Hey! That’s A Really Good Question!

Okay I have a question

This might be a dumb question

But

How do I plot.

I mean the only way I know to plot is like okayy character A does this and then this happens and then it's solved.

how do we come up with the ...STUFF that happens in between the stuff that's suppose to happen. (Maybe all I have to do is sit down and think but I can't seem to do that)

Hey! That’s a really good question!

So, I’ve seen a lot of advice about plotting that basically boils down to “write down the plot of your book” but I’ve always found that to be a bit vague. Plotting really isn’t that intimidating once you figure out a method for it but if you’re starting from scratch, it can definitely be a daunting process.

My method of plotting is broken down into 3 basic processes:

1. Figure out the world you’re writing in.

Now, my personal way of doing this is by making a PowerPoint. I treat it like I’m crafting a presentation for a class. I give lots of historical context to my setting, mention cultural things that might be relevant. Basically, I just make a slideshow that I can refer back to when I’ve lost track of some of my worldbuilding.

Depending on your setting, this process might be more or less extensive. For instance, if you were writing in the present day in whatever setting you live in, you might only need to keep track of the dates and times that your book is taking place in. If you were writing in whatever setting you live in but twenty years ago, it might be a little more extensive, as you would probably want to keep track of things like major events, more local events, what technology was widely available, the cost of things, etc.. This part of plotting is especially useful for any science fiction or fantasy writing, as it can be a great format to keep track of different magic systems and other settings that are useful lore in your setting.

2. Establish your characters.

Coming up with characters is definitely most writers’ favorite part of starting a new story. Not only does it usually come pretty naturally, the characters tend to shape the world around them as you build their personalities and backstories up. Don’t let them run away with your world, though. It can be really easy to justify making worldbuilding things that suit your characters really well, but remember, you’re trying to create a convincing setting as well as interesting people within that setting. There are always going to be aspects of the world that work against your characters interests, as well as parts that they just don’t really care about.

Ultimately, I recommend making a folder for each main character you have. Include vignettes written about them/from their perspective. Add drawings and playlists! Have fun with it! As long as you make some kind of documentation of who they are/where they came from/where you think they want to go/where you think their part in the story will be, you’re going to get the hang of writing ABOUT them, which is the point.

3. Figure out a problem, a cause, and a catalyst.

A lot of what’s difficult about plotting is that you don’t always know what you want the story to be. Even if you do know what you want to happen, you don’t always know how to make it happen. This is why I format this process like a flow chart or in bullet points. You want to find the “problem” at the center of your plot.

Obviously, in your story, things happen. But what things? And why? But more specifically why here? Why now? Why these characters? Why in this place? It’s important to figure out not only what happens in your book but why that is what MUST happen. There has to be some inescapable force driving your plot forward (the desires of a character, the plans of the antagonist, global events, some sort of deadline) or else it will not feel like it is moving forward on its own, rather you will likely find it is very hard to “make” your characters do what you need them to. (Another piece of advice: if you feel like you’re having to force a scene to fit in a certain place in the plot, that’s because it doesn’t have anything that’s pushing it to happen right there and right then.)

This part does take a lot of writing (more journal style writing, rather than writing vignettes) but it is SO helpful when you actually start your first draft.

If you want, I can totally go more in depth about how to organize a flow chart or how I organize my billet points. I just omitted them because this post is already pretty long. I hope this is helpful! Sorry it took me so long to get to this ask.

Good luck and happy writing!

More Posts from Mika-lin and Others

1 week ago

Most definitely. Love him so much!

Yes

Yes
6 months ago

I dunno if this is an autism thing or just a me thing, but when I was a kid, I would hiss at the kids who bullied me. To this day, I still sometimes hiss at things I don't like. What do y'all think?


Tags
3 weeks ago

Luffy: You're not a burden.

Sanji: Your feelings are valid.

Zoro: Murder is okay.


Tags
3 weeks ago
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny
Blue Prints Of The Thousand Sunny

Blue Prints of the Thousand Sunny

Gallery Shop Link

1 week ago

A/N: i was a little sappy writing this one ngl idk I just love law so much LMAO Pairing: Law x reader CW: none, mild backstory spoilers if you squint WC: ~800 Other versions: Luffy Zoro Sanji Law Ace • masterlist • ko-fi • discord server •

✦ .  ⁺   . ✦ .  ⁺   . ✦

Loving Law is not easy. It’s not supposed to be. He’s all sharp edges haphazardly taped and glued together, just waiting to fall apart at a moments notice. Every glance feels calculated, like he’s already three steps ahead in some mental game of chess that only he knows the rules to. But once you become a part of his life, once you’ve proven that you deserve his trust and care, you’re under his protection in ways that you may never fully understand.

