The Plot Thickens

(In case you were unable to attend today’s session of authorSphere, here is the overview of plotting which I handed out. The assignment will help focus your thoughts and ideas. IO, Manly)

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The plot is what a book is about, what happens therein, what interactions there are between characters, and, the beginning and end of the journey that takes the reader for a wild and exciting ride. Of course, the incorporation of sub plots, of what is happening in the background to or by protagonists other than the main character or characters, makes for an even more interesting read. The delicate interweaving of the subplots with the main plot makes for a book where the pages seem to turn themselves.

A book can be written where all the developments happen along a definite forward moving timeline, often seen through the eyes of a narrator or of the main characters themselves, or, there can be the omniscient God’s eye view unfolding of the story, flipping from one thread of action and developments to another, seamlessly taking the reader from one protagonist’s world or sphere of influence to another and back again.

The plot can be aptly compared to a literal plot of ground in which the author has complete control over what happens and what doesn’t happen, over the fate or destiny of each and every character, over the very future and the occasional past that he or she creates. There are no limits; the only factor that can possibly hold the author back is the height, length, breadth and width of his or her imagination.

The plot defines the boundaries of the world created, its physical locale, be it somewhere on earth, in outer space, on an alien world, or within the cerebral confines of the human mind. It shows us the path the characters have chosen to take, or that which the author has dictated for them, sometimes leading to pleasant experiences, sometimes exactly in the opposite direction with the most ubiquitous emotion felt by the characters and the reader being one of overweening frustration.

It is often said that unless you the writer can describe the plot of your book in such simple terms as would fit on the back of a business card, you have yet to reach clarity regarding the wide expanse of writing you have undertaken. Of course, subplots deserve their own business card. It’s only right, inasmuch as they make the book far more interesting and powerful, not to mention unforgettable.

For some writers, the plot only unfolds one chapter at a time, the clarity they desire always one step away, just around the next corner, just a few more meters into that impenetrable fog up ahead. For others, they know the end from the beginning and everything in between. For them, it is simply a matter of writing it out.

I have concentrated on the art of writing a book. However, the rules apply equally to screenplays, graphic novels, poetry and any other similar endeavors. The question we need to ask ourselves as authors is, why should anyone want to read what I have written? If the answer is, because we have written something that will shake and rock the world of the reader, leaving them radically changed, nevermore the same, then, we have accomplished our task very well.

Whether we have set out to entertain, to enlighten, to provide levity in an otherwise dull world, or whether we have set out to change the world itself and the world of our readers in a radical fashion, we know we have done our job properly when both we and our readers can say, that was amazing!

Your assignment today is to pick a topic that fits whatever form of writing you prefer and excel in and work out what the plot will be. Then, draw a rough, small rectangle the size of a business card on the white space below, confidently distilling the plot into its essential elements. You may use additional rectangles for each sub plot you envision. You may only have the beginning of what you’re going to do, or, you may see the end from the beginning. In either case, you have begun a great work.

Now, take this seed and let it grow into something amazing! You can do it! You are the best!