Comments on: Struggling With Your Plot? Here's a Fun Way to Learn Story Structure

By: Writing Links Round Up 5/15-5/20 – B. Shaun Smith

Writing Links Round Up 5/15-5/20 – B. Shaun Smith — Mon, 22 May 2017 20:22:17 +0000

[…] Struggling With Your Plot? Here’s a Fun Way to Learn Story Structure […]

By: Diane Ferguson

Diane Ferguson — Tue, 11 Apr 2017 20:24:25 +0000

I took a course where this was recommended. I'm in the middle of doing it with a novel close to what I'm trying to write. I enjoy the process and is good to do when I might not have the energy for writing. In the course, they had us try this with movies as well. (It was a course on outlining and story structure.)

By: Writing Links 4/10/17 – Where Genres Collide

Writing Links 4/10/17 – Where Genres Collide — Mon, 10 Apr 2017 11:08:44 +0000

[…] https://writersinthestormblog.com/2017/04/struggling-with-your-plot-heres-a-fun-way-to-learn-story-st… Choose books you’ve read and enjoy. I’ve used some I didn’t like as well, just to get a feel for what I didn’t want to bring to my own work. […]

By: Jarm Del Boccio

Jarm Del Boccio — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 15:59:57 +0000

Very helpful, Janice! I see my work is cut out for me. ?

By: kathrynbarrett

kathrynbarrett — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 11:46:55 +0000

Someone recommended something similar to me recently--plot deconstructions. She mentioned that I might find one online, already deconstructed. Do you know if any editorial maps have been published online that I might look at to learn from?

By: littlemissw

littlemissw — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 06:03:47 +0000

I'd like to give this a go but I sort of don't get it. I'm a bit of a visual learner. Is there anywhere I could see some pictures of this in action?

By: Robert Doucette

Robert Doucette — Sat, 08 Apr 2017 04:46:12 +0000

This approach resonates with me. (I'm pretty wonky.) It provides a method to really think about a favorite novel and get a better idea of why or how it works. I also likw the use of an Editorial Map to plan and later revise a novel. It's a Map. You can choose to take a different route and if it gets you where you want to go, you're OK. If it doesn't it shows you where you got lost.

By: Laura Drake

Laura Drake — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 20:33:14 +0000

You know, Janice, I know this sounds dumb, but this scares me to death. See, since I began writing, I have a hard time not being critical of other's work. So much so that I only read the best I can find. I really have to trust the author to suspend disbelief and fall into the story.

I'm afraid if I do this, that I'll lose even that!

Told you it was dumb.

By: Janice Hardy

Janice Hardy — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 15:16:38 +0000

In reply to Writerdeeva.

They are time-consuming, I won't lie. But it's faster with a book you've read, especially if you've read it recently. I talk about a lot of different structures on my blog, from simple to complex, so you might take a peek and see if any of those help you 🙂

Here's a link to one with links to the others: http://blog.janicehardy.com/2013/10/how-to-plot-with-three-act-structure.html

By: Janice Hardy

Janice Hardy — Fri, 07 Apr 2017 15:13:21 +0000

In reply to Debbie Herbert. I bet it will. You might want to pay particular attention to how and where those authors use tension and foreshadowing to create suspense, as well as the plot. :)