Teen Author Challenge, Week 5 – Plotting strategies, part one

Welcome to Week 5 of the Teen Author Challenge!

This week, we’re going to begin our discussion of how to plot (or not plot) your book before you sit down to write. But first, a bit of inspiration from fab YA author Tera Lynn Childs.

Exclusive TAC Quote of the Week

“There are three essential suggestions I share with every aspiring writer.

(1) Read. A lot. It’s not just about market research or dissecting story—although those are important, too—but about learning how other writers use words to express themselves.

(2) Write. A lot. With every poem or short story or blog post or novel you finish you learn more about how you use words to express yourself.

(3) Observe. Yourself, others, and the world around you. So much of good writing comes down to the little details, things you might not have noticed if they were missing but that somehow make for a more real and fully-fleshed reading experience. Taking notice of these things in real life makes it that much easier to weave them into your writing.”

~ Tera Lynn Childs
Goddess Boot Camp (Dutton, 6/09)
**Oh. My. Gods. series, book 2**

Teen Author Challenge, Week 5

Today marks the beginning of our mini-series on plotting. Plotting is one of those writerly things that can trip up even the most experienced author. Before we get into all the different ways of approaching plotting, there’s one essential thing you should know:

There is no right or wrong way to approach plotting.

Seriously. Every author I know has his or her own unique way of handling the plotting process. And you know what? Books get written no matter what the process. Darn good ones too. So don’t let the idea of needing to find the “perfect” plotting method stymie your creative process. A lot of the whole plotting thing is uncovered one piece at a time through trial and error.

To drive this point home, I’m going to be featuring a variety of great YA and MG authors in the mini-series sharing how their own method of plotting or pantsing works for them.

Plotting vs. Pantsing

On the plotting spectrum, we have two very different extremes. On one side of the spectrum are the die-hard plotters who need to know every detail about how the story will unfold before they sit down to write. For them, knowing exactly what happens in the story (or what they believe should happen in the story) helps them avoid writing a bunch of meaningless fluff and writing themselves into corners. It makes for a much more streamlined, less stressful writing process.

On the opposite end of the spectrum are the dyed-in-the-wool pantsers who have only a tiny germ of an idea when they sit down to write. For them, knowing everything that happens in the story takes all the fun out of the process. By the time they’re done plotting, they don’t want to write the book anymore because they already know how it ends. They prefer to let the story unfold organically as the words are laid on the page.

Both ends of the spectrum are perfectly fine if that’s what works for a particular author. But there are all different levels of plotting and pantsing in between. Most authors fall somewhere inside those two extremes on the spectrum.

For our discussion, we’re going to break up the mini-series into two sections. First, we’ll talk about some different plotting techniques. Then, we’ll talk about some different ways that pansters work. I have several lovely author friends who have graciously agreed to share their process with you so you can see how they work.

Let’s dive into the first group of topics.

Plotting Techniques

There are as many plotting techniques as there are writing instructors out there. From Randy Ingermanson’s Snowflake Method to Michael Hauge’s Six-Stage Plot Structure (a variation of the three-act structure) to Chris Vogler’s The Writer’s Journey (a variation of Joseph Campbell’s Hero’s Journey), many instructors have created their own signature plotting techniques. And then there’s the Mountain Plot, the W Plot and so on. If you want a quickie overview of some common plotting techniques, here’s a great article:

http://www.skotos.net/articles/PlotStrategies.html

One thing to keep in mind is that while many authors use a well-known plotting technique–or have tweaked a well-known plotting technique for their own purposes–other authors have created their own unique plotting technique. Everyone’s brain is wired differently, so what works brilliantly for one author may make another author’s head feel like it’s on the verge of imploding. Trying to force a plotting technique on your writing process because someone else swears by it–even though it makes your head spin–is almost always a recipe for disaster.

Do what works for you.

Plotting Technique #1 – The Snowflake Method

To get us started, we’re going to be introducing the Snowflake Method. YA author Sara Hantz has graciously agreed to share how she makes the Snowflake Method work for her. Thanks, Sara!

The Snowflake Method

I’m a planner by nature and hate not having things organized well in advance. So it came as no surprise to me to learn that in my writing I’m a plotter and not a pantser. Though just to make sure, I once decided to start a novel without having plotted it. What a disaster. I was totally stymied. I couldn’t write a thing. It was like I’d lost all ability to string words together in a coherent sentence.

When I’m writing now I use a variation of the Snowflake Method. When I discovered this method, developed by Randy Ingermanson, I was totally captivated. He breaks down both plot and character development into a series of very logical steps. You begin writing a single sentence about your book, then a paragraph, then a page, then four pages. Interspersed with this are various character development tasks. Finally, you’re required to write a scene spreadsheet and then a detailed narrative for each chapter. Having completed this you’re ready to write the first draft.

The first time I used the snowflake technique I followed all the steps, and from start to finish it took less than 12 weeks to complete the novel. Since then (because I’m very impatient and have a low attention span) I’ve just used the bits which I feel help me most. I no longer follow the character development steps and I usually go from the paragraph to the four page outline. I also stop when I’ve written a scene spreadsheet.

Check it out. If you’re a plotter you’ll love it because it is so focused and if you’re a panster it will probably scare you to death!

~ Sara Hantz
The Second Virginity of Suzy Green (Flux, 9/07)

The Snowflake Method is one that many authors use. For a step-by-step explanation of how this plotting method works, check out Randy’s free article that lays out the basics of the process:

http://www.advancedfictionwriting.com/art/snowflake.php

But the Snowflake Method is only the first of many plotting techniques we’ll be covering. We’ll tackle more plotting techniques next week before shifting our focus to The Land of Pantsing.


Your Weekly Challenge

This week’s assignment is simple. Click through the skotos.net article link that gives a nice overview of plotting. Then click through the Snowflake article link to see if that plotting technique strikes a chord with you.

Grab your Teen Author Challenge notebook and jot down your reactions to both articles. Did either of them resonate with you? Did you have a positive “Wow, this could really help me!” reaction? Did it make you want to run for cover, shivering, just thinking about having to plot in advance? This is the first step to discovering where you might fall on the plotting vs. pantsing spectrum.

As always, please do share your reactions in today’s comments! And remember, every comment gets you an entry into the monthly Teen Author Challenge giveaway for one of the great “craft of writing” books on my own shelf… plus an entry into the You 2.0 monthly contest.

The Teen Author Challenge Contest

Throughout the year-long Teen Author Challenge (TAC ends June 2010!), I’ll be giving away a book of the winner’s choice from my personal writing shelf. Why am I doing this? Because becoming a skilled writer has two important parts: learning about your craft and practicing your craft. That’s why active participation in each weekly challenge is so important!

So what can you win? Books to choose from include:

1. The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler
2. Your Novel Proposal: From Creation to Contract by Blythe Camenson and Marshall J. Cook
3. The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing by Evan Marshall
4. The Career Novelist by Donald Maass
5. Writing Dialogue by Tom Chiarella
6. Mastering Point of View by Sherri Szeman
7. Creating Characters Kids Will Love by Elaine Marie Alphin
8. Writing the Breakout Novel by Donald Maass
9. Building Believable Characters by Marc McCutcheon

Everyone who participates via the comments on the Teen Author Challenge posts will be entered into this monthly contest.

Go forth and be creative!

Entry Filed under: Paying It Forward,Teen Author Challenge