Have You Plotted Your Story Before Writing It?
| by Nick Vernon | August 24, 2004
Creative Writing Tips
The writer, who doesnt have the time to plot, always finds the time to rewrite.
Sound familiar?
Ive been guilty of this too, back in the early days of my writing apprenticeship. I was so eager to get stuck into writing my story that I wouldnt bother with plotting.
Plotting gives you a sense of direction. Its your map, which will lead you to write your story. Leaping into the unknown rarely works. Without a plot several things can happen .
• Our stories arent focused
• We lose our way
• Our characters dont come to life because we dont take the time to develop them
• We get stuck
• The story strays from us
And all this happens when we havent figured everything out first.
Your plot is the foundation of your story. Its the skeleton, which will hold your story together. Your plot is there to work everything out first to see if it can be worked out, and then flesh out that skeleton with other elements that make a story.
Plotting is the difference between writing a story for yourself and writing one for an audience. Writing for ourselves doesnt require too much strain because we only have ourselves to please. Its when we have to please our readers that the hard work begins.
If you are aiming to sell your stories, plotting is a must.
Have you plotted your story before writing it?
The writer, who doesnt have the time to plot, always finds the time to rewrite.
Sound familiar?
Ive been guilty of this too, back in the early days of my writing apprenticeship. I was so eager to get stuck into writing my story that I wouldnt bother with plotting.
Plotting gives you a sense of direction. Its your map, which will lead you to write your story. Leaping into the unknown rarely works. Without a plot several things can happen .
• Our stories arent focused
• We lose our way
• Our characters dont come to life because we dont take the time to develop them
• We get stuck
• The story strays from us
And all this happens when we havent figured everything out first.
Your plot is the foundation of your story. Its the skeleton, which will hold your story together. Your plot is there to work everything out first to see if it can be worked out, and then flesh out that skeleton with other elements that make a story.
Plotting is the difference between writing a story for yourself and writing one for an audience. Writing for ourselves doesnt require too much strain because we only have ourselves to please. Its when we have to please our readers that the hard work begins.
If you are aiming to sell your stories, plotting is a must.
Have you plotted your story before writing it?
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