Writer Unboxed

Plot Month continues on WU . . .

I believe that the events of a story—plot—should spring from character, not simply be things that happen to her. It is what a character decides to do that should create events, not the other way around. To see how decisions cause events, consider this boy on his first day at a new school.

Ron strolled past the gym at recess. It was his first day in seventh grade, and he didn’t know anyone at this school. He hated moving.

But there had been a nice moment in English class. The teacher had just started when a girl rushed in right after the bell. She looked for a place to sit, but all the desks were taken. He didn’t know why, but he had stood, picked up his books, and gestured her to his seat.

The smile she had given him—and she was a very pretty girl—had just about wiped out what the teacher had said for the rest of the class.A deep voice came from his left. “Hey, goody two-shoes.” Three boys lounged on a porch at the side of the gym. The big one looked like a man. He even had a mustache. That one said, “Why’d you give Carol your seat?” The “goody two-shoes” had come from him.

Ron shrugged.

The big kid swaggered over to Ron and scowled down. “We don’t do that chickenshit stuff here.”

Ron had to look up; God, the boy was big. Fighting words. Coming from a monster.

Ron’s first choice of action, his first decision in the classroom, revealed a facet of character, and has led to conflict with a really big, nasty guy (plot). Ron’s next action will reveal character at a deep level and move the plot forward. If he keeps his mouth shut, or maybe even runs, he’s a coward. In this case, here’s what Ron did:

Ron gazed straight into the boy/man’s eyes and said, “Well, where I come from, it’s what a gentleman does.” Then he had to look away. He stepped around the big guy and walked, every muscle in his back tensed.

Ron’s scene is small in scale, just a piece in a larger story, but the principle is the same for a scene or a novel. A character’s desire to achieve a goal or fill a need—rescue the princess, marry the girl, win the job—is what drives a plot. First, Ron’s desire is to be a gentleman, and he decides to give up his seat, but that brings potentially dire consequences (plot). His next desire is to be true to himself, and he does that. The story question then raised is, will he get away with it?

Robert McKee, in his book, Story, also says your protagonist must have a powerful desire. He must then attempt to satisfy it—that’s where a character’s decisions come into play and direct the plot.

In a good story, his attempts must be frustrated. He fails to achieve his desire because of things the antagonist does (preferably), or perhaps things the protagonist fails to do, or some other story element.

Your story picks up momentum and tension at these points because the character has to try again and, because of the nature of his failure and his desire, has to take a risk. A risk with negative consequences. Yep, he fails again. The negative consequences raise the stakes. He has to try again, and this time take an even greater risk. With greater consequences. He fails again. And so on.

For example, in a historical novel, let’s say the daughter of a king is sent to live with the neighboring king in the age-old tradition of fostering. This upsets the balance of her happy life at home, but the consequences are potentially positive, and she makes no effort to change things. This isn’t an inciting incident because, even though the balance of her life is disturbed, there’s no jeopardy attached.

Then, on the journey to the neighboring kingdom, her party is attacked. She is taken and sold as a slave to another kingdom. Now that’s an inciting incident. Her desire is to return to the life she knew, and there’s the risk of being beaten, raped, or killed if she tries to escape. But try she must, because her life as a slave is a horror to her.

So begin your plotting from inside your character. Let her nature and needs lead her to decisions in her effort to achieve her desire. But foil her decisions, and force them to become bolder and bolder.

This post is derived from two of the chapters in my forthcoming book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells. It’ll be available for pre-ordering very soon—details are at http://www.ftqpress.com/.

Ray Rhamey is the author of five novels and one craft book, Flogging the Quill, Crafting a Novel that Sells. He's also an editor who has recently expanded his creative services to include book cover and interior design. His website, crrreative.com, offers an a la carte menu of creative services for self-publishers and Indie authors. Learn more about Ray's fiction at rayrhamey.com.

Ray Rhamey

View all posts by Ray Rhamey
Ray's website

6 Comments »