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31 Days of Plot Building - Wordsnstuff January 2019 Writing Challenge

– This is the third installment of my three part series, dedicated to writing longer stories. I look forward to seeing all of your guys’ responses here using the hashtag #wordsnstuffplotbuilding and over on Instagram, where you can tag me @/writingandsuch.

This challenge begins on January 1st, so 24 hours from when I am posting this. You’re free to do one day’s challenge on another day if your schedule doesn’t allow enough time to complete that day’s challenge. Best of luck to you!

☼ Prompt List ☼

What point of view will you be writing from and why?

Is your novel part of a series? What do you need to plan in order to make it all tie nicely together?

How does each main character serve the progression of the plot?

What genre(s) does your story fit into, and to what extent?

Briefly outline each major subplot in your story, and include their role in pushing the main conflict forward.

How is each character involved in each subplot?

How will each subplot be concluded and at what point in the story?

How does the main conflict frame the message of the story?

What elements of the plot serve as symbols or motifs?

What tone is conveyed throughout the majority of the story?

How do you want the reader to feel when they put down the story?

What major events in the plot serve mostly to develop characters, and how will they accomplish this?

What events in the plot change relationships between characters, either minutely or in a major way?

Describe the personal perspective of the narrator of the story. If it is being narrated, describe the authorial voice the narrator is taking on.

Create a visual model of the structure of your plot, including specification of the major plot points. (Here are 21 examples.)

Pitch your plot to a publisher in 3 sentences or less. Be sure to include what makes your story different than anything they’ve ever seen.

What are the top five obstacles your protagonist faces? How about the antagonist?

What are the main complications or twist in the plot? How do these complications effect your characters and/or their motivations?

How will your conflict cause character growth?

What subplots, plot points, or characters could you remove without sacrificing a smooth plot progression?

Are there any big reveals? If they’re simply there to shock the reader, cut them. If not, state the extent of their purpose to the plot.

Are there any plot points that a reader would look back on in retrospect and recall making more sense now that they’ve read the ending? What are they?

What is the climax of your story, and how does it change the direction of the conflict resolution?

How is the conflict resolution meant to impact your reader’s personal perspective? How will you make sure it does this using events in the story?

What element has endured the most change by the end of the story, and how is this beneficial to conveying the story’s message?

Compare the plot structure of your book to your three favorite books, or your biggest inspiration for it. Assess whether you’ve been inspired, or you’ve subconsciously projected it onto your own work.

In what places within the plot can you add tension, and how?

Calculate how much time passes between the beginning of your story and the end. Is this timeframe reasonable for the type of story you’re trying to tell, or could you lengthen/shorten it to make it better?

Go through the scenes you have so far, and determine whether each one is plot or character driven. There should be a healthy balance of both, so decide where changes may be necessary to even them out.

What is the inciting incident of your story, and why should this make the reader care what happens next?

Share your outline with 15 people and ask them if it reminds them of anything else. If they reply with a yes, you may have taken too much inspiration from something, or your plot may contain too many tropes.

You’re welcome to share your outlines with me ([email protected])

**If anyone has any other aspects not mentioned in the list above that they feel is important to plot development, please leave those in the comments below for other writers to peruse!

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abdulraveman

billy-old-deactivated20181202

if you step on a person’s foot they open their mouths, just like trash cans.

thr0atmistress-deactivated20191

LMAO WHY AM I STILL LAUGHING AT THIS

moghedien

Artemis and Apollo are 1) archery gods, 2) twins, and 3) immortal so they definitely regularly just shoot each other in response to like, bad puns and other incredibly petty shit

wordsnstuff

Do you have any good tips for those who have problems with making a story come together? (I'm talking about finding solutions for problems, reasons for things etc.) also do you have any advice for those who have a decent vocabulary but have difficulty using it properly when writing? are there other ways to make a story less bland and more descriptive?

So there are two main things I’m going to address in your question, which are the main things you asked about, and they are 1.) making your descriptions more vivid and your writing more clever in terms of vocabulary use, and 2.) finding and fixing plot holes/problem solving in your plot. These things have one very important thing in common: they aren’t something you should focus on in the first draft. They’re things you should fix/improve in the second, third, fourth, etc. draft, but definitely not the first.

