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Q&A

Posts tagged plot

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Q&A Could a different structure for "Feast of Crows" have been a better solution to Martin's five-year-gap?

The latest two volumes of Martin's Song of Ice and Fire have been poorly received compared to the series' earlier books. What's interesting here is that Martin's original plan did not include thes...

2 answers  ·  posted 12y ago by Standback‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A On copyright laws and plots

I was pondering a lot on the issue with copyrights on plots. Is having an identical plot infringing someone else's copyrighted work? I am fully aware that the character names are copyrighted and c...

1 answer  ·  posted 12y ago by Pacerier‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I strike a balance between setting and plot?

I'm not a fan of Tolkien's work, but it's relevant to my question, so take it as a reference point. I love linguistics, culture, and worldbuilding, but sometimes have difficulty focusing on specif...

3 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by Jon Purdy‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What are tips / techniques to manage the consistency of a plot encompassing several subplots ?

When I lay out a plot consisting of interwoven threads, one of the most annoying things is to manage effectively the factual, logical consistency of the whole. In order to be more effective and di...

1 answer  ·  posted 13y ago by Max Bolondi‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Resources on plotting mystery stories

I'm looking for books, essays and articles on plotting mystery/detective/investigation stories (and novels). The type of story I'm aiming for is in the vein of Sherlock Holmes, Agatha Christie, or ...

6 answers  ·  posted 13y ago by Standback‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to get readers to care about a dead character?

My story happens as a result of one of the main characters getting murdered. I'm wondering how to get readers to care about someone who's not even in the story (as far as the readers know anyway) o...

4 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Touchebag‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot style narrative
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Q&A How can I make sure a major twist is not disappointing? [closed]

I've been having some trouble with the ending of my current story, and I've decided that the best way to deal with those issues is to include a major twist. Due to the nature of this twist, I'm not...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot readers twist
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Q&A What is a subplot based on: conflict or tension?

I'm attempting to understand how subplots work, and one aspect has me confused. I'm trying to create a process by which I can create subplots. When I create the main plot, I start with conflict - t...

2 answers  ·  posted 6y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to deal with multiple climaxes (multiple protagonists)?

I'm writing a series, and I have two protagonists. Both are PoV characters, and both offer different viewpoints on the main conflict (an ongoing war). One is a respected general, has frequent conta...

1 answer  ·  posted 6y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot pov climax
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Q&A How does (or should) an inner conflict span a series of novels?

I recently asked this question, about inner conflict. Mark Baker supplied an answer to that question which redefined how I saw inner conflict, and as a result, the whole process of making a novel. ...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How Can I Make a Great Plot?

I'm a plotter, meaning I plan and develop my books before ever writing the first draft. I've given a good deal of thought to character, stakes, and the other parts of novel creation, and I feel lik...

4 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction plot planning
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Q&A Is including a large number of twists a bad thing?

I've been doing some research into twists, and after not knowing how to create one, I'm starting to get a handle on them. Unfortunately, now I'm at the other end of the spectrum, and wondering if I...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction plot planning
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Q&A How do I know when to include subplots?

Disclaimer: This is not a duplicate of this question. That question deals with subplots being necessary to a story's success, and also loosely how to create them. This question is aimed at knowing ...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction plot subplot
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Q&A How to imply the opposite of the truth

I have run into a bit of a dilemma in my current story. The main character is on a journey to save her brother from the enemies. She suddenly finds that he is helping them willingly. Despite this...

2 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How much development does a subplot need?

I've recently begun studying subplots, and I've realized I don't know how far I should develop them. Does a subplot need everything a main plot does? Does there even need to be a conflict for the s...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot planning subplot
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Q&A How does External Conflict set up the Climax?

Note: As with any aspect of writing, I'm sure there are those who disagree with it. If you disagree with the conclusions I've come to below, I would like to hear your thoughts. However, I would ask...

1 answer  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question novel plot conflict
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Q&A How can I get in the Habit of Writing with Twists?

I've always felt that my writing is very sequential. It's a chain of events. This happens, then this happens, then this happens, and so on. Not to say that the events are boring, but I just always ...

