Sunday, January 6, 2013

Plot Ideas

Read Genesis 16-18

Genesis 16:2 "And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai."

Whether you outline before writing or plot as you go, you have to figure out what comes next in your story. Some points are easy to figure out—they follow logically from what has gone before. Your character has tried something and now must deal with the consequences.

Other plot points will elude us and tax our imaginations. Your story has come to a dead end and nothing plausible comes next.

Try asking yourself what is the worst thing my character can do. Even a bad idea like the one Sarai had is better than no idea. Sometimes thinking about the story consequences of your character giving up or blowing something up or whatever horror you can think of will spark a less devastating decision for your story and jump-start the rest of your plot.

Giving yourself permission to wreck your story might get you past that dead end.

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