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How to Develop a Plot

Decent Essays

How To Create A Plot Outline

I'll describe each of the eight elements in turn. If you already have an idea for a novel you're working on, open your file or get a pad of paper or your writer's notebook. As you read through the rest of this page, jot down ideas for how each element might work in your story. At the end, I'll show you how to use your choices to create a brief, well-rounded plot outline for your novel. If you don't have an idea for a novel yet, just grab one from your imagination. It doesn't have to be good. It's just an exercise after all.

On the other hand, if you already have a draft for a novel, that you're looking to revise, then ask yourself, as we go through these elements, whether you have included them in …show more content…

Or we could create a different Consequence. Her employer may go bankrupt unless it becomes more family-friendly.

Write a list of possible Consequences you could have in your plot outline. Then choose one to be the counterpoint to your chosen Story Goal.

3. Requirements

The third element of your plot outline, Requirements, describes what must be accomplished in order to achieve the goal. You can think of this as a checklist of one or more events. As the Requirements are met in the course of the novel, the reader will feel the characters are getting closer to the attainment of the goal.

Requirements create a state of excited anticipation in the reader's mind, as he looks forward to the protagonist's success.

What could the Requirements be in our executive story? Well, if the goal is for our protagonist to find true love, perhaps she will need to join a singles club or dating service so she can meet single men. Perhaps she will need to take a holiday or leave of absence from her job.

Ask yourself what event(s) might need to happen for the goal in your novel to be achieved. List as many possibilities as you can think of. To keep things simple for the moment, just choose one requirement for now to include in your plot outline.

4. Forewarnings

Forewarnings are the counterpart to

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