P.L.O.T. - Writing Outside of the Box
Copyright December 2003 All contents are the work of the author unless otherwise credited

Preparation

Read. Read some more. Keep reading. When you come across something that makes your skin tingle and sends a shiver along your spine, pay attention to this visceral reaction. The ideas that thrill you are the ones that you’ll use best. Now analyze the idea until you recognize exactly what it was that thrilled you. You’ll have to be careful to separate your emotions from the analysis to make sure you’re getting to the core of the idea and not unintentionally borrowing the original work.

Now look at the idea and summarize what premise is at the heart of it. A romantic suspense about two people trapped in a snowstorm? A sensual romance about a heroine who wants to have a vacation fling? A traditional romance about reunited lovers? Before you can begin outlining the plot for your story, you need to know:

Who are the characters? What are their names, jobs and backgrounds at least?

Their Goals- what they want, Motivations- why they want it, and Conflicts- why they can’t have it

Can you describe the story idea in 35 words or less?

Next, decide how you work best. Are you most creative when typing at the computer or when writing longhand? Do you want to use index cards or a MS Word file? I prefer a combination- I put all of my ideas into paragraphs on the computer then print out the document and cut each paragraph into a strip of paper.

The most important step is to make time. Close the office door, send the kids outside to play or wait until they go to sleep. Do whatever you have to create quiet time for yourself. And no thinking about the laundry, the bills or the in-laws during this time! You’re supposed to be tapping into your creativity. 

Our minds form first impressions of a problem that tend to be narrow and superficial, therefore our first solutions are equally limited. When you look at a problem from different angles, you increase the probability of discovering a unique perspective that leads to a breakthrough idea. [May I suggest my creativity workshop?] 

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