TDAPD

18. "𝚙𝚕𝚘𝚝 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚛𝚘𝚕".

I know for a fact this shit has happened to everyone. You start off with an idea for a book, and you had a plan for it to go a certain way (a straight line), and the next thing you know, that damn plot zigzagging and swerving every each a-way, and not only has the plot gone astray, you don't know how to bring that bitch back.

1. First things first, we have to make sure you have an acute plan or idea for your plot.

What does that mean? Make sure yo' ass know how yo' book gone start, continue and end. Write that shit down, just like I did in the descriptions/synopses section,

example: What is your book about? From start to ending, or start all the way to "to be continued", what is the book about?

Karen is a young, naive, but zealous adult, born and raised in Miami. She's ready to leave Miami and got to college in Tampa in the fall because she's tired of her life in her hometown. On the campus of her new school, she meets Derek, a boy she'll fall in love with, and who'll she have plenty of drama with, Anna, a soon-to-be-friend who will stab her in the back by trying to mess with Derek and trying to sabotage their relationship, and Kassie, a girl who'll be her best friend. After finding out about Anna and putting a stop to her shenanigans, Derek and Karen's love grows stronger and they decide to live happily ever after.

If you don't have a full understanding of your plot, you'll be bound to venture away, and that shit will be looking crazy.

STORY
TIME
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I wrote this book once—once being the seventh grade, and me being twelve going on thirteen. I remember this book like I just read the shit five minutes ago.

It was called, "In His Eyes",
and 'till this day, it is in the top five of thee absolutely worst shit I ever wrote in my life.

SUMMARY
It was about this sixteen-year-old girl named Melanie. She lived with her younger brother, Melvin and her mother who was an heavy alcohol. She drank wine, cocktails and that strong shit 365/52 because their father passed away and she was still grieving.

The story starts off with Melanie waking up and getting ready for the first day of school, (like an average ass book would start). She gets Melvin and herself ready, and they leave the house. On the way to school, she meets up with her best friend Alycia, and the two head off together.

Inside the school, the two go to the main office and receive their schedules and locker numbers. Melanie goes to find her locker and literally bumps into a boy named Troy, light-skinned, stood at 5'11, and got juicy pink lips with honey colored eyes. He helps her up, picks his snapback up and puts it on her head. When she tries to give it back, he tells her to keep it because it "looks good on her".

Alycia and Melanie go to the cafeteria for breakfast, and there they see Melanie's ex, Darold and his cousin, Tyler. Darold tries to come up to talk, but Troy pops up, and the two have like this dominance battle with words and their egos. Darold holds up his shirt and shows his gun, but Troy ain't bucking, he tells the nigga to go ahead and shoot him. The bell rings, and they all leave the cafeteria and go to class.

Lunch comes around, and she goes with Troy and Alycia to the lunchroom. They go to their last period of the day—P.E.—and surprisingly, Melanie, Alycia, Troy, Darold and Tyler have this class together. They argue a bit, and then school day ends. Troy kisses Melanie before she leaves and they agree to be in a relationship (all on the first day).

Melanie is on her way to her job (a burger joint) and in the back is Darold and his other cousin waiting on her. They try to rape her, but her old best friend, the one she fell out with saves her.

The next day, when she gets to school, everybody runs up to Melanie like "girl, you need to go outside". So she goes outside, and boop! Troy has Darold at gunpoint, and before Melanie can react, Troy shoots Darold and he dies.

Troy gets locked up, and everybody in the school is sent home. Melanie and Alycia get in an argument because Alycia thinks Troy is crazy, and Melanie isn't trying to hear it. So Melanie walks home by her lonesome self and Tyler, Darold's cousin walks up and decides to walk with her. Somewhere along them lines, Melanie and Tyler end up fucking in an alleyway, and she goes home with nút stains all in her hair and all in her clothes, and it basically ended with her going home and finding her momma fucking this tatted up nigga on the couch, and he eyed Melanie the whole time he was giving it to Ma Dukes.

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That story time was an example of a story with no plot base—I had no plans of what was going to happen in that book, and it went left.

2. Another factor about plot control is your reader's input. I've struggled with this one too. Letting what my readers commented and spoke about determine and stir the fate of my storyline, I ended up having to delete the book or start the book over, or do both, (Detained, Dirty Dough, Simple Justice and Wild Nights)

3. Know what you want to write, and don't let nobody stir you away from your plan—drag they ass along for the ride, and if they don't like your path, they can hop the fuck off.

4. Do not try to write for the readers—I promise, you will end up:
(a) Not liking the book anymore.
(b) Trying to think of what will satisfy them, instead of you.
(c) Losing all inspiration for it.
(d) Stressing yourself out.

5. Also, please know the difference between filler chapters and your story's chapters cause these will fuck up your story drastically if you don't manage these two well.

Filler chapters are chapters that take a detour from the main action and plot to instead focus purely on characterization, it's also sometimes used as just some simple comedy, sex or fun for the readers to calm the tension for a while.

You use these when:
(a) You have writer's block.
(b) When you're giving too much plot.
Too much plot means all you're giving is plot, there is no development in the characters as well as little to no communication with other characters or the setting of the society.

It's like I have this plot;
example: Boy plans on seeking revenge on the man who killed his father when he was younger.

You would think this book will have the story of how his father died, how he developed into the man who would be able to kill this man who killed his father, how he had to trace the man who killed his father, who did he meet along the way of his mission of avenging his father, etc.

These would be good filler chapters; they take a detour from the main action, but you're able to learn more about the characters, the setting, and the conflict as well as strengthening the plot in the process.

Putting too many filler chapters not only takes away from the plot, you'll be finding yourself straying away from the plot, and not being able to get back right on track without it NOT looking a hot mess.

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AUTHOR'S
NOTE

Lemme' know about some times where your plot went out of control in the comment section.