Loving Law is falling in love with the ocean at night. It’s unpredictable, dark, but there’s a certain beauty in the unknown that is him. He won’t admit it, but he will always catch you before you fall. Not because he’s trying to be a hero, but because losing anyone else is something he cannot quite handle. His love comes in the forms of subtle checks such as a quiet “don’t overexert yourself,” a lingering glance that asks if you are okay, or a warm coat tossed your wat in the middle of a cold night. He’s practical, pragmatic, but never indifferent. 

Loving Law is accepting that he doesn’t need to be saved, but sometimes he will let you stand beside him as the waves crash over him. He will let you in just enough to feel the weight that is constantly pushing down on him, but never so much that you think he’s burdening you. But you’re there to remind him that being strong doesn’t mean carrying everything on his own. 

Loving Law is loving someone who sees the world through a lens of strategy and survival. His love doesn’t come with flowery speeches or romantic gestures- it comes with an almost obsessive need to keep you alive. He ensures you have what you need and he never asks for thanks. He doesn’t need it. 

But then when you break through those hard walls he had built around his heart from loss after loss, you get to explore a much more vulnerable side to him. You get to learn about the despair that he has been put through, all of the rough battles he has fought to get to this point, everything that makes Law, well, Law. It’s not easy for him to do, and you can see this in the way he chooses each word carefully as if they may betray him. But when this does happen, you realize that there is a strength among the vulnerability, a wordless trust that comes from knowing that you wont use it against him.

And when he opens up, even if its just for a moment, you realize that he is not just giving you his trust, but he is giving you everything. Every piece of himself he thought was lost, every part of him that he thought was too broken to be loved, it’s all there, in the space between his words and the look in his eyes. And you couldn’t be more grateful to be the one he shares it with.

Loving Law is knowing that it may take some time to get through to him, but when you do, its more than perfect. There is a heightened intensity in the simplest of gestures such as the way his fingers graze over yours, the warmth of his hand resting at the small of your back, or the way that he presses his forehead against you staring into your eyes with a look that screams ‘i cherish you’ without having to utter a single word.

When his lips finally meet yours, its as if the whole world screeches to a halt. There is no rush, no frantic urgency, just a slow deliberate tenderness as if he is memorizing every inch of your mouth, the softness of your lips. The way he tilts your chin up, deepening the kiss with an inhale as if he needs to breathe you in. His hands are firm, one cupping your face while the other rests on your waist, keeping you close to him. His hands, calloused from years of battle, move with a surprising softness when he’s with you, as if he’s afraid of breaking something precious.

Loving Law is finding safety in vulnerability. It’s the knowledge that while he may keep the world at arms length, he lets you in piece by piece until he allows himself to be fragile in your presence. It’s the softness that only you see in him, the way his hands tremble slightly when they brush over your skin, the way his lips can express so much in the soft presses against yours, the promise that despite all the loss he has endured, he will never let you go.

2 weeks ago

I'm gonna be honest with y'all. I don't ship Luffy with anyone. I think all of his relationships are strictly platonic. If I weere to ship him with anyone, it would be with someone who's close in age to him. Like Koby or Nami, maybe Zoro. But I don't really see him having any romantic partners. Maybe after he become the Pirate King? I dunno. I appreciate good art. But Luffy remains a single pringle who likes to cuddle with his found family in my mind.


Tags
4 months ago

I have an original story that I have been planning for a few years now. It was originally a joint project with someone but we had a falling out and now it's so far removed from what is was originally.

It was going to be a cross between Hellsing and Black Butler, but me and the other person had a falling out and now I have no idea what I'm looking at anymore.

I don't know what to do. On one hand, I have the new story that's a revenge plot with romance. On the other, I have the original which was going to be a girl and her vampire butler solving mysteries and fighting a cult.

Should I write both?


