Learn the Art of Plotting
A novel, or a long story, can sometimes be written and completed in a rush of excitement. We may begin writing with great enthusiasm, only to lose our sense of direction somewhere along the way. Yet even this rush of emotion often seems to arise from a poetic map that quietly guides us. We might think of this map as a code or a metaphor. This, in essence, is what we call story structure.
When a story structure does not emerge naturally from within the writing, we can also create one consciously. Once we have created that structure, it can itself begin to excite us, provoke us, and propel the writing forward. It becomes the force that drives the story.
This technique is not about following a formula for writing stories. Rather, it is about thinking deeply about the story and, through that process, stirring something fundamental within ourselves — an emotion, an impulse, or an idea that we can then bring to the surface.
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This is why many writers consider planning story structure to be a fundamental exercise in fiction writing.
This is what I will be exploring in this Sunday’s workshop.
If you are interested, you can join the workshop by paying a small participation fee and submitting your details through the Google Form.
See you there.
