Plotting a Novel: Contest for Writers! A Chance To Find The Heart of Your Story with Bonnie Grove

Re-Run Post--but a current contest for writers! This post first appeared in May, 2011, but the contest portion is CURRENT!
Comment below to enter using the abbreviation: FYTS, and you could win me this summer.

Huh. That didn't sound right.

Read on!

To outline or not to outline, that is the question. If you as Roger Rosenblatt he'll say, "Never!" If you ask John Truby he'll say, "Always!" If you ask me, I'll say "Somewhere between never and always." What I mean is there are elements of a novel that I work out in advance of writing, and there are things I trust to the writing and don't try to plan out in advance. Today, I'm going to share some of my ways of plotting a novel (and at the end, there's a new contest!) with two disclaimers: Disclaimer 1) I write non-genre novels. If you are writing a genre novel, you will need to plot very differently as you will be expected to hit all the expected plot points of that genre. 2) There is no sure-fired right way to plot a novel. And every novel you write will make its unique demands. It's far more important to trust what the story is telling you then to worry about if you're "doing it right". Writing is fluid and any attempts to restrict the flow of story will result in a dried up narrative.

When I approach a new novel (this is after I've done all the preliminary work ensuring the idea is novel worthy), I focus on "plotting" key elements of the story before I begin writing. These key elements are:

1) Strong characters. I need a protagonist and an opponent. These two characters are after the same thing in the story (the desire line of the protagonist runs the story. Everyone else in the story exists to either help the protag to get what he wants, or to try to stop him from getting what he desires. Everything hinges on this element), so they both have to be outstanding. They have to be compelling even if they were standing against a blank wall.

1a) In conjunction with strong characters, I don't start writing until I can hear them speak. Dialogue is plot. Knowing how my characters speak is the first step to discovering what they will say.

1b) A moral argument/theme. In great stories all the characters in the novel live out various expressions of the stories moral argument. I need to plot my characters so that as many facets of the moral argument or theme is being played out.

2) A strong sense of movement in the story. I tend to start with theme when I begin thinking about a new story. So I need to ensure my themes have taken on flesh and started walking around before I start writing. Until there is movement in the story, all I have is a collection of interesting ideas, and pretty images.

3) Setting. My favorite editor will laugh at this (I'm notorious for vague settings), but setting or non-setting is a huge influence on plot. There are things that can only happen because of where the story takes place. And there are things that cannot happen because of the setting. Also, setting is another character in the story and must also reflect the moral argument.

Here are some Bonnie Grove FAQ:

Q: Do you write a "pitch line" for a story before you write the story?

A: Yes. It's a premise line and I think it's necessary to write one before I start writing the novel. It guides the writing. This is both more simple and more difficult then it appears.

Q: Do you write a synopsis before you write the story?

A: No. I write a great many details and do a great deal of planning before hand, but nothing that resembles a synopsis. When or if I require one, I can write it quickly enough.

Q: Do you outline?

A: As stated above, the answer is sort of. After I do the plot work above, I write a scene weave sequence--which is a sentence or two about the main action of all the scenes I want to write. (e.g. At the store: Dan and Bob argue about money. Bob leaves angry.) Doing this allows me to track the tension/action throughout the story and still be able to make tons of changes without having to do a bunch of rewriting.

Q: Do you know the ending before you begin?

A: Yes. But I've rewritten endings, too. I like to know where I'm headed when I start out, but I am prepared to be wrong about my choice. I try to stay flexible. And I know when I start, I'll likely end up in the expected emotional/moral place I wanted to, but it might look very different when I arrive.

CONTEST!! Find your True Story:

Comment on this post today and through the week to be eligible to win. A winner will be chosen randomly on Thursday, July 3rd.

Prize: The winner will submit their short synopsis. I will work with the winner, digging through the story to find the key elements, and the heart of the story. Then, we will craft a killer pitch line (premise) that will be the guiding force behind plotting and writing your story.

Got a story you that won't come into focus? Want a steady hand to help you work through a problem area? This is your contest! Enter today! Not everyone who comments is necessarily entering the contest. We welcome all comments! If you would like to be entered include the abbreviation FYTS at the end of your comment.

