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Hi community of awesome! I'm Ava Jae, and this is bookishpixie.
So not too long ago, somebody asked if I could do a vlog on plotting, so...here we go.
I've mentioned before that I am indeed a plotter, not a pantser, so...I do plotting.
For those who don't know, a plotter is somebody who outlines their book before they start
writing, and a pantser is someone who just starts writing without any pre-figured out plot.
Thus, writing by the seat of their pants...pantsers.
Not someone who...pantses. That's...that's not good.
Anyway, plotting.
So whenever I get an idea that I'd like to pursue for a book, I start by brainstorming.
In my brainstorming session I make a long list, usually on Evernote or in an actual
notebook, of bullet point ideas.
These bullet points can be anything from a character name, to a fragmented idea, or an
image, or a sentence, I just write down whatever comes to mind while I'm brainstorming.
The key here is not to censor.
Even if I think I'm not going to use it or if the idea sounds stupid, I write it down anyway.
This is where I get a lot of ideas down, and it's usually where I start to come up with
a semi-plot.
I'll figure out the main characters involved, I'll figure out the main conflict, and I'll
figure out some things that may or may not actually play out in the book.
I usually ask a lot of "What if?" questions, so "What if this happened to the character,"
or "What if this happened next?"
Or "What if instead of this, this happened?"
By asking myself those questions, it helps me to really generate a lot of possible ideas.
Once I've settled on how the book is going to go and what the plot is going to be like,
I figure out a logline.
A logline is basically a one-sentence pitch of what the book is about.
In the logline you need to include the main character, the main character's goal, what's
standing between them and their goal, and what they have to lose if they fail to achieve
their goal.
That may seem like a lot to squeeze into a sentence, but once you've figured that out,
you've figured out the core of your story.
As a bonus, loglines are then used a lot in contests, and in query letters, and I tend
to use them when I pitch to my agent.
The reason I figure out a logline before I start plotting is it helps me keep focused
on what the main point of the story is.
So once I've got the logline, and I've done the basic brainstorming, I'll open up a new
Scrivener project.
And the very first thing I do on Scrivener is open up the cork board feature.
I've written a blog post about how I use Scrivener's cork board feature, so I'll link to that below.
The short version is Scrivener's cork board feature looks like a cork board with flashcards
pinned to it.
If you don't have Scrivener, you can actually do this on physical flashcards.
Once I've opened up the cork board, that's when I start filling out the flashcards.
Usually, the very first flashcard I fill out is the inciting incident.
And just a reminder, the inciting incident is the event that kicks off the rest of the story.
More times than not I have the inciting incident worked out in brainstorming, so I easily transfer
that over to Scrivener.
And then I keep brainstorming but I do it in scenes.
Each flashcard will have a sentence to a couple sentences that describes what happens in that scene.
I like to build chronologically, so I'll look at the previous flashcard, and think, okay,
what happens next?
Sometimes, the next scene I think of is something that happens way later in the book, but that's okay.
From there, I just keep asking myself "What if?" and I figure out the next scene one at
a time, and I'll delete scenes and move them around, until I have a completed plot from
start to finish.
I'll also make sure I have all the main plot points in this stage, like the opening, the
inciting incident, the rising action, the midpoint, the black moment, the climax, etc.
Once I have a plot from start to beginning, and I have roughly 30-50 flashcards already
set up, that's when I know I can start writing.
And from there...I write.
The thing for me is I look at my outline as a guideline rather than a strict rulebook.
I often deviate from my outline, because my characters surprise me, or I come up with
an idea partway through and I fiddle around with it, but the idea is that it gives me
a direction to go in.
This saves me from getting stuck partway through because I don't know where I'm going.
With an outline I know I always have a plan that I can fall back on and follow no matter what.
And because I always fast-draft, it is essential for me to always know where I'm going next.
But that's just how I work. You may work differently. And that's okay.
So that's all I've got for today! If you liked what you saw, don't forget to subscribe and
comment, and I'll see you guys next week!