HOW TO MOVE YOUR PLOT ALONG

Here we are with our August Round Robin Topic. This month the question is: when you are stumped on moving a plot line forward, what do you do to reinvigorate your imagination and get your characters moving?  

One of the first things I learned on this subject was to have something happen to your character(s). Preferably something bad! As an introductory creative writing tutor explained it, “Shoot the sheriff on the first page”.

Since those early days of introductory creative writing classes, I’ve learned that if you do hypothetically shoot the sheriff on the first page, you need to have a lot more to backup that action all the way through the book – especially if you want to avoid the dreaded sagging middle.

Writers who plot may be ahead of the game on this issue. They may have all their scenes in place and know what is going to happen to their characters. Maybe not so much for a writer who is a pantser – writing more organically and from the ideas in their head rather than bullet points on a page or sticky notes on a white board.

I tend to be a bit of both. I know my characters, I have an idea of where the story is going so flesh out my plot points before I start but I can still get caught out. Initially, I may just put the writing aside so the ideas can flow and gel into some sort of cohesion. I’ll revisit my characters’ motivations. Who wants what the most? What will they do to get it? What are they afraid of if they don’t achieve their goals? Debra Dixon’s Goal, Motivation, and Conflict is one of my go-to craft books when I need a nudge.

Is this a place where I can reveal something about my characters? Maybe something good/bad from the past that neither knows about the other. It better be juicy because it could affect the relationship (not necessarily a romantic one) between my characters, for better or worse. Deep, dark secrets surfacing could hurt your character, or maybe explain why a character acted the way they did. Does your character need protecting from this secret? If so, why?

Using your setting to propel your plot line could also work. An environmental threat like a blizzard or a hurricane could prompt your characters into doing something extraordinary. I think we’ve all heard of someone suddenly displaying superhuman strength to move an object in order to save someone else. But please, if your character cannot swim, don’t have him/her dive into a raging torrent to save someone from drowning. The actions have to be plausible and in keeping with your character’s character.

Sometimes I’ll simply take the section I’m stuck on, start a new document with a lot of ‘what ifs’ and play with it. What if my heroine is trapped in a burning building? What if my hero has a broken collar bone and can’t get to her? What else might he be able to do? Who else might be involved in this scene?

I have generally found that if I do this, the plot picks itself up and off I go again. Like life, you never know when the curveballs are going to come your way, or how you are going to deal with them until they happen. Keeping an open and curious mind can lead to endless possibilities. It’s why I love writing.

Take a look at these other fine authors and see how they deal with their plot lines.

Diane Bator http://dbator.blogspot.ca/ 
A.J. Maguire  http://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/
Anne de Gruchy https://annedegruchy.co.uk/category/blog/
Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea
Marie Laval http://marielaval.blogspot.co.uk/ 
Judith Copek http://lynx-sis.blogspot.com/
Dr. Bob Rich http://wp.me/p3Xihq-137
Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog 
Fiona McGier http://www.fionamcgier.com/
Heather Haven http://heatherhavenstories.com/blog/
Beverley Bateman http://beverleybateman.blogspot.ca/
Rhobin Courtright http://www.rhobinleecourtright.com