Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Plots are one of the most important aspects of the story and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Now, being an author, I know that inspiration strikes at the weirdest times, like in the shower ( one of my best sources of inspiration ) or when you can't sleep at night ( legit every night, and don't look at me like that! I'm sleep deprived and proud of functioning on caffeine ). I also understand that there are ideas that you just have to pen out, but here's a little thing that I do.
Before I start writing the story, I think about the most basic detail: Where do I wanna go with this story? Now, that might seem a little cryptic, so let me break it down for you a bit.
1. The first thing you have to decide is how this story starts. For example, I start a story about an amnesiac girl who is lost in an unfamiliar land. BUT, no matter how cryptic my starting is, I need to have it planned out. I need to think about exactly how my OC will react, how she'll feel, and what her thoughts will be. You need it to be consistent and flow, not just change abruptly from one thing to another.
2. Now, you've figured out how you start your story. I find it easier to plan how the story starts first, and what happened before that later. Let's continue with the example of my amnesiac OC. I'll plan that she's amnesiac, and then maybe I'll plan the backstory to be something of the sorts of a punishment for a sin in her alien world. ( Please understand that I'll be going as wild as possible with this )
3. I always find it better to plan the ending after this. As a writer, I like to keep things loose. That way, I don't have a strict plot to follow, but I do have enough for me to write with ease. In this case, I want this entire storyline ending with her not being able to pay for her sins, but instead falling in love with someone in this world. But she also still wants to go back, so it'll end on a cliffhanger.
4. Another thing you might want to plan out is whether you want this story you're planning to be a short story, a novel, or a part of a series. If you want it to be part of a series, you also need to plan out how many books there will be in the series and how each of those books end.
I know that not a lot of you have plots made when you start writing, and that the pieces fall into place as you write, but please, I beg of you, at least be a little systematic and not make shifts abrupt?
That's all for now, I hope you liked this rant-ish chapter!