Fine details are not the point of the first draft. The first draft is where you get all your initial ideas, details, and events out onto paper so you can refine and improve them. The way your ask was written lead me to believe that you are trying to accomplish these things as you’re actually writing, but these aren’t part of the writing process. They’re part of the editing process.

So, let’s go into the two topics we’re going to focus on, here.

Using Vocabulary & Spicing Up Your Writing

This comes in the reading of the first draft after it’s written. Go through and highlight sentences or words or phrases that you think would enhance your writing if they were heavily refined. After that, go back through and try to recreate the imagery in your mind, and take the time to search for a way to write it that executes that image. It’s fairly simple, but it will take a lot of time, and that’s okay.

Here are some other resources that should help with use of vocabulary:

Improving Flow In Writing

Showing vs. Telling

Using Vocabulary

Body Types: Words To Describe Bodies and How They Move Around

Words To Describe…

Words To Describe Someone’s Voice

All About Colors

A Writer’s Thesaurus

Here are some resources specific to description:

Setting: How To Describe The Setting In Your Stories

Resources For Describing Physical Things

Resources For Describing Characters

Resources For Describing Emotions

Finding and Fixing Plot holes

A “plot hole” is just another name for a detail you skipped on accident in either the process of plot development or world building. These can be easily fixed, because most plot holes are simply details that you didn’t remember to explain, or didn’t explain at a strategic moment that would support the pacing of the conflict progression.

These details may mean logical reasoning behind decisions characters make, events that occur spontaneously to push forward the plot, or crucial information about the characters or world within your story. It can also be details that prevent the resolution from looking too convenient, even the little ones.

This process should be done after you’ve completed the first draft. This, like fixing vocabulary, takes a lot of time, effort, and attention to detail, but it’s well worth it. It’s also helpful to get help from people who don’t have all the information in their heads, because they can tell you where the larger questions lie in your story and give you suggestions on which details you could include to make your plot more logically sound. I have a whole article on constructive criticism:

Constructive Criticism: How To Give, Receive, and Utilize

Here are some resources that should help with plot holes and world building:

How To Foreshadow

Resources For World building

Resources For Plot Development

Finding & Fixing Plot Holes

Here are some resources specific to editing overall:

Step-By-Step Plan: Editing Your Own Writing

What To Cut Out Of Your Story

Editing & Proofreading Cheat Sheet

Editing: What To Change, Draft By Draft

I’d also really appreciate it if you would check out my separate blog dedicated to my current work in progress, as well as my studyblr, which helps keep me motivated as a full time student. I also run writing sprints over on snapchat.

jibbidibbi

Couple new ones up :D loving doing these lately! https://www.etsy.com/shop/DiceBagsByJibbi

rollforaesthetic

Reblogging because the etsy shop is closed and the link no longer works. This creator seems to have closed up shop, but if you’d like to be inspired by more of their designs you can see more pictures on their twitter:

Jibbi Twitter

3lunch-deactivated20180730

Relationship

vers-shiro-blog

fics that I’d propel myself across a dangerous chasm for

These are some fics that I am deeply in love with, and I need absolutely everyone to know about them. So, here’s a rec in the spirit of @sheithparticipationweek day two!

Trenches by commodorecliche • 9.9k

This fic is incredible. It has such a fantastic atmosphere, melding unsettling beauty and romance into this fucking masterpiece of a fic. Subtle world building, beautiful prose and pacing, and the most captivating characterisation - I swear it’s worth it, please give it a read.

Coming Out by melonbug • 1.3k

This is one of those tiny fics that just steals your soul away. The dialogue has great, subtle comedic timing and the characters absolutely shine. I wish I could read this for the first time all over again, but all the same I keep coming back to it.

I wanna hold your hand by tsunkiku • 3.4k

I thought I had reached peak love for Keith. I was wrong. Sometimes I try to reread this fic and I have to take a little break because my heart is literally threatening to bust out of my chest. This is the sweetest, most well-written fic, and Keith’s internal dialogue is so well placed and genuine. If you want to be smacked over the head with soft-dorks-in-love… prepare for some spinning cartoon hearts, because this is the fic for you.