Good luck!

The Power of Premise - A She Reads Guest post by Ariel Allison Lawhon

Our second Audience with an Agent contest is underway. This is your opportunity to have your manuscript read by Janet Grant -- one of the premier agents in the industry -- of Books & Such Literary Agency. We will accept manuscripts until April 15. Please go to our Promotions page and carefully follow the guidelines. We look forward to reading your submission

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“What’s it about?”

That is the first question we ask at She Reads when a novel is submitted for consideration. And depending on the answer, can be the last. The premise often determines whether we request a copy for review. Because if that most basic of ideas doesn’t draw us in, why read the book?

Mark Twain once said that, “The difference between the almost right word and the right word is really a large matter – it’s the difference between the lightning bug and the lightning.” I say the same holds true for premise. To create an idea that strikes the reader as lightning – something they will never forget – is, in my opinion, the most neglected aspect of writing fiction.

I’ve made an observation over the last eight months, while perusing countless novels: many authors build their novels around a worn-out premise (perhaps the first idea that comes to them?). Let’s consider some of the premises that get presented to the She Reads committee most often:

A rogue FBI agent must find a nuclear detonator before the world is blown to bits. (The idea of a “high concept” novel is inextricably linked to nuclear devastation in the minds of many writers. They want the story to matter to a large number of people and the easiest way to do that is to put mankind in danger. But are there other cultural, moral, or spiritual dilemmas that would have the same effect? Me thinks so.)

A young Amish woman leaves her cloistered community and finds true love in the big city. (The desire for a life of simplicity and reverence is understandable in our fast paced society. We want the world to slow down. And we want our spiritual lives to have greater preeminence. Is there a way our characters can acquire those things without retreating to Pennsylvania?)

A young woman leaves the big city and returns to her home town to face the ghosts of her past. (At the moment, this is the most common premise we see in Christian fiction. The urge to explore our past and extract meaning from it is important to many novelists. Are there other ways to do this? Certainly. But for now, this seems to be the path of least resistance.)

Now, there is nothing wrong with any of these ideas. But there is nothing original either. They’ve been done ad nauseam. And when we ask readers to spend days between the covers of a novel, we ought to offer them something unique. Something unexpected.

It is interesting to note that all of the premises above are favorites with first time authors. And it is possible to do them well, as evidenced by the February pick for She Reads, Just Between You and Me by Jenny B. Jones – about a young woman who returns to a small town to conquer her fears. When a common premise is put in the hands of a craftsman, amazing things can still result. But only if the author is willing to leap that extra hurdle.

It is certainly true that there is nothing new under the sun. And if you were speaking to my mother, she would go as far as to say that there is only One story. His story. And we spend our lives retelling it. So it begs the question, are we telling the same stories over and over? Or are we telling the only story in a fresh way?

As both a reader and a writer, it is satisfying to find those gems, the stories that catch, and hold, my attention. Here are four that stood out amongst the submissions and went on to be featured titles for She Reads:

~ A wealthy college student transcribes the diary of a young woman killed during the Salem witch trials. (The Shape of Mercy by Susan Meissner)

~Three lives spin out of control after a young girl abruptly disappears from a small Texas town. (Daisy Chain by Mary DeMuth)

~A young widow camps out on her living room floor unwashed, unkempt, and unable to sleep because her dead husband keeps talking to her. (Talking to the Dead by Bonnie Grove)

~A tormented photo journalist returns to an AIDS ridden African country to

redeem himself after witnessing unspeakable atrocity. (Scared by Tom Davis)

We sat up. We paid attention. And we invested our time getting to know the lives portrayed in those novels. That is the power of an original premise.

However, an idea alone does not a great novel make. We all know that. Execution, characters, plot, dialogue and prose all matter a great deal. And to create a bolt of literary lightning, they must be present in equal measure. But that spark of energy – a great premise – must light up a reader’s mind first.

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What about you? What premises caught your attention and lured you between the pages of a novel? Are there any ideas that you’re tired of seeing rehashed? And, if you're feeling brave, share the premise for your WIP - we'd love to hear it!