How to write plot, nr. 2
Jul. 7th, 2004 11:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lobelia321And here's what Jane Smiley says about plotting and revising:
From Jane Smiley's chapter in J. Checkoway, ed., Creating Fiction:
Hidden in the rough draft are all the answers to the writer's questions about the material. But all the questions have to be asked, and they are not asked until the whole arc of the story is complete on the page. So push all the way to the end of the first draft, no matter how awkward this draft seems.
The first idea you need to give up when you begin to revise is that you know what this story is about. The story has now made the first step in separating itself from you. It will not live unless it separates itself entirely, and it can't do that unless you are receptive to what it is trying to be.
The rough draft is neither good nor bad. It is simply a work in progress. Judging it is not your job. Understanding it is.
What is usually missing in works by inexperienced writers is the whole arc of the plot. A plot is a simple, formal, organizational device that almost always develops some sort of conflict.
A plot has 4 parts: exposition, rising action, climax, denouement.
This seems to dictate a certain traditional type of story but, in fact, even the most experimental fiction contains answers to these questions [concerning plot].
Often the ending of the story doesn't work. You cannot fix this by working on the ending, but only by working on the beginning.
A missing climax is also a frequent problem. It is a confession that you don't know what the conflict is or what it means.
The good news is that plot problems can always be solved. They are technical in nature. They are about the story being a story, not about you being you.
Style goes along for the ride. You do not need to work on your style in the sense that you need to use original language. You only need to work on your style in the sense that you need to use precise language.
From Jane Smiley's chapter in J. Checkoway, ed., Creating Fiction:
Hidden in the rough draft are all the answers to the writer's questions about the material. But all the questions have to be asked, and they are not asked until the whole arc of the story is complete on the page. So push all the way to the end of the first draft, no matter how awkward this draft seems.
The first idea you need to give up when you begin to revise is that you know what this story is about. The story has now made the first step in separating itself from you. It will not live unless it separates itself entirely, and it can't do that unless you are receptive to what it is trying to be.
The rough draft is neither good nor bad. It is simply a work in progress. Judging it is not your job. Understanding it is.
What is usually missing in works by inexperienced writers is the whole arc of the plot. A plot is a simple, formal, organizational device that almost always develops some sort of conflict.
A plot has 4 parts: exposition, rising action, climax, denouement.
This seems to dictate a certain traditional type of story but, in fact, even the most experimental fiction contains answers to these questions [concerning plot].
Often the ending of the story doesn't work. You cannot fix this by working on the ending, but only by working on the beginning.
A missing climax is also a frequent problem. It is a confession that you don't know what the conflict is or what it means.
The good news is that plot problems can always be solved. They are technical in nature. They are about the story being a story, not about you being you.
Style goes along for the ride. You do not need to work on your style in the sense that you need to use original language. You only need to work on your style in the sense that you need to use precise language.