Wildfire by Graysworks • 13k

Fake marriage AU! Literally what more do I have to say? Except I’m going to say more because I’m actually in love with this fic. Humour! Action! Romance! Stunning characterisation! A plot that sweeps you off your feet! And I swear it’s as exactly as good as it sounds. Go read it, and then accidentally reread it because you scroll back to review your favorite part and just get lost in it all over again.

soft as a lion tamed by ghostlypng • 11k

Alright, the truth is - nothing I could say here would do this fic justice. I am completely, totally in awe every time I go back. The prose is steal-your-breath-away incredible, and the characters are complex and so deftly written. It’s one of those quiet stories that is lodged permanently and perfectly inside me now. If you’re looking for something different, and interesting, and hugely inspiring - follow that link now.

and run to the light by the hyacinth girl • 9.3k

This fic feels like the softest nostalgia. It’s fairy-tale beautiful, with enough complexity and and quiet sadness to have you daydreaming about the world inside it for days afterwards. I’m no kind of romantic, but my heart is aching right now just thinking about this story, and as soon as I finish making this post I’m probably going to go read it again. You should do the same.

Make You Sweat by filthbaron • 4.5k

A good author can get me into anything, and this author is uniformly excellent. This (very very extremely nsfw) fic edges that perfect line between absolute filth and sweet, sweet romance, and it does it so well. If you’re looking for something unapologetically different, give this one a try.

A Floral Fuck You by HaroThar • 4k

This fic is just a whole lot of fun. There’s somehow a whole plot tucked into a few thousand, perfectly paced words. Soft pining, humour, intrigue, plot twists! If you grew up reading fic in any capacity, this is going to remind you why you love it in the simplest, most joyful sense.

***

And that’s all, folks! Try to drop a comment on some of these if they make you feel any type of way, and always, always remember - sheith is love… and sheith is life.

jasric

instagram[x] deviantART[x] society6[x] youtube [x] website [x] email for prints: [email protected]

Such a beautiful movie. finished this one immediately <3

miyakuli

** Permission to post & translate was granted by the artist Support the artist on their page too Please don’t remove credits & don’t repost/edit the art **

Translation by anon and typeset by me Do NOT repost/edit it on tumblr or any other websites!!!

Artist : @3lunch_comm

Source

cronosxii

我喜歡超強氣Keith媽!!!! 有喜歡的人要馬上抓住，別讓他跑了!!就像我當年辦了你爹那樣!!! 妄想塗鴉XDDDDD

ace-pidge

Lotor and Haggar notes from the AfterbuzzTV interview with LM and JDS:

When they were discussing how to present Lotor they wanted to make sure everything he said had a genuine quality to it. He hasn’t said anything that makes you think he wants to continue on the path of Zarkon. A big story point is he means things genuinely, when all is said and done we’ll be able to look back and realize he’s been telling the truth this whole time. He’s had a ton of trauma in his life. The fact he overcame that and can see both sides of the war, he’s kind of where Allura ended up

Honerva was already pregnant when she went into the rift. Lotor has that “daywalker” thing going on re: effect of the rift. He was in her womb when she went into the rift and it’s now part of his dna, almost puts him on a level with Allura in terms of quintessence. It allows him to stay young and age slower than regular Galra.

actuallylotor

how to pin a post on your tumblr

heavyweightheart

a super easy & quick self compassion practice is to put your hand on your heart (if you want) and say to yourself something like “this is a moment of suffering. may i be kind to myself.” that’s sort of the classic statement but i say variations on the following:

“this is really hard. i’m so sorry you’re suffering.”

“i know you’re doing the best you can.”

“i’m here with you. we’re gonna take care of ourselves.”

“let’s take care ourselves. what do you need?”

“you can do this, one thing at a time.”

“it’s okay to make mistakes! you’re learning & growing.”

y’all get the idea. these are parts of the self speaking to each other, not distinct personalities in my case, but you can phrase it or frame the dynamic in whatever way works for you. when we practice speaking to ourselves with the compassionate caregiver voice, it comes more naturally and becomes more integrated over time.