Guide to Writing

Writing Tip 10: Plan Your Plot

Chapter written by KatherineArlene

If you have a great story idea, you want to see it reach its full potential as a completed fleshed out story. You could just write as new ideas come to you. Author's who do that are called 'pantsers', meaning, they write randomly by the seat of their pants with no particular direction.

Another approach is to plot the story out ahead of time. That way you know where your story is going and how it's going to end. But how do you do that?

One way to plan out your plot is to write the story down in paragraph form. Start at the beginning, and work your way through the introduction of characters, major events, all the way to the big finish. Writing it this way may spur you to think of new ideas as you go. When writing a new character, their whole backstory may come together in your mind. Plot twists may reveal themselves. Think of it like a creative writing exercise and let your imagination flow.

Another way to plan your plot is to write it in outline form - a sentence or key words in a bulleted or numbered list. The main numbered part can be chapters with scenes listed underneath. Or you can have the scenes as the main bulleted groups with the consequences or motivations of the characters listed under it. There are no right or wrong ways to write an outline.

Index cards or post it notes are another great way to plan out a plot. Each scene gets its own card. You can include bits of dialogue, notes, or anything else you don't want to forget. The biggest benefit to this method is it allows you to shuffle scenes around if you change your mind about the order. It's also a nice way to plan out chapters as you can pair scenes together for maximum effect just before writing.

And finally, be flexible! You may be going along with your story, and then suddenly get a great new idea. If that happens, go for it! That's one of the great things about being an author - you are in control of your story!

What others have had to say

Sara91Helal "I'm a "pantser". Most of the time, I prefer to write the middle chapters first (starting with the conflict or a random scene that just pops) and then let the story expand in all directions.'" 

Ammelia11 "I'm not the type to majorly plan unless the plot is mega complicated. In general I plan the main details (general plot, characters) and then fill in more details as the story goes on.

The most annoying thing I see is when people go "I want to write a story about a vampire and a human" (for example) and have no ideas beyond that. You don't need to plan everything, but try to write with some sort of plot in mind first."

xFakingaSmilex "Writing down a plan for your story gives you direction when you're lost and ideas for when you're up against the fence. It doesn't need to be something hard and tricky, just simple, to the point and helpful."