#on plotting

"Usually" is a lot to say about something that's happened twice (I didn't start TO1), but yeah, I make the conscious decision to know the ending before I start.

Details can change along the way, but a clear end point ensures consistency and direction when I work in sprints that are published, consumed and judged as the story progresses.

He also has some writing advice that doubles as life advice, such as "Most problems aren't about handling the problem. They're about not handling the problem. By saying 'I can't handle this,' the hero guarantees that the situation will not only persist but get worse."

One insight that has stuck with me as 1) very encouraging when I'm trying to brainstorm solutions to a plot hole and 2) downright terrifying when I consider its impact in the real world is:

It's how the human mind words. The mind looks for connections. The mind insists on structure. Without it, the mind flails. And if there is no immediately discernible structure, the mind makes stuff up--whatever is convenient, to fill the gap. Go out and ask people questions that you know they couldn't possibly know the answer to. "Who really killed Kennedy?" "Why was the third season of the original Star Trek so awful?" "When will he write the fifth book?" Out of a hundred people, you will be lucky to find five who are honest enough to say, "I don't know." The rest will make something up. Most people would rather die than admit they don't know something.

a friend of mine years ago had a post on her blog about this and imma use what she discussed, because it was good. think about those little summaries that you see of TV show episodes. it’s like one or two, maybe three at the most, sentences summing up what happens, and there’s not a lot of detail, right?

plotting can be that simple. you start with an idea -- not just a setting, not just a time period, but an idea for an Actual Thing That Might Happen between your two characters, and.... that is your plot. 

everything else, all those details and specifics? that works itself out as your write. maybe you have to check in with your partner occasionally in IMs or talk in the tags to make sure all is well and you’re on the same page, sure. but the initial plotting itself can be as easy as finding your episode summary.

for example, to summarize the plot of a thread i have right now:

“Abel is sent with a company of soldiers to investigate why important shipments have been going missing on the road and winds up in even deeper trouble than he’d expected when Renfri and her band take him prisoner and hold him for ransom.”

boom. done. plotted. and along the way, we discover what actually happens in this situation as we write, collaboratively and collectively. you don’t have to have all those details in mind when it starts; otherwise, what’s the fun of writing to discover what happens next?