posted
I come up with--and this is a biased opinion--some pretty damned good ideas for stories. Naturally, being the inexperienced novice that I am, I immediately try to write the story down then and there (or as soon as I can get to a computer, anyway)but inevitably discover that it won't go far...not for long, anyway. So I shelf the story and begin anew. I try different approaches, I go in from this way and that...and inevitably discover that it still hasn't gone far. But don't cry for me, Argentina, 'cuz I've discovered my problem: despite having a goal in mind--that is, I know where my characters are going, I know what their ultimate goal is--I can't plot the course to get them there. For some reason, plot, or the process of plotting, makes me wildly uncomfortable, and I don't know why. Maybe it's because I'm a reader at heart, and plotting feels like reading ahead (a sin of the worst kind, I think). Or maybe it's because...no, that's the only reason I got.
Basically, I don't know where my characters are going, and because of that, I can't finish any stories longer than 12k words.
posted
I think what you may find helpful is focusing on what is preventing your main character from achieving his goal. What is it that he has to learn? What is he doing wrong? Who is interested in stopping him? Who will be hurt if he succeeds? Why does he not want to achieve his goal?
Once you have the opposition all lined up, then it’s just a matter of moving the pieces around and figuring out how they try to stop him. (Which is a lot harder than it sounds! ) But still, try figuring out who, what, and why the main character will have a hard time achieving his goal, and I’ll bet ideas for the how will come to you.
posted
When OSC does his "1000 ideas in an hour," he points out that you need to keep questioning your ideas as you develop the plot. Along with the questions AndrewR listed above, I'd like to suggest that you ask "What can go wrong?" every time your characters try to do something.
Then, OSC says, as you come up with answers, don't go with the first answer you think of. Don't even go with the second answer. Keep digging until you have a third or even a fourth answer. That way the things you end up doing in your story will be different and they may even be different enough to surprise and delight the readers--instead of being cliche and same-old-same-old.
posted
Orson Scott Card’s Plot Procedure: 1. Figure out something bad that could happen that would prevent your main character from achieving his/her goal. 2. Figure out what the main character will do to circumvent that problem. 3. Figure out what the universe will do then to prevent him/her from achieving the goal. 4. Figure out what the main character will do then. 5. Repeat as necessary, making each new problem worse than the previous one. Continue until the main character realizes he/she will not achieve the important goal. Then have the character realize what he/she was doing wrong, and in one last, desperate attempt, try to achieve the goal with the new realization. 6. Resolve story (either the main character achieves the goal or doesn't).
I believe it was AndrewR who posted this in another thread... but I have taken the liberty of saving it on my computer!
Printer-friendly view of this topic
) But still, try figuring out who, what, and why the main character will have a hard time achieving his goal, and I’ll bet ideas for the how will come to you.