Tags
6 months ago

I can totally picture this happening! 😂

PLEASE PEOPLE WATCH DR STONE ITS SO GOOD AND SILLY AND I NEED DR STONE MUTUALS AFHSHSH
PLEASE PEOPLE WATCH DR STONE ITS SO GOOD AND SILLY AND I NEED DR STONE MUTUALS AFHSHSH

PLEASE PEOPLE WATCH DR STONE ITS SO GOOD AND SILLY AND I NEED DR STONE MUTUALS AFHSHSH

6 months ago

So... I found this and now it keeps coming to mind. You hear about "life-changing writing advice" all the time and usually its really not—but honestly this is it man.

I'm going to try it.

So... I Found This And Now It Keeps Coming To Mind. You Hear About "life-changing Writing Advice" All
3 months ago

#writing tips

good traits gone bad explained

good traits gone bad - Part III

Ambitiousness - While ambitiousness is generally seen as a positive trait, driving individuals towards achieving their goals and aspirations, there can be a downside if it becomes excessive. An ambitious character can come across as ruthless.

Optimism - Optimism can lead to increased happiness and resilience, but not if it becomes unrealistic. Excessive optimism can lead individuals to underestimate potential risks or challenges, which can result in poor decision-making.

Diligence - Constantly working diligently without proper breaks can lead to burn out. Diligence can also mean that the person is not able to bend strict rules, but rather makes sure to follow them. It can make them resistance to change.

Loading...
End of content
No more pages to load
  • alisannagordn
    alisannagordn liked this · 3 weeks ago
  • carnivalstuffedanimal
    carnivalstuffedanimal liked this · 3 weeks ago
  • mean-and-serene
    mean-and-serene liked this · 1 month ago
  • dropdeadgh0st
    dropdeadgh0st liked this · 1 month ago
  • milamilamilax
    milamilamilax liked this · 1 month ago
  • absintheofmalice
    absintheofmalice reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • inkwell-and-dagger
    inkwell-and-dagger reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • vidawhump
    vidawhump reblogged this · 1 month ago
  • corvidat
    corvidat liked this · 1 month ago
  • vinyth
    vinyth liked this · 1 month ago
  • lunesartsworld
    lunesartsworld reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • lunesartsworld
    lunesartsworld liked this · 2 months ago
  • bummerdawn98
    bummerdawn98 liked this · 2 months ago
  • pipersqueak
    pipersqueak liked this · 2 months ago
  • 1st-lil-poet
    1st-lil-poet liked this · 2 months ago
  • irene-with-a-gaze
    irene-with-a-gaze liked this · 2 months ago
  • adorable-bookworm
    adorable-bookworm liked this · 2 months ago
  • newdawnhorizon
    newdawnhorizon reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • springfaaerie
    springfaaerie liked this · 2 months ago
  • cranes-menagerie
    cranes-menagerie liked this · 2 months ago
  • isqui
    isqui liked this · 2 months ago
  • iwiigi-111
    iwiigi-111 liked this · 2 months ago
  • thedreamsthatstuffismadeon
    thedreamsthatstuffismadeon reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • jess-is-toolazy
    jess-is-toolazy liked this · 2 months ago
  • angelicbeing555
    angelicbeing555 liked this · 2 months ago
  • glasstrees
    glasstrees liked this · 2 months ago
  • allegedlyiwrite
    allegedlyiwrite liked this · 2 months ago
  • daveots
    daveots liked this · 2 months ago
  • reveusebanale
    reveusebanale liked this · 2 months ago
  • gileslibrarian
    gileslibrarian reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • gileslibrarian
    gileslibrarian liked this · 2 months ago
  • empressgarden
    empressgarden liked this · 2 months ago
  • enchantingnutmaker
    enchantingnutmaker liked this · 2 months ago
  • thisdarkdecrepithouse
    thisdarkdecrepithouse liked this · 2 months ago
  • thisdarkdecrepithouse
    thisdarkdecrepithouse reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • sublimemoonunknown
    sublimemoonunknown liked this · 2 months ago
  • mika-lin
    mika-lin reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • mika-lin
    mika-lin liked this · 2 months ago
  • theghostinthewardrobe
    theghostinthewardrobe liked this · 2 months ago
  • tahbhie
    tahbhie reblogged this · 2 months ago
  • tahbhie
    tahbhie liked this · 2 months ago
  • stallingnost
    stallingnost liked this · 2 months ago
  • cannotusethatname
    cannotusethatname liked this · 2 months ago
  • chroniques-des-rolistes
    chroniques-des-rolistes liked this · 2 months ago
mika-lin - Thoughts
Thoughts

29 they/them

127 posts

Explore Tumblr Blog
Search Through Tumblr Tags