Writing is an art. It’s fun. It flows effortlessly from the depths of your creative well. All you need do is show up and wait, with pen in hand or fingers poised over the keyboard, and the sacred Muse will wake from its slumber and guide beautiful words through your veins, to cascade gracefully onto the page in perfect order.
At least, that was my romantic idea when I looked on from the outside, occasionally daring to scribble a few hundred words and wonder if I even had a muse. Of course, my logical brain knew there would be some work involved, but I was confident it would eschew the structure of my day job and encourage lateral thinking. I imagined brainstorming around campfires, complicated yoga postures and maybe even listening to Dark Side of the Moon backwards.
A couple of short stories later, I embarked on a longer project with equal portions of enthusiasm and trepidation. A promising start was soon threatened by stumbles and restarts, while frantically watching for my muse to appear. When progress ground to a halt and the spare chair at my writing desk remained empty, I turned to blogs and podcasts and was somewhat shocked to encounter such terms as structure, 7 point plot, character arc, and theme. It was like seeing a magician preparing his illusions and realising that maybe there was no magic. Maybe writing wouldn’t provide me the elixir I needed to revive my soul after a long day of computer programming.
However, I have since implemented some of the aforementioned techniques and now view them less as creative tricks and more as tools of the trade.
I see Plot Points as the scaffolding that supports my story as I build it, which can be discarded once the novel is complete and strong enough to stand on its own two feet. I had lots of ideas but was struggling to bring them into a workable sequence. Using the 7 Point Plot framework, I was able to drop the most suitable scenes onto my timeline, and then see more clearly what was missing.
Theme now feels like background music which invisibly steals into the reader’s subconscious, adding an essential dimension of atmosphere and context to their experience. I examined my antagonist’s motivations for his intended crimes and then questioned how my protagonist would view those motivations, given her own past experiences. It was amazing. Instantly, similarities appeared between their two lives, which in turn raised conflicts for my protagonist.
Character Arc is really how the characters deal with the challenges you present to them, and if they evolve during that process, or just resort to their old ways, whether they serve them or not. Once I identified the theme, the character arcs presented themselves on a plate. My protagonist had clear choices.
Plot Points, Theme and Character Arcs are a work in progress for me. I’ve really only touched the surface and intend delving deeper over time. For now, I can tell you that plot structure and theme haven’t stifled my creativity. On the contrary, they’ve provided a platform for it to blossom.
I’ve listed below some of the resources I found most beneficial.
Happy writing,
Harry
Resources I Found Interesting
How to Structure Your Story’s Outline – K.M. WEILAND
How to Write Character Arcs – K.M. WEILAND
Writing to the Beat: Translating Story Beats to Any Genre
Seven Point Story Structure with Dan Wells
7 Point Plot Structure – Story Mapping Template (mind map)
Blake Snyder’s Beat Sheet
Writing Excuses 7.41: Seven-Point Story Structure (Audio)
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