What I've Learned About Plots
Most people can learn to write a few paragraphs. Few, however, learn anything about creating a plot. Of course, few ever have to. But even those who want to learn about plots have to struggle. There's a lack of teachers and resources, and even of vocabulary. Usually, the only sources that are available teach a single method, which can be useful, but limited. It's not that the three act plot or the Hero's Journey don't work but that far more alternatives exist, one of which might work better for your story.
But the rise and fall of the action is only the framework of the plot. I have been studying plot structure for years now. I've taken several dozen novels, plays, and stories apart to find why they do or don't work, and plan to do more. I don't call myself an expert, because plot structure is an endless subject. However, here are some of the central truisms that work for me:
1. A story is a series of inter-connected events. To give the classic example, "The king died, then the queen died" is a narrative. By contrast, "The king died, then the queen died of grief" is a plot.
2. Successful plots must be developed along with the background and the characters. Background details are the source of plot incidents. For example, in Patricia Finney's Robert Carey mysteries, one book is built around the fact that poorly made Elizabethan guns tended to explode in the user's hand.
3. Successful plots must be developed along with characters.If Othello took the lead role in Hamlet, the play would be about two scenes long, because, hearing of his father's murder, Othello would immediately kill his uncle. Similarly, if Hamlet replaced Othello,there would no play, because Hamlet would never act
4. Fiction plots have some similarities to film or game plots, but are not identical. To give one example, until recently, TV shows were structured around regular commercial breaks -- a poor structure for fiction.
5. Events do not always need to be foreshadowed. However, they are more believable when set up before they occur. If a character dies in space because his oxygen runs out, the death is more plausible if he is shown being careless about space suit maintenance.
6. Effective plots are economical. They have only the events and characters that are absolutely necessary. In later drafts, you can often make the story more effective by eliminating details that are unnecessary or don't add color, and doubling up characters when possible to reduce their number. Chariots pulled by dinosaurs may be cool, but being cool is not enough to justify their existence.
7. A step by step description of events is not enough for a good scene. The most effective scenes do at least 2 things at once. Don't just describe troop movements in a battle; use the same scene to create atmosphere or show character. Don't limit a sex scene to each kiss and caress; use it to show the relationship of the participants or to foreshadow a future event.
I am convinced that a lack of such considerations is why new writer often find themselves at a loss: they don't know enough to develop a story, and too often they have no place to learn.
