📌 Plot...or Not?
Confession: I still can get little flustered about what EXACTLY I'm revising
I think maybe I’m okay at plotting. (I mean, while I’m never perfect at anything, I love structure and working through the puzzle of how pieces of a manuscript fit together.)
However…when it comes to character/emotional arc. Uh-boy. Things get…messy. It seems so straightforward in theory. Yet, I often diligently write (or rewrite) away, thinking I’m working on a character arc, and BANG! I realize (or…someone points out…) that I’m just working on the plot again. What gives?
I mean, obviously, the two need to work together. The plot should not just be “and then, and then, and then;” ideally, the plot is, “and because of that, this happens. And because of that, this happens.” And the main character should be driving key aspects of the story, not just reacting, so there should be quite a bit of, “and because of the main character’s reaction to x, they do y, which sets in motion z.”
It’s all so intuitive. And yet, in the weeds of the words—it all feels so tricky, sometimes.
Recently, however, I read a metaphor about story vs. plot…
Think of plot and story like riding a train. Think of the story as the path the train takes from beginning to end. It’s the reason you are on the train, getting you from where you are now to where you want to be. The plot on the other hand consists of the stops you make along the journey in order to reach the final destination. The plot moves the events in your story from one scene to the next, ensuring the story doesn’t stagnate.
I have to say I find that “train of thought” (*chortle!*) very helpful in thinking through many story elements!
Okay, so chugging along with that analogy…
The kind of train ride it is: genre.
The exact train and route: setting.
Who has a train ticket: cast of characters.
Whose eyes we’re seeing the train ride through: POV.
The way the train ride feels: tone.
Why the Master Train Scheduler chose to run this train: theme.
Why the character tells themself they are on the train: character goals.
Why a character is really on the train: character motivation.
The ability of a character to make choices that could alter the train ride: agency.
What happens if they don’t arrive at the time/place they expect to: character stakes.
What’s threatening to derail the train ride: central conflict.
What happens during the train ride: plot.
How a character changes through the course of the train ride: character arc.
More ways I can run this train analogy right off the rails, instead of revising the PB story I’m having a hard time with this morning: let me know in the comments. 😂
Your friend-in-training,
Elayne
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Ya gotta start somewhere. The trick is to end somewhere ELSE (from both the plot and character points of view)
This is a super great analogy and totally works! I never think about all these things when I write my stories— though I’m now starting to realize that they are important and sometimes they do unfold on their own in the process of writing the story, but at other times, they don’t! And I actually need to think about these things!