Dat plot tho XD
But seriously, Plot is one of the basic fundamentals in writing. Without a good plot, you've nothing. It doesn't have to be totally thought out at first, but it would be nice to have checkpoints, and have how you want to end the story in mind before you reach the mid-point of the story.
For instance, when I plan a story, I always kept an idea of how I wanted the story to end in mind. In "A Discorded Love", I had the idea of Maria waking up in the human hospital in the first book before I finished the sequence in the Gala. It helped a lot to plan events accordingly when I know where I want my story to end. And don't worry if you don't know how your entire story will play out; save room for ideas and additions.
Developing an idea for a plot is as easy as you want to make it. My way of developing ideas goes as such; I think of a basic event to happen. When I was writing ADL, I based the whole idea off of DisneyFanatic2364's "Bride of Discord". I wanted the story to take place in an Alternate Dimension where Discord escaped from his stone imprisonment. I didn't want it to repeat the same line of events as the original story did, so I created a different starting point and eventually worked my way to that point. Then, after I reached that checkpoint, I pressed forward into my own more independent thinking. Some parts still need to be changed because they still closely resemble some of DF's hard work.
In the instance that you want to create a spinoff, for instance "Harmonic Melody" is a spinoff of my MLP fanfic ADL, which I have gladly given permisson for. It's written by MaverickMorris and is a different version of ADL in the eyes of Maria's younger brother. As long as you have permission from the original writer, spinoffs are alright in my opinion. It depends on the writer.
Lastly, try to be unique with your plot. The less the idea has been spread around, the more it'll grab people's attention. One of the reasons "A Discorded Love" is so popular is because it's a story that pairs a female OC with Discord. Not only are there less Discord romantic fanfics out there, but there are very few that pair Discord with someone other than the Mane 6 or a male character, as people on Fimfiction have pointed out. So the more unique your plot is, the more people will like it and be interested in it. But don't be too creative with it and have so many different things in one story.
Basically, take an idea and branch out from it. Take your time and get all your thoughts down at your own speed. When you feel you're ready, go for it!
That's all I have for this topic. Anymore questions about it? Comment and/or PM me about it!
Next topic: Characters & Development of Them
Stay positive and keep writing!
-Jasmine
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Writing Guidelines (The Do's and Dont's)
AcakA seemingly short book holding important imformation to writing, whether it be a fanfiction or an original book you'd like to have published. Either way, these are the guidelines I follow when writing all my stories. Don't see a topic you want some...
