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The
All Purpose Plot
The basic plot work for most stories, novels and
screenplays -- Here it is.
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A sympathetic lead character has a desperate
need for something -- knowledge, success, love, a solution, to
avoid danger.
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He or she makes an effort to reach success or
achieve what he needs.
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Every effort gets him farther from his goal or
deeper into trouble. She doesn't screw up. It's
just that every effort either creates or uncovers new
obstacles.
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Every new obstacle is larger than the last,
and when he reaches the end, the last obstacle must seem
insurmountable. It will require her most inventive
choice to reach the desired goal.
BUT
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When things look the blackest, he or she
manages to get himself out of it through effort, intelligence
and ingenuity.
Each scene and chapter should have this same kind
of plot structure, but in the case of scenes and chapters, you
have something left over -- a question unanswered, a problem to be
solved, or a mystery that impels the reader to read on. One
trick is to have several plot threads going at once.
One thing that I have observed in most books I
read -- and I think it's a carryover from what is called "the
screenplay paradigm" is that there is a major twist in the
story about 1/3 of the way through and another 2/3 of the way
through. Usually this is a surprise or shock -- the lead's
friend is really her enemy, the man she is in love with is still
married, the clock on the mantle is really a bomb ... and of
course, you need your solution at the end. [Don't leave any
questions unanswered.]
___________________
The Big Switch by Jack
Bludis, not by Jack Burns. It's the first time he's using his
true name on a piece. He wrote that he doesn't mind being known by
both names, but if you look for The Big Switch at your
local book store, check under the Bludis name. The Big Switch
be available in July at bookstores, at Amazon and B&N on the
net. (He'd prefer you to ask your local book stores about it
before you buy it on the net.) |
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