5 Paths to Plotting Your Novel
By Janice Hardy
Not every writer plots the same way, so if one path trips you up, try another.
I adore plotting. Give me a blank page and a character in trouble, and I’m all in. Figuring out goals and tough choices is one of my favorite parts of writing, especially when I drop my characters into impossible situations just to see how they’ll get out. My motto: What doesn’t kill them makes them way more interesting (bwahahaha).
Not every writer feels that way, though. If you find plotting more painful than pleasurable, you’re not alone—and you’re not stuck on a path going nowhere. You just need to find a path that follows how you think about your plot, and how you like to tell a story.
Here are five options that let you blaze a plotting trail your way:
1. Follow the Problem
When a story revolves around a major problem—save the world, solve the murder, break the curse—that core conflict creates the path of your plot. Every scene becomes a stepping stone to solving it, with obstacles and complications along the way.
Start with your core conflict. What caused it? Who’s affected? What happens if it doesn’t get resolved? Let each smaller problem lead naturally to the next. It’s like assembling IKEA furniture, but with higher stakes and fewer missing screws.
Great for: Writers who like to focus on what happens in the story, and those who find it easier to create the situations of the story first. It’s also good for plot-focused stories where the events are more important than the character journey, such as thrillers or mysteries.
2. Follow the Character
Character choices drive the plot, and in character-driven stories, those choices are shaped by a deeper emotional journey. The story unfolds not just through what the protagonist does, but through who they’ll become. It’s all about that internal transformation, moving from who they are at the start to who they’ll become by the end.
Start by identifying what your protagonist needs on an emotional level. Maybe it’s something rooted in a personal wound, a false belief, or long-held fear. What’s keeping them from facing or trying to achieve that internal need? What lines won’t they cross to get it, and why? What fears are they avoiding? Create turning points that force them to act against their flaws, confront painful truths, and make choices that reveal who they truly are.
Great for: Character-driven writers and stories where the focus is on the characters and how they grow. It’s also good for stories with strong character arcs that illustrate themes or explore human nature.
3. Follow the Individual Arcs
If plotting an entire novel feels overwhelming, try writing it piece by piece, exploring one arc at a time. Arcs are modular, so every scene follows the same beginning-middle-ending structure, which helps keep your story moving, even if you don’t know where it’s going yet.
Start with your opening scene (or favorite moment. No one says you have to plot in order). Figure out where that leads and how that problem is solved. Once your protagonist finishes that arc, take the next problem and do the same thing. Look at your various arcs and determine how they link together to tell your larger tale.
Great for: Pantsers and discovery writers who don’t want to know how everything works out ahead of time. It’s also good for writers who imagine their stories in vignettes and prefer to write the scenes that excite them the most first.
4. Follow the Mystery
Some plots exist purely to answer a question, such as, Who killed the baker? What happened to the missing heir? Why is the AI targeting only one family? These stories are driven by curiosity and secrets, and the narrative tension stems from the protagonist uncovering the truth bit by bit.
Start with that core mystery. What must the protagonist figure out to resolve the story? Then break that answer into pieces. Who knows part of the truth? Who’s lying, and why? What’s being misinterpreted? What clue gets dismissed until later? Every red herring, half-truth, and false assumption becomes a beat in your plot. The protagonist learns, revises their theory, makes a decision, and all that drives the plot.
Great for: Writers who enjoy the puzzle side of plotting, and who want to keep readers in the dark as long as possible. It’s also good for genres such as mysteries or suspense, where the focus in on the mystery more than the characters.
5. Follow the Emotion
Romances, character dramas, and literary fiction aren’t always about solving a problem or uncovering a truth, but the emotional journey the protagonist needs to take to make their life better. The major plot beats come from what the characters feel, not just what they do.
Start with your characters’ emotional arcs. What are they afraid to feel? What feelings do they chase or avoid? Use relationships—romantic, familial, friendly, adversarial—to push and pull those emotions forward and explore what’s really going on under the surface.
Great for: Writers who want to explore relationships and how people interact. It’s also good for romances or any story that seeks to explore an emotional truth.
No matter which path you choose, the right plot for your novel is the one that keeps you excited to write and your reader eager to turn the page.
Whether you’re unraveling a mystery, chasing an emotional arc, or building a story one small arc at a time, the key is to work with your natural storytelling instincts, not against them. Plotting doesn’t have to be a rigid roadmap. It can be a flexible framework that supports your creativity, so if one method isn’t for you, try another.
The more tools you have in your plotting toolbox, the easier it is to shape the story you want to tell, in the way only you can tell it.
EXERCISE FOR YOU: Take five minutes and think about which plotting path feels the most natural to you. Don’t choose the one you think you’re supposed to use, pick the one that excites you. Then, jot down five things you know (or suspect) about the story from that perspective. If you get stuck, try a different method and see what new ideas emerge.
What’s your favorite path to plotting? Or do you prefer something not on this list? Love to hear your path!
Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy. When she's not writing fiction, she runs the popular writing site Fiction University, and has written multiple books on writing, including Understanding Show, Don't Tell (And Really Getting It), Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure, and the Revising Your Novel: First Draft to Finished Draft series. Sign up for her newsletter and receive 25 ways to Strengthen Your Writing Right Now free.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes | Indie Bound
Header photo - Unseen studio via Unsplash
Leave a Reply
20 comments on “5 Paths to Plotting Your Novel”
Tagged as:
Subscribe to WITS
Recent Posts
- Fix Flat Deep POV: 7 Probing Questions for Better Immersion
- How to Turn Feedback into Action: Understanding Editorial Letters
- Running Down a Dream
- The Playground Effect: Play Turns Readers into Ride-or-Dies
- Why Tough Choices Create Stronger Stories
A useful post, Janice. I'm by by nature a pantser but there are times when I grind to a halt and I can't figure out what happens next. I might, therefore, try one of the other methods to see if that helps.
I hope something works well for you. 🙂 Sometimes just thinking about how the character would react can help you find the right way forward.
I write "organically" but all these methods surface from time to time as I find my way from Chapter 1 to "the end."
Thanks for putting them all in one place.
Thanks! It's pretty common for writers to just "know" what to do, even if they can't articulate it. But it's nice to have words for it sometimes!
I start with a few moments I know the story will need and then pants the parts between them. The rest is revision. A lot of plot moments come then, when I know what the story needs.
Great! I do my "real writing" in revisions, myself. The first draft is just to get the story down to see what I'm dealing with.
Thank you, Janice, for a straightforward look at plotting. Succinct & Sensible. I am all (mostly) about character. So following the character meshed with following emotion is my plotting strategy. My challenge lies in braiding the various character arcs - because there's never just one, not really - is there?
And even though I have a decent outline of where we're headed, that exercise of years is super for clarification and growth. Thank you!!
Jennifer
correction - that exercise of "your" (yikes!)
You're most welcome! Depends on how many protagonists you have (grin). Typically only the main character(s) get arcs, but there's nothing wrong with multiple characters having arcs if it works in the story. Especially if they all fit the same theme, and show various aspects of that theme.
I am plotter for sure, but I allow myself the freedom to veer off the plot path when a new idea comes as I am writing. Then I need to go back and figure out how to get myself back on some kind of track.
Same! That really gives us a lot of flexibility to find the strongest plot and story for our idea. It can be a pain sometimes, but the hardest to fit bits always seem to be the best parts of the story in the end 🙂
This is awesome, Janice! I'm a plotser-story quilter kind of writer. I write the scenes that come to me, then follow the characters and emotions where they take me. Figuring out my theme and turning points early enough to write to them is the big key for me. Then I stitch it all together and do some more cleaning at the end.
It's a method that wouldn't work for anyone with a linear straight-forward brain, but it gets my squirrely ADD brain through to the end.
Because THIS --> "No matter which path you choose, the right plot for your novel is the one that keeps you excited to write and your reader eager to turn the page." <--is the big challenge. Doing it my way lets me stay excited about the story. And in the end, that's what matters most, right?
I know quite a few writers with such brains, so you're not alone there. If that's your process and it works for you, don't let anyone tell you differently! We all get there in various ways, and you can't tell how the story is made in the end (grin). It doesn't matter to the reader as long as the book rocks.
I'm such a plotter and it's all starts with and is centered around emotion. After I get my first draft done, the rest of the drafts that follow are layering and adding more emotion. A great post! Something for everyone.
Nice! That's a different take than I usually hear 🙂 Us plotters tend to be more action focused, and I love that you're emotion focused.
Good article! Clear examples and simply explained. What's my favorite? That's kinda tough. My first novel, I was clearly a "pantser." I mostly "followed the problem," yet on revision gave some characters strong emotional struggles to reconcile before they could make the hard choices thrown at them by the plot.
In my second novel (the sequel), I pretty much tossed all five options into a paper bag and shook it. The consequences of their decision in book one involves accepting more complex responsibilities, which include helping solve an international conspiracy.
My characters continue to evolve/resolve their personal issues. Two major plot lines. New friend and villain and character arcs. And all plots and sub-plots converging toward a cohesive (I'm fairly confident) conclusion and resolution. I'm also a great lover of vignettes. So, here and there, "throw-away" characters I use to reflect background events and passage of time, also get to shine in the spotlight.
Anyhow, I think your assessment and descriptions are spot-on. I enjoyed your article.
Love the paper bag analogy. I can see that working well for a second book, where you already know the characters, world, and story, so you can follow all the pieces at once as needed. Thanks!
I use a plot list of things I need to happen during the story to keep it flowing.
I love lists! They're so helpful 🙂 I also use them to remind myself about what information I already shared, and what characters already know.
Interesting! Reading this shows me how my plots tie into these. My WIP, last of a 4-book sci fi series, combines 1, 2, and 3.
The problem: Aliens come to Earth, not as hostile invaders, but as tourists, but are still disruptive.
The character: My heroine is a popular singer who is out there, yet feels insecure and inadequate. She bemoans having no romance. She develops throughout the series.
The arcs. There are several secondary stories that play out throughout the books, and then get resolved. They are complementary to the heroine's tale.