3 answers  ·  posted 7y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction plot outline
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Q&A Is killing a character to further the plot necessarily a bad thing?

I've heard quite a few complaints about character deaths being used to further the plot. They say it's boring and overdone and mention that there are plenty of other ways to get to the same point w...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Summer‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I create an inter-connected plot across a series?

I am an aspiring author, and I have recently just begun developing my first novel. It is a series, but I have engineered the first novel to be a standalone in case the series falls through. When ...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot planning series
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Q&A Three Act Structure - How do I include it?

I've been writing for four years without knowledge of the three act structure. When I discovered it about a year ago, I therefore had no room for it in my writing process, mainly because I had diff...

1 answer  ·  posted 9y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Can the protagonist lose his strength without losing the reader?

In studying writing, I've learned that you need to give your protagonist something - usually a quality - that makes the reader want him to win. Without this quality, the reader doesn't care what ha...

1 answer  ·  posted 8y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Can the main conflict be the inner conflict?

I've recently been having trouble with developing plots. The plots I created seemed heavily sequential. No matter how many twists or complications I put in, they always seemed dry, proceeding from ...

0 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot conflict
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Q&A A climax where the goal is instantly achieved - Is it satisfying?

I wasn't entirely sure how to phrase the title, so if a better way to put it occurs to anyone, please feel free to edit it. Here's the situation: the goal of a novel is to get the main character ...

3 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Thomas Myron‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot readers climax
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Q&A Should I write the actual death scene?

I am writing a novel, and in one part, a boy falls off the building. I feel like it would be very gory. Most people said to write in great detail, but then some people say to write what I know. I f...

2 answers  ·  posted 8y ago by Capril Solaris‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do you visualize plot structure?

I want to visualize the internal structure of my plot. I noticed several contradictions, and want to better understand what's going on in my tale. I'm not talking about different characters doing ...

2 answers  ·  posted 10y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Do scenes, sequels, and MRUs apply to mystery novels?

I'm in the process of writing a mystery novel/novella and it conforms to the traditional/classic mystery novel, emulating that of Agatha Christie or A.C. Doyle. I'm having doubts as to the proper w...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Raj Narayanan‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot mystery
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Q&A How to subvert expectations and abort plotlines without alienating the reader?

Subverting expectations and suddenly aborting plotlines was a no-go zone for me for a while. The only time I could successfully abort a plotline was in a thought train. After watching How To Tr...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A I’m having a hard time deciding whether this is a redemption arc

So I have a character in a dystopian novel I’m working on by the name of Tyler. He’s inspired by Alex Høgh Andersen’s portrayal of Ivar the Boneless, and his death... is interesting. He’s, for the ...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by L. Walker‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How can I make it so that my story isn't resolved so easily? [closed]

I'm writing a screenplay for a project in my film studies class and I'm close to resolving the conflict, but as I near the end, it feels like it's being resolved far too easily. In summary, the st...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Jodast‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A I feel like that misinformation feels too artificial as a plot-driving force in my story, how can it be more natural?

Misinformation is an important element of my story as is pretty much kicks the plot in motion: Gyvaris, a young dragon, steals a sheep from a large flock since he's really hungry and just couldn't...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Mephistopheles‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to plausibly write a character with a hidden skill

TLDR How to keep a character's skillset hidden, when it will be key in the story later on? This must be done without magic and as subtly as humanly possible. I am working on a medieval fantasy ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by J Crosby‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Emotional arc types

Assuming this vocabulary: the narrative arc is the arc which makes the plot go forward, while the emotional arc is the arc which engage the character on a deeper, not always logical level. While t...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by laancelot‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Doubt about the double action of the concept of plot in fiction writing [closed]

In the first discussion of the concept of "plot" given by [1] I, maybe, understood two different, but complementary, concepts of plot. Mckee gives us a definition of Plot as: To PLOT mean to n...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by M.N.Raia‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How much sex can I write if I'm after mainstream success?

