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    Plot Development for Novels: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Story Back on Track
    Plot Development for Novels: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Story Back on Track
    Plot Development for Novels: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Story Back on Track
    Ebook59 pages1 hour

    Plot Development for Novels: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Story Back on Track

    By Adams Media

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    About this ebook

    Have you run into writer’s block? Not sure of the next twist or turn for your novel? Beat your block and keep things interesting with The Everything® Writing Series: Plot Development for Novels. You’ll be able to get your story back on track with these helpful tips and ideas. With some quick reading, you’ll be back to writing in no time.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster
    Release dateDec 1, 2012
    ISBN9781440563713
    Plot Development for Novels: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Story Back on Track
    Author

    Adams Media

    At Adams Media, we don’t just publish books—we craft experiences that matter to you. Whether you’re diving deep into spirituality, whipping up delights in the kitchen, or planning your personal finances, our diverse range of lifestyle books, decks, journals, and more is designed to feed your curiosity. The Adams team strives to publish content that celebrates readers where they are—and where they’re going.

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      Book preview

      Plot Development for Novels - Adams Media

      The Everything® Writing Series

      Plot Development for Novels

      Tips and Techniques to Get Your Story Back on Track

      Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.

      Avon, Massachusetts

      Contents

      Introduction

      Elements of a Novel: An Overview

      The Origins of the Novel

      Plot

      Character

      Setting

      Narrative Voice

      Theme

      Building the Plot

      What Is Plot?

      Coming Up with a Plot

      Scenes

      Planning Strategies: The Method for Your Madness

      Writing a Detailed Synopsis

      Storyboarding

      Using Software Tools to Plan

      Shaping Scenes

      Little Story Arcs

      Starting a Scene

      Ending a Scene

      The Essential Change in a Scene

      Conflict in a Scene

      For Each Scene, Picking the Viewpoint Character

      Connective Tissue Between Scenes

      Also Available

      Copyright Page

      Introduction

      For more than 10 years, millions of readers have trusted the bestselling Everything® series for expert advice and important information on writing topics ranging from plot and scenes to characters and dialogue. Packed with the most recent, up-to-date data, these Everything® writing books help you get over your writer’s block, develop the story that you want, and create a book that you can publish.

      The Everything® Writing Series books are concise guides, focusing on only the essential information you need to write the book that you’ve always dreamed of. Whether you’re looking for an overview of storyboarding, advice on starting a first draft, or suggestions for revising, there’s an Everything® writing book for you.

      Plot Development for Novels concentrates on how you can create the perfect plot for your book idea. Starting with the broader elements of a novel then diving into specific ways to build your plot and shape your scenes, Plot Development for Novels is a great quick reference to make sure your story becomes as exciting and thrilling as it can be.

      If you’d like to learn more about plot writing, check out The Everything® Guide to Writing Your First Novel, available in print (978-1-4405-0957-5) and eBook (978-1-4405-1063-2) formats.

      Elements of a Novel: An Overview

      Novels can be 250 or 600 pages long; they can be stories of love, adventure, or horror. They can span a day or a century. A core of elements distinguishes novels from memoirs and from nonfiction. These elements include plot, character, setting, narrative voice, and theme.

      The Origins of the Novel

      People have been making up stories for centuries. In the early 1600s, what many consider literature’s first modern novel was published with Miguel De Cervantes’s Don Quixote. Its hero, Alonso Quijano, is an Everyman who reinvents himself as knight errant Don Quixote de la Mancha and sets off to redress all manner of wrongs. Battered by reality, finally (after 900-plus pages) he gives up, returns to being Alonso Quijano, and dies. Most modern novelists give their readers more upbeat endings, but they are still giving readers the quest, the hero’s journey, and the obstacles along the way.

      The format of Don Quixote and of other early novels like Gulliver’s Travels, Tom Jones, and Moll

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