Q&A for How to Write a Good Plot

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How do I start writing a story?

Lydia Stevens
Author & Developmental Editor
Lydia Stevens is the author of the Hellfire Series and the Ginger Davenport Escapades. She is a Developmental Editor and Writing Coach through her company "Creative Content Critiquing and Consulting." She also co-hosts a writing podcast on the craft of writing called "The REDink Writers." With over ten years of experience, she specializes in writing fantasy fiction, paranormal fiction, memoirs, and inspirational novels. Lydia holds a BA and MA in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.

Lydia Stevens

Author & Developmental Editor

Expert Answer

If you want inspiration, look at some art or listen to music. This can surely help you develop settings, characters and dialogues. Getting in touch with yourself and going back to some childhood activities can also work.

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Question

What are the qualities of a good plot?

Lydia Stevens
Author & Developmental Editor
Lydia Stevens is the author of the Hellfire Series and the Ginger Davenport Escapades. She is a Developmental Editor and Writing Coach through her company "Creative Content Critiquing and Consulting." She also co-hosts a writing podcast on the craft of writing called "The REDink Writers." With over ten years of experience, she specializes in writing fantasy fiction, paranormal fiction, memoirs, and inspirational novels. Lydia holds a BA and MA in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.

Lydia Stevens

Author & Developmental Editor

Expert Answer

Although conflict may be the number one thing to captivating story, it's not the only thing you need to consider. A good plot also needs pacing, the right tone and great characters, with different aspects of their backgrounds sprinkled throughout the story. Try to create a layered work.

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I'm a new writer, is there any way I can get someone to help me think of plots? My audience is young adults.

Community Answer

Read the popular young adult books. Look at the key features in each. They tend to contain action, romance, and maybe science fiction or supernatural elements. You could also talk to some young adults and see what they like/look for in a good book.

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I am very slow and poor in making interesting ideas. Even though I am very fast in thinking, I have a problem in thinking about a good plot. I also need to focus on my sentence formation. What should I do?

Tom De Backer

Top Answerer

Actually, it sounds like you're on the right track. We all have millions of ideas, but it sounds like you actually realize that most of them are crap. So keep on thinking up ideas, as many as you can, and as fast as you can. Then discard them the morning after, because to sleep always puts things into a new light. But some, the really good ones, you will not throw away, and those will form the bedrock of an amazing plot.

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Question

I have a really good story plot in mind, but I write the details too fast, and the story goes way too fast and ends up only being like 50 pages. How do I elongate my story?

Jonah Wilson

Community Answer

What you can do is ask others for more ideas, and you can add more characters. But the best way is to have lots of detail, so the reader(s) make sense of the story and as a hidden, to make a longer story.

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Question

I have made a plot and I want to turn it into a graphic novel. But I stink at drawing. Any ideas?

Jonah Wilson

Community Answer

You don't have to be great at drawing. Dog Man and others like it are definitely not incredibly good drawings, but they still do just fine. If the plot is good enough and easy to show in pictures, it should be fine, no matter how good you are at drawing.

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Question

I just realized my plot is pretty similar to someone else's plot line, but I'm already pretty far into writing. What do I do?

Community Answer

How similar is it? A lot of stories use some of the same tropes (think of "The chosen one" trope in fantasy, etc., or a coming-of-age story). But if it's paralleling it more closely, try to think of what you like about that plot and make it your own. Maybe pick out a couple chapters that you want to revise, or change what your main character's goals are. Or, add a side plot along with the main one.

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