Yes

by Wayne Leon Learmond

Created on: April 13, 2011

A writer is a ‘craftsman’ [or woman]. Your tools are your notebook and keyboard. Your raw materials is the English language. It is your mission, as a writer, to produce a finished product - be that a story or article. Finally, your packaging, is your manuscript. The more professional your story, the more attractive the presentation, the more likely it will be sold to a publisher. What a writer must remember, throughout the writing process, is that editors are humans too. It is her or his choice as to whether or not your story will hold the reader’s interest - and therefore be sold.

With this in mind you, as the writer, must not only create strong characters within your story, but your story must be able to ‘carry’ the readers too.  If your plot line is weak, then this can ruin a strong character within your story.  A bad story and weak plot lines can ruin strong characters.  What one has to remember here, is that when writing any genre of story - novel, short story, or flash fiction, the writer must grab the reader within the first few lines preferably - and, most definitely, within the first paragraph.

This is the rule of thumb that a would-be writer should always remember. It is one thing having ‘strong characters’ but quite another when those characters are let down by weak plot-lines, and a story that is going nowhere. The reader needs to see where the story is going, and this is where your skill as a writer should come in. You must reveal the story, bit by bit, but not enough so that the reader can guess the ending - just snippets, enough to keep the reader coming back for more. With this in mind, a writer, should, before he or she writes, settle down and create a ‘Plot Plan’.

A Plot Plan is a guide/plan that helps the writer to devise plots for stories. So, if a writer has strong characters yet a weak storyline, the Plot Plan should help you along the way. How this is achieved is by writing down, one after another, sub titles on your paper.  Thus, a writer who is devising a Plot Plan would write the first sub title: ‘Desired Emotion’ [your desired emotion in your story could be ‘fear’].  The second sub title would be: ‘Theme’ {what is the ‘theme’ of your story]?  The third sub title would be: ‘Key Character’s Major Emotional Drive’ [what is the major emotional drive that pushes your character on]?

And the fourth sub title would be: ‘Key Character’s Purpose’ [what is the purpose of your key character/s within your story]?  Write this down on a piece of plain paper. Once written, move to the next stage [which is called the '1st Plot Unit']. After you have written this down, write, beneath that, the sub heading, which is called ‘Conflict Test' [this will include the 1st obstacle].  Then write,  ‘Initial Clash’ [what is the initial clash that your character meets within your story]?

Write down what that clash would be.

Write down the sub title ‘Dramatic High Spot’. {What is the dramatic high spot that your character has to face}?  Write down what that would be.  Then, underneath that, write the next sub title, which is, ‘Key Character’s Major Trait In Active Response’. [What would be the active response of your key character - what will be his or her ‘trait’]?  

Again, you must write this down. Carry on in this vein, until you have completed your 'Plot Plan'.

Once you have done all of the above, then continue on in the same vein, following the same rules. So, for example, you would write the next Sub Title that would be called the 2nd Plot Unit’.  Then after that, you would write, ‘Conflict Test’ [including 2nd obstacle], and so on and so forth.
Plot Plans come in so useful when a writer is devising plots for his or her stories. This ‘plan’ will help a writer in developing even more strong plot lines, and characters.  It is something that all writers should use as it will help, not hinder a writer’s development of plots and characterization.

The final title should be 'Final Result'. [Write down 'Final Result'. of the plot of your story [the outcome]. Once you have done this, you can read over your Plot Plan, going over any weak points you may spot. Once done, you can now begin your story, safe in the knowledge that you [hopefully] have a very strong plot line to push your story along - and to make your strong characters proud.

Weak storylines, even though you may have strong characters, can ruin your characters. Make sure this does not happen to you. Devise a Plot Plan as described above.  Keeping your plots strong and interesting will make your readers come back for more.  

Learn more about this author, Wayne Leon Learmond.
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