I have three variations of the same storyline and cannot decide which one I want to write: erotic story turning dark and dangerous A young adult man and woman fall in love. It is the woman's fir...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by System‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot sex
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Q&A How should I handle amnesia-based plot threads? (interesting vs cliché)

I'm writing for an amnesiac protagonist, in spite of the fact that I feel amnesia in fiction is usually a bad cliché used to avoid some of the background work of creating a character's family, frie...

2 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Josh‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question fiction plot
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Q&A Avoiding episodic writing

I'm working on a novel that will have at least three distinct sections in three distinct locations (the two main characters start in the first location, travel through the second location, and one ...

0 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by Chris Sunami‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is an easily guessed plot twist a good plot twist?

In my post-apocalyptic novel, there are two "twists", but they're mostly tied up in each other. The first is that humans have developed different kinds of kineses, like hydrokinesis, telekinesis, ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Storyboarding Approaches for the Non-Artistic

TLDR: Tips and Tricks for storyboarding a novel? For someone who can't draw well enough to do the "Draw and describe method" Hello, having read the "Storyboard a Novel?" as well as some sources ...

3 answers  ·  posted 4y ago by J Crosby‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A When to finally reveal plot twist to characters?

In a post-apocalyptic novel I'm writing (which is the subject of many questions I've asked on Writing.SE), I recently cut out my entire Chapter 10-11. I was revealing the MC, Eris' finékinesis (de...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by weakdna says reinstate monica‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What's it called when the bad guy gets eaten?

Is there a specific name for the plot device in which the story's "Big Bad" has a cunning plan to use some monstrous being to further their diabolical machinations. This may be something summoned f...

1 answer  ·  posted 4y ago by Ash‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How important is payoff?

I'm developing a story with the following basic plot: At the start, my main character's motivating question is "Where is my brother?" As the story progresses, other problems and motivations get i...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by PlutoThePlanet‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to provide realism without making readers think grimdark

So, I have a couple moments in a fantasy story where I want the heroes' actions to actually have consequences (Well, that are really impactful to the story.) One is where the MCs kill a minor lord,...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Kale Slade‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is there a term for this?

I'll explain my question by citing what was done on the TV show Dexter. Halfway through an episode (Season 4, episode 4, 'All in the Family') two established characters (one of them being Deborah)...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Bob516‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot terminology
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Q&A How crucial is a waifu game storyline?

So, with the recent craze in waifu games, I've decided to try my hand at making one. I have a semi-intricate plot with twists, and some events planned with their own snippet of story. Problem is, I...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Kale Slade‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How do I subvert the tropes of a train heist?

What are the recognizable tropes to a "train heist", or more broadly the action sequences where a protagonist boards a moving train in order to stop it? My protagonist is the unreliable guile her...

8 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by wetcircuit‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

Question plot tropes action
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Q&A What if neither the protagonist nor antagonist wins?

This may seem like an awkward scenario for a story's ending. My plot revolves around a constant struggle of the protagonist against the antagonist's forces, and eventually the antagonist himself. I...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Jesticulator‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Is it possible to combine clichés/tropes to make it not a cliché?

I have read a couple romance books at most and so don’t claim to have very much experience with romance and clichés. But here are the ones I can think of: Something happens to make them hate eac...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by Nadeshka‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A How to tease a romance without a cat and mouse chase?

So, my story doesn't have a romance subplot until way later in the series, but I think that there are elements of the romance very early on. A little background info: The story is set in a fantas...

2 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by Kale Slade‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A Seamlessly glueing an archetypal plot to an existing story

I gave my latest book to my favorite beta readers, and they liked it except for the very ending, i.e. the last 20 pages, which they thought fell short and a bit rushed. I therefore decided to try a...

1 answer  ·  posted 5y ago by _X_‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭

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Q&A What are the components of a legend (in the sense of a tale, not a figure legend)?

I'm compiling in-world legends for my built world, and would like them to feel like established legends from our own human experience. What should I keep in mind while writing these legends? What...

3 answers  ·  posted 5y ago by DPT‭  ·  last activity 4y ago by System‭