#amplotting

I have tried probably eight thousand different plotting methods over the last ten or twelve years, and I now stick with something like three or four? A lot of it depends on what the story will be, but I will still use at least two different plotting and structuring methods before I start writing the book.

A whiteboard is my go-to if I don’t feel like I have enough story to fill out a beat sheet or plot diagram yet. I keep a huge-ass whiteboard in my room and have it divided into eight sections, four down one side and four down the other. The left side is for the “main storyline”, and the right side is for “B plots” (and/or C, D, E, etc. plots.) The four sections on each side are labelled Act 1, Act 2A, Act 2B, and Act C. I keep it as available to me as possible, and when an idea pops into my head, I write it on a sticky note and add it to my board in the appropriate location. (Or a rough approximation of the appropriate location.) This is a great physical brainstorming process for me, and I find being able to see all my ideas constantly keeps them moving around in my brain longer, which in turn helps me connect the dots more thoroughly. When I feel like my board is full of plenty of ideas, I transfer it into my preferred plotting chart.

Save the Cat! Writes a Novel is my go-to for plot structuring. If I feel like I know a lot of the basic plot beats already, I’ll jump right into organizing using the STC beat sheet. I highly recommend reading the book if you’re not familiar with this idea, and especially if you really struggle with saggy middles and the organization of your story beats. This is also a really great breakdown of the structure.

Describe the weather outside.

But don't just say: "it's cloudy."

Describe it. Infuse it with your personal feelings. How does it make you feel? How would it make your characters feel?

One day isn't the same as the next. The first sunny day in spring doesn't feel the same as the second week in a heat wave in summer.

Make it as purple and rosy as you like. Romanticize the shit out of that weather. Be dramatic, for gods sake.

I personally find it easier to write something as it is happening around me. And if I'm in a particular melodramatic mood (which is often), I notice I'm already making up the descriptions in my head. So all I have to do is write them down!

Here is my try:

The sky was covered in a blanket of clouds so tight it made her think she would never see the blue sky again. In the distance the clouds darkened to a dull, menacing gray. She sighed. That didn't bode well for the grocery run she had to do later today. She sighed heavily again and let herself fall facedown on her bed. She could fall asleep like this if she wanted. It was so dark and down outside that she'd had to turn on all her lights in her room. If she turned them off it would be dark enough so that she could easily sleep. She lifted her head from her pillow at the sound of rain tapping on the window. Great. She should just scavenge some leftovers today. Groceries could wait one more day, hopefully.

It's not exactly high class writing but who cares, you're practising, you're learning.