Monday, May 28, 2012

Book in a Month Pt 2, Using A Plot Skeleton

For the last two days I've been working on a basic plot for Wishing on Daisies. At the same time I'm also working on the characters. It seems like plot and characters go hand in hand, doesn't it?

Here is the plot structure I am using, it is a mash of different ones I've found: 

The Three Act Plot Structure for Romance

Act 1
  1. Intro/The inciting incident
  2. Conflicts introduced
  3. Cute meet with the love interest
 Act 2
  1. Beginning to fall in love
  2. Conflict added/intensified
  3. The final confrontation is foreshadowed
  4. First love or intimacy scene
  5. Stakes are raised for the dark moment
 Act 3
  1. Dark moment, they break up or love seems doomed
  2. Final confrontation and resolution
  3. Happily ever after! Woo Hoo!
What is the overall Mood/Tone?

Is there other sources of inspiration for the story?
  • Myths or legends 
  • Artwork
  • Music

Some Great Books:
By  Christie Craig and Faye Hughes
Excellent for different plot structures and general advice, this is an all-around great guide for writing romance.

By James Smith
A simple, quick to read book for turning your dream into a reality. It also has plenty of advice for making your novel more salable.

Do you have any go-to resources or books that you like to use when developing a story?
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6 comments:

  1. kjmckendryMay 28, 2012 at 7:10 PM

    No, I just sketch out my characters in a new document and then I write a basic skeleton. I don't use complete sentences I just get the ideas down in order.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMay 28, 2012 at 10:25 PM

    I write a page or two hitting the major points, just in sloppy paragraph form rather than bullet points. When I need a little advice or inspiration, I go to Stephen King's On Writing.

    ReplyDelete
  3. SuziMay 29, 2012 at 6:45 AM

    Since I'm a pantser I haven't done much of this. But for my current WIP I started doing this after I got about 20,000 words down. And for my next one I'll attempt the rough outline before doing much writing. Sometimes it takes getting a few words written to get me excited about it though. And if the words are in my head, I want to write.

    ReplyDelete
  4. A.May 29, 2012 at 8:19 AM

    This skeletal structure is a great idea and a HUGE help--thanks for posting this! A great resource! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Christine RainsMay 29, 2012 at 1:14 PM

    That is a good skeleton to work with. Usually I just start writing without anything. Maybe I'll make notes as I go. The pantser in me won't allow anything else! *LOL*

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mina LoboMay 29, 2012 at 11:45 PM

    Your skeleton intrigues me, my dear. And not just 'cause you called it a skeleton. ;-) I need to do a major revision (which I believe I'd mentioned to you on my blog) and this, I think, will prove most helpful! Thanks for being so awesome. :-)
    Some Dark Romantic

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