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Creative Plotting Exercise
Creative Plotting Exercise
This is a creative exercise for plotting problems. You are searching for a more interesting plot point, a more convincing or more original motivation for a character, a different way to get character A to do something etc. etc. If you're stuck and your mind is all blank, this exercise may be helpful.
1. Put your plotting problem into words, as best as you can. (Be precise and concise. No more than two sentences.)
2. Take any book that lies around. Open it on a random page, take the first word that catches your eye. Write down everything you associate with the word.
3. Now use the things you've written down to focus on your plotting problem. Look for connections even when it seems there are none. Allow yourself to see aspects and new ideas as they arise when you reflect on your plotting problem, keeping in mind the associations the word made you come up with.
Example:
This is the plotting problem: I am not really sure who my antagonist is; I don't really know them. Or: my antagonist is boring me to tears.
I take the historical novel Die Puppenspielerin by German author Tanja Kinkel from my bookshelf (it's a big book and it caught my eye ;)). I go to page 97. I am intrigued by the words:
hair the colour of autumn
What do I associate with these words?
red colours, yellow colours, falling leaves, long hair, straight hair, an older woman, old age, autumn leaves blowing through empty rooms, streets covered in yellow leaves, mother and child, honey, Thanksgiving, Indian Summer, the passing of time, new beginnings, spider webs, spiders, secrets, clocks, cutting of hair, changes in appearance
Possible connections of these associations to the plotting problem:
- Do I need a more diverse cast of characters? Are all my characters of the same age group as the protagonist? More diverse ages can also bring more diverse settings into the story.
- Has the antagonist a hidden or secret identity? Is she or he lying? Is she or he pretending to be something they are not?
- What's the function of the past; where does the antagonist come from? What is their past?
- Do time leaps make sense in the plot? Would they make the story/the antagonist more interesting?
- Is the antagonist acting under time pressure? Can time pressure lead to more radical actions, heightening suspense and increasing the inescapability of the final showdown between protagonist and antagonist?
- Is there a tragic aspect to the figure of the antagonist? What's her or his fate? How much does the protagonist know about this? What do the readers know?
This is a creative exercise for plotting problems. You are searching for a more interesting plot point, a more convincing or more original motivation for a character, a different way to get character A to do something etc. etc. If you're stuck and your mind is all blank, this exercise may be helpful.
1. Put your plotting problem into words, as best as you can. (Be precise and concise. No more than two sentences.)
2. Take any book that lies around. Open it on a random page, take the first word that catches your eye. Write down everything you associate with the word.
3. Now use the things you've written down to focus on your plotting problem. Look for connections even when it seems there are none. Allow yourself to see aspects and new ideas as they arise when you reflect on your plotting problem, keeping in mind the associations the word made you come up with.
Example:
This is the plotting problem: I am not really sure who my antagonist is; I don't really know them. Or: my antagonist is boring me to tears.
I take the historical novel Die Puppenspielerin by German author Tanja Kinkel from my bookshelf (it's a big book and it caught my eye ;)). I go to page 97. I am intrigued by the words:
hair the colour of autumn
What do I associate with these words?
red colours, yellow colours, falling leaves, long hair, straight hair, an older woman, old age, autumn leaves blowing through empty rooms, streets covered in yellow leaves, mother and child, honey, Thanksgiving, Indian Summer, the passing of time, new beginnings, spider webs, spiders, secrets, clocks, cutting of hair, changes in appearance
Possible connections of these associations to the plotting problem:
- Do I need a more diverse cast of characters? Are all my characters of the same age group as the protagonist? More diverse ages can also bring more diverse settings into the story.
- Has the antagonist a hidden or secret identity? Is she or he lying? Is she or he pretending to be something they are not?
- What's the function of the past; where does the antagonist come from? What is their past?
- Do time leaps make sense in the plot? Would they make the story/the antagonist more interesting?
- Is the antagonist acting under time pressure? Can time pressure lead to more radical actions, heightening suspense and increasing the inescapability of the final showdown between protagonist and antagonist?
- Is there a tragic aspect to the figure of the antagonist? What's her or his fate? How much does the protagonist know about this? What do the readers know?