How many plot points ( whatever you call them ) do you need for a novel?
I just started to plot out my scenes like this in bullet points
- Tess runs away
- Tess fights the bad guy
- Tess gets injured
and so it goes on. So far I got 30. I know that I need a lot more. I am aiming for 300 pages. Are these called plot points?
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1 answer
A plot point is a turning point. It is something that turns the the story in a new direction. Taken together, a set of plot points describes a complete story arc. What you are describing are incidents. Incidents get you from one turning point to another (and every incident should contribute to getting you to the next turning point).
It is not about how many plot points you need, it is about whether your plot points work together to form a complete and satisfying story arc. It is about whether they bring your hero to the moment of moral crisis where they have to ask themselves hard questions about who they are and what they are going to do.
Some stories get there fast. Some stories get there slow. As long as the reader feels that they are moving towards that point, though, fast or slow does not matter. Every part of the story arc is satisfying as long as it feels like we are on the story arc and it is moving forward.
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