the character, not on what the character does.
3. Start your plot with an understanding of who the main character is before circumstances change and force the character into new situations.
4. Don’t linger on your main character’s “former” life; integrate past with present and future. Place the character on the exciting edge of change. Start the action as late as possible, but also give the reader a strong impression of the main character’s personality as it was before events started to change her character.
5. Make sure the catalyst that forces the change (from a state of equilibrium to disequilibrium) is significant and interesting enough to hold the reader’s attention. Don’t be trivial. Don’t dwell on insignificant detail.
6. Move your main character into the crisis (the clash between the present and the past) as quickly as possible but maintain the tension of past and present as a fundamental part of your story’s tension.

So, there you have it…all the elements you need to write your best seller. And read, read, read those fiction works that have mastered the technique. You just might be the next author with a best-selling discovery fiction plot!

ALL INFORMATION COMPLIMENTS OF

Tobias, Ronald B.  20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them (Kindle Locations 1185-1207). F+W Media, Inc. Kindle Edition.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in writing fiction of any kind.

 

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Today’s Writers’ Tip: PLOT 16 – Sacrifice

PLOT # 16

SACRIFICE

Abraham and Isaac

(Painting compliments of

https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-stories/abraham-and-isaac-bible-story.html)

High Noon

Casablanca

If you’re thinking of dabbling in a novel that involves great sacrifice on the part of your main protagonist, several key points need to be included in your story:

1. The protagonist’s sacrifice should come at a great personal cost; your protagonist is playing for high stakes, either physical or mental.
2. Your protagonist should undergo a major transformation during the course of the story, moving from a lower moral state to a higher one.
3. Events must force the protagonist’s decisions.
4. An adequate foundation of character must be developed early so the reader understands the character’s progress on the path to making his sacrifice.
5. All events should be a reflection of the main character and his actions. They test and develop “character.”
6. Make clear the motivation of your protagonist so the reader understands why he would make that kind of sacrifice.
7. Show the line of action through the line of your character’s thoughts.
8. Have a strong moral dilemma at the center of your story.

Once you incorporate this key issues in your story, then you only have one big decision to make: Will my novel end with a smile or a frown? Either is acceptable.

So, there you have it. Get those creative juices flowing, and crank out the next best-selling “sacrifice” novel.

ALL INFORMATION COMPLIMENTS OF

Tobias, Ronald B.  20 Master Plots: And How to Build Them (Kindle Locations 1185-1207). F+W Media, Inc. Kindle Edition.

I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in writing fiction of any kind.

 

Read Full Post »