Comments on: Not losing the plot http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/ about the craft and business of fiction Sat, 11 Feb 2012 02:26:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Abby Godwin http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-103148 Abby Godwin Mon, 23 Feb 2009 21:02:02 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-103148 Just wanted to say - thank you so much for this post, and Plot Month overall. I've been bogged down in my current wip because I need to re-examine my plot and my conflict. I know where I'm going overall, but I need to map out my individual plot points. Plot month has helped me immensely. Thanks! Just wanted to say – thank you so much for this post, and Plot Month overall. I’ve been bogged down in my current wip because I need to re-examine my plot and my conflict. I know where I’m going overall, but I need to map out my individual plot points. Plot month has helped me immensely. Thanks!

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]]> By: Joan http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-103034 Joan Sun, 22 Feb 2009 14:03:34 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-103034 Excellent points and a lot of good advice for the aspiring author, a wanna-be like me and this last sentence makes me think of a simi barreling down the road flattening all the characters in its path, which I do more often than not. A good plot has unobtrusive elegance and grace; a bad one flattens everything in its path, character, atmosphere, setting, story itself, everything clunked down to a series of events happening one after the other. Excellent points and a lot of good advice for the aspiring author, a wanna-be like me and this last sentence makes me think of a simi barreling down the road flattening all the characters in its path, which I do more often than not.
A good plot has unobtrusive elegance and grace; a bad one flattens everything in its path, character, atmosphere, setting, story itself, everything clunked down to a series of events happening one after the other.

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]]> By: Lorna Suzuki http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102767 Lorna Suzuki Thu, 19 Feb 2009 21:40:33 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102767 Excellent advice, Sophie! I especially appreciate your comment about characters behaving out of character. I've seen aspiring writers suddenly make their protagonist or antagonist do an about-face by doing something completely out of character because it gave the story an unexpected twist. It did exactly that. Sadly, the character lost his credibility and integrity was lost when pushed to behave against their personality for the sake of adding the exciting plot twist. Character and plot must work together to make the story come together successfully. Tinkering is an absolute! Excellent advice, Sophie! I especially appreciate your comment about characters behaving out of character. I’ve seen aspiring writers suddenly make their protagonist or antagonist do an about-face by doing something completely out of character because it gave the story an unexpected twist.
It did exactly that. Sadly, the character lost his credibility and integrity was lost when pushed to behave against their personality for the sake of adding the exciting plot twist.
Character and plot must work together to make the story come together successfully. Tinkering is an absolute!

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]]> By: Juliet http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102684 Juliet Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:34:18 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102684 Wise advice, Sophie, and beautifully expressed as always! Wise advice, Sophie, and beautifully expressed as always!

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]]> By: Therese Walsh http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102656 Therese Walsh Wed, 18 Feb 2009 19:49:16 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102656 <em>The thing to remember is—think laterally. Allow yourself to be open to unexpected ideas or solutions even if at first they seem a bit scary or weird. </em> Excellent advice. Thanks for a great essay, Sophie! The thing to remember is—think laterally. Allow yourself to be open to unexpected ideas or solutions even if at first they seem a bit scary or weird.

Excellent advice. Thanks for a great essay, Sophie!

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]]> By: Kathleen Bolton http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102645 Kathleen Bolton Wed, 18 Feb 2009 17:35:30 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102645 "Have you over-egged the pudding? Easy; just cut out the sub-plots and return to the lean mean original." Hee, because I get to read Sophie's posts before they go live, I'd already taken this valuable advice. I'd over-egged my pudding until it was confused and desiccated crap, but when I cut it to the bone, the story re-emerged. Excellent post, Sophie. “Have you over-egged the pudding? Easy; just cut out the sub-plots and return to the lean mean original.”

Hee, because I get to read Sophie’s posts before they go live, I’d already taken this valuable advice. I’d over-egged my pudding until it was confused and desiccated crap, but when I cut it to the bone, the story re-emerged.

Excellent post, Sophie.

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]]> By: Kristan http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102637 Kristan Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:30:49 +0000 http://writerunboxed.com/2009/02/18/not-losing-the-plot/#comment-102637 "Fiction writers need to edit out the white noise of life—it is dull and unsatisfying and confusing for readers otherwise." Sadly, I agree. I say sadly, because I'm one of those "literary" people that wants to expose the beauty in all the random little moments of life. BUT I've come to realize that those things are already hard enough to appreciate in life; nearly impossible in fiction. "A good plot has unobtrusive elegance and grace; a bad one flattens everything in its path, character, atmosphere, setting, story itself, everything clunked down to a series of events happening one after the other. And that is reader poison." Hear hear! Unfortunately I had that revelation (plot = cause & effect, not series of events) when I'd already gotten quite far in my first manuscript. Now I'm putting the manuscript down and rethinking it. It's torture, but necessary, I know. Thanks for your eloquence today. :) “Fiction writers need to edit out the white noise of life—it is dull and unsatisfying and confusing for readers otherwise.”

Sadly, I agree. I say sadly, because I’m one of those “literary” people that wants to expose the beauty in all the random little moments of life. BUT I’ve come to realize that those things are already hard enough to appreciate in life; nearly impossible in fiction.

“A good plot has unobtrusive elegance and grace; a bad one flattens everything in its path, character, atmosphere, setting, story itself, everything clunked down to a series of events happening one after the other. And that is reader poison.”

Hear hear! Unfortunately I had that revelation (plot = cause & effect, not series of events) when I’d already gotten quite far in my first manuscript. Now I’m putting the manuscript down and rethinking it. It’s torture, but necessary, I know.

Thanks for your eloquence today. :)

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