Advice/Help How the darn diddly hell does one plot?

[Reid]

Figured this was the best forum section to post this in, even though it largely has to do with writing rather than roleplaying.

Roleplay? Fantastic. Easy, I can do that. I can do plotting in this context, I can do that back and forth. It's fun.

Writing by myself? Difficult. 2am: staring at google docs like:


Mind? Empty. Brain? Throbbing.

As a kid, I used to be able to concoct stories out of my ass and fill a whole notebook. Now? I have no idea how to plot. I'm thinking of writing fanfic (that isn't a oneshot, because I'm guilty of doing those) and the issue is that I'll have an idea that sounds better in my head. I have 0 motivation. Roleplay is 100% easier because you have a partner to bounce off of, and you're splitting control of the narrative so there's that element of "What's going to happen next?" that writing does not.

help?

 

[Simon_Hawk]

You might try thinking of your character and how they advance versus a straight up plot. Story driven by character. Then give yourself some time to process that and you might come up with a plot.

 

[Reid]

You might try thinking of your character and how they advance versus a straight up plot. Story driven by character. Then give yourself some time to process that and you might come up with a plot.

Ah, I see. I try, but I feel like I make dialogue sound like an alien attempting to imitate a human lol

 

[Ace Cream]

When I write by myself I usually try to determine the beginning and the end, then put story milestones between those two points while making up the details as I write the stories. The milestones and even the ending can change depending on how things go in the writing part.

 

[Hallow]

Ah, I see. I try, but I feel like I make dialogue sound like an alien attempting to imitate a human lol

Try playing an actual alien for fun. Writing any sort of dialogue will make it better.

 

[Simon_Hawk]

Ah, I see. I try, but I feel like I make dialogue sound like an alien attempting to imitate a human lol

Well, dialogue is tricky vs. Plot. Don't be hard on yourself, every aspect of writing takes practice. Those little voices in your telling you that "you can't do it" or "I suck and should give up" are called The Saboteur. All of has a version of The Saboteur....don't listen to it, forge on and keep going.

Another thing you can think of is what your characters main flaw is, and how you'd challenge it. If they don't have a flaw give them one. That can help you plot.

 

[Reid]

Well, dialogue is tricky vs. Plot. Don't be hard on yourself, every aspect of writing takes practice. Those little voices in your telling you that you can't do it" or "I suck and should give up" are called The Saboteur. All of has a version of The Saboteur....don't listen to it, forge on and keep going.

Another thing you can think of is what your characters main flaw is, and how you'd challenge it. If they don't have a flaw give them one. That can help you plot.

I guess I do have one advantage in the fact that this is fanfiction, (albeit canon divergent) so I have a feel for how the character is supposed to be like. My issues are definitely motivation and the "this is absolute shit what the fuck am I doing" voice in my head lol

 

[Simon_Hawk]

I guess I do have one advantage in the fact that this is fanfiction, (albeit canon divergent) so I have a feel for how the character is supposed to be like. My issues are definitely motivation and the "this is absolute shit what the fuck am I doing" voice in my head lol

Well that's The Saboteur trying to keep you from doing something. I gave my Saboteur a name. I call him "Asshole." So whenever I'm doing something and I hear those voices saying I can't I'm all like "Oh, that's just asshole running his mouth again. You can shut up now, I have work to do." Then I go back to having fun

 

[OTL]

In terms of plotting J actually like to do a good old fashioned primary school brain storm. I sit down and think about the story I want to tell and just write down things that seem cool. This might include snippets of dialogue or character interactions.

In terms of actual writing...I think you just need to write. Sit down and churn words out and try not to get distracted or interrupted. This is totally where I fall down myself.

 

[Archie]

Brainstorm memorable scenes then cook up ways to get there. A book is made by epic moments: the Red Wedding, the Ride of the Rohirim. The plot just "connects the dots". The best books are packed with these and cut to the chase. Everyone can dream up an epic moment. Great writers are excellent at putting together a believable sequence of events that can make those moments happen. This approach doubles up as a way to motivate yourself to write, since you too have something to look forward to.

 

[Uxie]

i'm not much a solo writer myself, but i don't think it hurts to bounce ideas off of others even if you're not doing a roleplay :") sometimes you just need another eye to think about it, and if they love the idea as much as you do, you'll know you're getting somewhere too! definitely even if they're not able to contribute much ideas themselves, being able to vocalise + visualise your thoughts rather than mulling about it in your mind only will help lots in getting new ideas too !!!

 

[Crayons]

OK so there are few different ways. First decide which of these your story is:

Character driven
Concept driven
Plot driven

If you're writing a character driven story, you may not need to plot in advance. You can write it just as though you are doing a roleplay where you play all the characters. Lots of webcomics and indie comics are written like this.

Concept driven stories require you to first work out what it is you are trying to say, then figure out how best to make your point or show off your idea. The characters and story should be focused on expressing your core concept.

Plot driven stories. Look up narrative structures online and try to figure out a story beat for each stage. Could be something like Set-up/Problem/Conflict/Resolution/Consequence or something with an act structure, there are plenty of choices. Doesn't matter which you use as long as you feel comfortable with it. Decide the ending before anything else so you know what you are aiming for.

This is just some basic info because that's all my brain can handle right now but hope it helps in some way.