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

Lightning

Now that you've had time to think about the premise, think about your characters and your story. Write down anything and everything that comes to mind. You certainly don’t have to know every single thing that’s going to happen in the book, but try to keep a few things in mind:

Hook (how the hero and heroine meet/ reunite)

First Turning Point (what might force your characters to make a decision or take action)

Midpoint (this is the point of know return, perhaps where the characters realize they’re in love, and this point should also set up the black moment)

Black Moment (remember this is the emotional point where it seems like the relationship is over)

Climax (this is the external problem or situation that has to be resolved)

Resolution (how the characters might recognize or acknowledge their commitment)

Don't hamper yourself by wondering if your ideas are good enough. Trust me, they are. Imagine your story as a road or as a film or whatever helps you to generate ideas.

New ideas are formed by deliberately combining things in ways you don't normally come across or think about. C.G. Jung said, "The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves."

Take a break and when you come back; think about the story as a whole and the scenes and ideas you already came up with. Let the scenes come to you and write them down. Don’t worry about how you’ll make them fit into your story, just write them down. 

Brainstorm all of the possibilities, no matter how farfetched or silly they seem. And don’t worry about the details- we’ll get to that later. When you’ve gone as far as you feel you can, either brainstorm with critique partners or call it a day [week, whatever].

 Organization

It’s time to storyboard or put your ideas together. Don’t put a lot of effort into this initial shuffle since it won’t be the last time. Just arrange the ideas into a sequential order that makes sense to you. If you’re using the computer, print off a copy of the ideas you created and read it through. Mark or number as you go and then cut/paste the paragraphs in the computer file. If you’re using index cards, lay them out on a table or on the floor and pin them to a corkboard.

Take a good look at what you have. Get familiar with each scene and try to imagine it connecting with other scenes. If any of your ideas seem like they won’t work, put them aside or into another file, but don’t delete or discard them yet. You’ll need them for the next part. 

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