PLEASE LEARN HOW TO PLOT
In this rant, I'm mainly talking to wattpad authors, but I'm sure there are published authors out there that do this too.
Let me explain this all to common dilemma to you.
Some girl out there wants to write a romance, cause anyone can write a good story, right? That's why there's many books in the world. So she throws together a cast of characters, an insecure girl, a gorgeous boy, a couple of best friends and maybe a parent or two (cos the lovers are ALWAYS teenagers, mind you) and she goes about the task of getting these two characters to kiss. But she gets to chapter 4 and gets impatient. So she begins to write in the crush. But by chapter 6 she's bored of just a crush but these two characters met two weeks ago and that crap hasn't worked since Frozen came out. But a little time skip never hurt anybody, right? Long story short, they've kissed by chapter 10. At the latest.
But the poor author doesn't want to be done yet. Since she knows no on will stick around for googley eyes, she decides she needs a new plot. After all, the people want CONFLICT. So she spends couple chapters setting up a conflict, a few resolving it, a filler chapter with googley eyes and make out sessions and repeat. The readers gets to chapter 25 and finds that nothing has really happened. Personally, I usually get bored around chapter 18.
So why doesn't your story keep people's attention? You have romance and conflict and cute characters, so what's missing? Well, frankly my dear, you're missing a solid plot.
The best way plotting was ever explained to me was through dominoes. Each major event in your story is a domino, so when you knock the first one (called the inciting event), the rest follow. Subplots also fit in here, as branches of the original plot which join back to it to be resolved all together. (Or earlier, but we're not here for an in depth course on subplot.)
What happens all to often in Wattpad romances, however, is the authoress sets up to much space between her dominoesimeanevents. So her inciting event knocks down maybe 4 or 5 dominoes, but then fall short, leaving her with the responsibility of getting the plot moving again. She has two options: edit or take the cowards way out and set herself up a new plot. She takes the latter. (I'm not saying I've never done this, but I am not proud to say that I have )
But our problems don't end here. No. Many romances have themselves in an even WORSE mess. Remember the poor confused authoress who resolved her romance-literally the only planned plot for her book- by chapter 10. The conflicts she used afterwards after called SUBPLOTS as in BY THEMSELVES NOT AN ACTUAL PLOT.
Are you beginning to see why I get bored??
Because I have a habit of saying stop this and not telling you how to fix it, today I'm going to do something completely out of character and tell you how to actually improve.
*stands on cardboard box* *clears throat*
OUTLINE.
outlineoutlineoutkineoutlineoutline.
Please.
Outline.
As a former outline hater, I'm begging out. Please. Give it a shot.
Think through what the books ultimate goal is. Now think about HOW you're going to get there. PLOT. Then outline. It doesn't have to be super detailed. Just a sentence or even a few words giving you an idea what you want to happen in each chapter. This will not only help with plotting, but keep you from getting halfway through and saying "idk what happens next"
I even do mine as checklists, so after each chapter is posted I can check it off. It motivates me to continue. To finish.
Try it.
You'll like it.
>>Adry Grace
YOU ARE READING
The Art of Romance
Roman d'amour>>You know, there was a time when I thought that I loved you<<
