Okay, you know what? Fuck plotting, fuck plot generators, fuck all those stupid "story ideas" that were written by commercial master-of-mainstream authors, and take a look at my
Plotting Dice.
Ingredients:
Dice. You'll need 3 of these at minimum. My regulars are two 6 sided and one 20 sided dice. The 6 sided ones were empty and I painted some images on them, but you can just assign keywords to the numbers. For the 20 sided dice any will do, and if you want greater variety just get a dnd 7 dice set. Preferably, the dice will be real, physical dice, but it's fine if you're more comfortable with digital ones.
For the two 6 sided dice: Assign one of these as the "doing" dice, and the other as the "thing" dice. The thing dice will generally give nouns, and the doing dice will give adjectives, adverbs, and verbs. It will depend on your interpretation.
The "Thing" Dice
Assign these words to the numbers:
1 -> Environment
2 -> Secret
3 -> Artifact
4 -> Monster
5 -> Character
6 -> Magic
These are not "rigid" definitions. You will have to interpret them depending on the context. Keep this in mind.
The "Doing" Dice
Assign these words to numbers:
1 -> Old
2 -> New
3 -> Weak
4 -> Strong
5 -> Legendary
6 -> Dead
Remember: flexible definitions. Nothing is set in stone.
And a regular old d20. Alright, now let's talk about:
The "How" Of The Plotting
Take your half-assed stupid WIP. Or if you don't have one, create it. This will be the framework, the starting point. Make sure to have some vague setting and a few characters.
Take your "doing" and "thing" dice. Roll them. The result will usually be in the format of "adjective + noun". Try to understand what it is referring to, related to your story. [Roll the d20 to confirm you're thinking about the correct thing if you're insecure and indecisive.]
There are no rules. This is a very flexible method, so you can either ask yes/no questions to the d20 to learn about the thing OR throw the "doing" dice to see what the thing does (the result will usually be a "verb", and added to the previous roll it will become a proper "adjective + noun + verb").
That's it. Repeat as required.
However, you might get stuck at some point, or the dice might tell you something batshit crazy. Do not panic. This is normal, the dice are not going mad. Rather, you've stumbled upon...
An opportunity.
This is where interpretation comes into play. It is a very thought-heavy process and requires some creativity, but it is where the dice method gets to shine.
A knot in the dialogue between you and the dice means a plot twist, an exposition-related plot point, or a major incident. Think of it like a big gulp of information that hurt your throat to swallow. (Ignore dick joke.) The best thing to do at this stage is to ask more questions.
Don't be afraid of getting confused or being too stupid in the face of cosmic forces. You will need the 20 sided dice here— yes or no questions will help you determine what is certain and what is not. My standard for the results are:
1-9 || No.
10 || Not no, but not yes.
11-14 || Not quite.
15-18 || Yes.
19-20 || EXACTLY that, yes.
If it's a "no", there's no point following this line of thought. Discard it.
If it's "10", you're not on the right track, but the answer is related to what you're thinking.
If it's "not quite", try a different angle, but know that you're on the right track.
If it's "yes", well, it's a yes. But there might be more to it, or you're missing some minor details.
If it's an unequivocal "YES", congratulations, it's exactly what you think. Write it down, you've solved the mystery.
You might need to use the "doing" and "thing" dice here in harmony with the d20. Usually it will be used to ask questions that aren't yes/no, or when you're too stuck to come up with a question. Think of it as a clue to help you get on the right track.
Extra Q&A
What if the dice results don't make sense?
It might be that you're focusing on the wrong thing. Ask the dice, "Is this what you want me to ask?" and the result will usually be a "no". Try changing your angle, or switch to a different part of your WIP. If it answers "yes", it just means you're on the wrong track. Try asking with a fresh, blank perspective.
My dice is telling me one thing, then when I ask it again paraphrased, it tells me I'm wrong.
It might be that your dice is trying to draw you to a particularly specific answer, and the word choice might affect your understanding of that answer greatly, or steer you down the wrong path. Write down what it has given an extremely positive 'yes' on and try asking something derived from that.
The "thing"/"doing" dice doesn't make sense.
As I said, they are adaptable dice, and can mean something different than the word's exact definition. It's always good to ask the d20, "Is this word literal?" For "Monster", it can also mean a beast, an animal, an antagonist, or a sentient being that isn't human yet behaves in a humanoid way. For the adjective "Old", it can also (and usually does) mean "from the past". "Dead" can mean "disappearing" or "removal" or "diminishing". Words have associations, and as dice have limited vocabulary, they're going to force the limits of creativity to tell you what you need to know. You can also switch the roles of the dice (making the "doing" dice the "thing" dice, though this is kinda weird for me) or ask the d20 whether something means a verb, adjective, or adverb. There are no hard rules here.
My dice is deliberately provoking me (by telling lies/giving contradictory answers/taunting me for being stupid)
First of all, stop asking your dice what it thinks about you. This is dice. It is an inanimate object that doesn't have sentience. THE DICE IS YOU. You're the one doing the interpreting by choosing to find meaning in something ultimately random. It's not that deep.
Secondly, if the answers are contradictory, ask "Is this what you want me to ask?" Because most of the time, it is not. Stop being stubborn about a plot point. THE DICE ISN'T AGAINST YOU, THE DICE IS YOU.
Finally, stop asking your dice whether it is lying. Would YOU appreciate someone asking if you're lying when they previously asked for your advice? No? So don't. Trust your dice. For the last fucking time, THE DICE IS YOU.
I've asked the same question twice, and it's given me contradictory results.
Well, since the results are random, of course the chance of you getting the same result twice will be random. And as a rule of the thumb, it's better to note and keep going than to get stuck repeating the same question over and over. If something is dubious about the roll, asking "Should I roll again?" is enough. If the dice says "no", there's no point getting stuck for no reason.
Isn't this basically dice divination?
I don't know, I don't particularly care. It is what it is. If it fits I sits. So long as it works, the label isn't important.
(And since we're on the topic, I don't think it's divination. You're not "divining" anything. Anything that came out, came out of you, and additionally it all came out because you were trying to make a bunch of randomised results make sense. I don't think that's divination. But I do think that it's your genius at work.)
My WIP isn't in the fantasy genre, there's no magic. Can I use a different keyword in its place?
Whatever floats your boat, go for it. Though it doesn't matter what genre your WIP is, the keywords aren't just themselves, they are ASSOCIATIONS. "Magic" can mean magic or it can mean "deus ex machina", "free will", and so on and on. Depending on what you associate with magic, the associations might change. I chose these keywords after reading Lazy Dungeon Master and its categorization of worldbuilding, because they were simple and I could fit them in a 6 sided dice. THERE ARE NO RULES. Do whatever suits you.
I have another question/my question isn't covered in the post.
Ask!!! I insist! I'm always happy to clarify. My asks are open and the anonymous is on.
And with that, I hope no one has to resort to "plot generators" ever again. Happy writing.