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  1. writingistelepathy

    writingistelepathy Member

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    How do you decide on the main plot to use?

    Discussion in 'Plot Development' started by writingistelepathy, Sep 2, 2018.

    Hi!

    I am struggling with having a lot of main plot ideas for a book - all have similar underlying themes but major differences which would change the whole novel and in some cases the genre.

    Do you also start off with lots of main plot ideas? How do you choose one?
     
  2. ddavidv

    ddavidv Senior Member

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    You pick the plot that is most interesting to you.
    My plots are easily described in one to several sentences. My last book was based on: A young woman sees a girl as a passenger in a passing car. The girl in the car is terrified; the young woman recognizes her fear from her own past. The plot is her finding and rescuing the girl.

    That is all I need to get started. From there the story can drift into many different directions but I pick what is most interesting and logical and let it flow from there.
     
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  3. demifiend

    demifiend New Member

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    I didn't start with a plot. I started with a villain. And then I waterboarded the bastard. I asked him who he was, what he wanted, why he wanted it, who supported him and why, and who opposed him and why. By the time I was done, I had the rudiments of a plot.
     
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  4. DK3654

    DK3654 Almost a Productive Member of Society Contributor

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    I started my WIP with a worldbuilding concept, but shortly after that very first conception, it has been about my major characters and their different struggles. For the first book(?) concept, the plot is dominated by how all of the main character's situations come together through common difficulties. I developed the main plot therefore around how it related to each of the characters and their journeys. The other big influence was I came up with the main villain early on and have worked with that mind.
    One of the main plot components I have considered, but not done, is the idea of a prophecy linking some of main characters together. It's convenient and makes sense in a supernatural world like my one, but it's a fairly blunt and unsophisticated way of doing things. I did have the idea of downplaying the prophecy and making it a little more of a quirk than some great big 'chosen one' affair, but in the end I came up with what I think is a more interesting plot point to connect characters, with a conspiracy or scandal of sorts within the supernatural society.

    If you're unsure of you're main plot- what are you sure of? What is the most important elements of your story? In my case, it was my characters. Build your main plot around that.
     
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  5. Stormsong07

    Stormsong07 Contributor Contributor

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    I think DK3654 put it the best, here. Take what you KNOW will be in your story. Explore around it. With me, the idea of a fierce group of warrior women who rode mythological beasts was my core. I then expanded from there- What was their story? What problems did they face? As women, were they as accepted as men? What kind of person wants to join a group like this? How does one go about joining? This led me to my MC, a girl who is thrust into their world whether she wanted to or not...and exploring around her...learning her story, her wants, her fears, her enemies...led me to my main plot.
     
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  6. Edward M. Grant

    Edward M. Grant Contributor Contributor

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    Yes. The simple solution is to start with the characters and let them tell you the plot.

    If you have a protagonist and an antagonist and they have conflicting desires and can't just walk away, the plot is easy:

    1. They meet. Not necessarily physically: maybe the protagonist owns a house and the antagonist owns the company that wants to smash it down and build a solar power station there instead.
    2. They fight.
    3. One wins.
     
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  7. BlitzGirl

    BlitzGirl Contributor Contributor

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    For me, I pick a concept that I myself enjoy reading about, and then build around that and try to make it my own. My current story, at its heart, is about a young girl (later, young woman) having to come to terms with being thrown into a new life and confronting her fears. But then I had a tragedy occur, and the main plot expanded out of that. What were the implications of the attack? Who did it? Questions such as these turned the story into a conspiracy which the main character needs to investigate. I was never originally planning on having a lot of these things happening, but it came naturally out of a single catalyst.

    Basically, it's good to start with an idea or plot you feel strongly about, and then it builds from there. Let yourself experiment! There is no right or wrong answer for how to come up with plots.
     
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  8. writingistelepathy

    writingistelepathy Member

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    Amazing replies, thanks guys.

    I’m going to write a list of everything I know will happen and go from there.
     

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