Writing 101: I Have A Story! Now What? // The Brainstorming Stage Pt. 2

Hello! It’s time once more for a Writing post! With the release of my newest book, The Rivers of Sorrow, I have an even deeper appreciation for the plotting portion of the Brainstorming stage. That’s what I want to talk with you about today. This should have been the first part of this series, but oh well 😊 When you finish this post, if you haven’t read Pt. 1, I recommend you do that! Okay, now for today’s post…

How I Used to Plot...

My very first book, The Land of Cotton, had a very loose outline…very loose. My original draft had no outline at all. Neither did the second. The third had a six chapter outline, which consisted of a small piece of paper and point of view cues like “Dixie – Telling the Family. Seth – The Wild Cat attack. Richard – Leaving for Philadelphia.” Not much detail or direction. Now, sometimes, I can go with a little cue like this and know exactly what I’m doing, but more times than not, I forget important details, so I’m changing my tactic a bit.

Before I go farther, I must explain that I am what authors call a “Pantser,” a writer who writes as they go rather than writing out a full outline. That writer is known as a “Plotter.” Having seen the need of outlining, I have become what one author calls a “Plotser,” which is someone who plots, but their outline is pretty loose to allow for new ideas 😉

How I Plot Now...

     
      1. I make a list of all the story ideas I have. I keep running lists everywhere of ideas for my stories. Sometimes it’s just a simple sentence like, “Have Seth purchase peppermints for Richard.” Sometimes, it can be a line of dialogue I want to use or a full blown mini story 😊
     2. I use the five-point plot structure. I used this with Coffee Shop Christmas after I had an idea of some of the story ideas. There are basically five main action points that you follow:
                A. Introduction/Inciting Incident. In the Introduction, we get to know the characters, the setting and what normal life looks like for them. Then, we are introduced to the problem or conflict in your story.
                 B. Rising Action. Also called the Call to Action, this is where your main character decides to take the bull by the horns and fix the problem. The rising action makes up the majority of your story and is all the events that lead to…
              C. Climax. This is the highest point of action in your story; the final battle, literal or figurative. It could be the fury of a storm, the attack of an animal, a court session to decide who is going to adopt the poor orphan, etc.
                D. Falling Action. This is sort of the “Victory Lap” of your story, the adrenaline is waning and everyone is getting adjusted to the changes the climax has brought to them personally. This could be everyone leaving after the war is won, adjusting to a friend having passed on, getting the paperwork filled out to complete the adoption, the party that follows winning a contest, etc.
                E. The Resolution. Life has changed from what it was at the beginning of the story, even if your character’s goal was to return things to normal. They have changed and hopefully grown as a person. This step details the new normal, wraps up all the loose ends of the story and let’s you know what the future might look like for your characters. It really depends on whether the book is a standalone novel or a series.

This process is very helpful. I don’t always follow it exactly, but I take elements from it and sometimes repeat it in my book over and over. (I have several high points in my book 😊…there’s a war on
      3. I Plan out My Chapters. You can be very flexible with this, as my chapter count changes drastically during edits. But I usually make a rough outline of what will happen in what chapter. I get an idea for how much information needs to go in each chapter. I average around 35 chapters in a book so that’s my guideline. You can name your chapters if you like, I normally try to as it helps me focus.
      4. I Make My Calendar. Even if you aren’t writing in a historical time period, you need a calendar to help you keep track of what is happening when. If your story only takes in one day, make a by the hour calendar. For my new WIP (Work in Progress) I am writing out all the historic events on a calendar I printed out, January through December. Once I know more of what I’m doing with my story (Having followed the above steps, I should pretty much have my book plotted out, with room to make changes), I will add my fictional characters’ actions to the calendar so I can make sure everything works out realistically. I can’t have a soldier fighting at Spotsylvania if he’s locked up in Point Lookout, Maryland. Nor can I have a girl worrying about the school closing in the middle of July. Calendars will become one of your best friends!
      5. I Make a List of Scenes. You can do this when you divide out your chapters if you like. What you want to do is go through the basic plot of your story and write a paragraph about each scene in your story, so you have a springboard to go from. (This helps with writers block!) For example, take the sentence “Seth buys peppermints for Richard” and turn it into “Seth is leaving to pick up supplies in town. Tyler is going with him. Richard gives him money to buy peppermints and reminds him what amount he wants. Recalls time someone got him in debt, etc. Seth buys peppermints in town prior to… (*This part has been removed because of spoilers*) When he returns to camp, Seth gives Richard his purchase.” Do this for every chapter and you will have a very clear outline right there for you, guiding you along. If something pops into your head for a new scene, make a note about it and when you get the chance, expand it and find a place to stick it in your story. If it fits where you happen to be writing, go for it! Write it on in!

Now, you are ready to follow the steps I gave you in the last writing post…😊 Please check it out while you wait for the next post on writing! Next time, we will discuss the drafting stage of writing, so stay tuned!

Until then,
Ryana Lynn
Jude 22

P.S. Another snippet about my newest book, “The Rivers of Sorrow”! Originally, a story line concerning the 32:7 Company was to take place in book 4. After initial edits, there was far too many storylines in book 4! So this line was transferred to The Rivers of Sorrow, book 3. What was this change? Find out by purchasing a copy of The Rivers of Sorrow!