I'm about 3 chapters in my story, and I've got most of my general plot concluded inside my noggin. I know where I want my story to go, and I know where I want it to end. My problem is that because I'm certain on where I want it to go, I'm having a difficult time to really keep the story 'alive'. I mean, I'm going about the plot line, but at the same time I feel that it's coming in way too rushed and I can't figure out a way to play it out without making it seem too long or irrelevant to the story. Perhaps, plot may not be my problem; yet, following the plot seems to be. Should I just keep following the plot despite feeling that the story is coming in too fast and perhaps add more to it later? After all, I did set out to write this novel to finish it and to make sure I finish it. Blayke
If you're feeling this way, the truth is you're probably lacking something, some magical ingredient. And besides, having the plot doesn't necessarily tell you about pacing - some things should be dragged out and savoured, other things should only take a sentence, a paragraph, no more. Only you know which particular parts should take how long - but they're certainly not all equal. Just because your plot outline says: A) Sandra meets Derek, B) Sandra falls in love - does that mean Sandra must fall in love on p.2? Nah. Does she have to MEET Derek on p.2. No! Then when? Well, you get to decide Now how should they meet? Ok my plot outline says: Sandra spills coffee on Derek's jeans while he was rushing to work. Hmmm now that's a bit boring - could I make something else happen without deviating? Sure, have Derek slip on some black ice after fuming about the coffee, have Sandra try to wipe the coffee off his crotch and have yourself an awkward and hilarious moment. My point is - OF COURSE you can deviate from the plot! Trust your writer's instinct - to be honest, it's very rarely wrong. Also, it is often only after you've got your plot outline and are writing when you finally realise some events don't fit, or another event would be a better or smoother idea or create more tension, or actually the order of this is bad. That's ok. Plots are like plants - they grow, they change, they shape themselves. Let it change. Stories are living, breathing things. The good gardener doesn't force the plant a certain way - he gently moulds and guides the plant by snipping here and pruning there and watering that. It might not come out exactly as planned - but it will come out glorious nonetheless, perhaps even more so than you had originally intended.
Perhaps you are concentrating too much on the events of the story, and not enough on the motivations of the characters, reason/results of the situations etc. A plot is not just a timeline of happenings. You can have an entire 80,000 word novel where only one or two main happenings "occur" and the rest is character exposition, for example.
I would say that you needs some sub-plots or red herrings to take the reader away from the main plot. This is a tricky endeavor because you don't want to bore your reader and it must stay relevant to the plot or characters persona. Something else to think about, is in real life nothing is, or very little, is achieved on first attempt nor is it always possible to finished a task without being interrupted but someone or something else. 'Life happens when you're busy making other plans' Without knowing what you are writing or even what genre it is it is difficult to advice.
@Cazann To clarify some things, it is a fantasy genre; to blandly put it, it's about a group of privateers looking to conquer a vast amount of land for a empire called The Dominion. I like your idea of sub plots, even to the extent to using that sub plot to create a sequel to the work, because I plan on finishing the dilemma in the first novel. @Madhoca I really like this idea, and I think mayhaps you're right about focused too much on the events. I intended to keep the story going with plot and the plot on, for the sake of carrying on. And I think after reading this comment, I've actually opened up my writing for a perfect opportunity to pull this off! I have many characters in my novel, so this might be something I'll be looking forward to doing. Thanks "Just because your plot outline says: A) Sandra meets Derek, B) Sandra falls in love - does that mean Sandra must fall in love on p.2? Nah. Does she have to MEET Derek on p.2. No! Then when? Well, you get to decide" I don't exactly have my plot down to a plot line, but I do know where my story is heading. But great advice none the less (I was thinking about heading into that direction, lol) "It might not come out exactly as planned - but it will come out glorious nonetheless, perhaps even more so than you had originally intended." This is exactly what I was hoping from the moment I squeezed out the first sentence. I was intoxicated when I did it, but I think I have enough to carry on. Yesterday, after posting this, I was fortunate enough to squeeze out another two pages (which is the most I came up with in over two weeks). So I'm glad to know my story hasn't died, nor the sense of freshness I want to provide. I think what I was most afraid of was creating dulls moments, yet avoiding to rush the entire story.
