Writing Tips - Story Plot

Jan Fields, ICL web editor, has published in many and varied children’s and family magazines including Boys’ Quest, Highlights For Children, Shining Star, Crayola Kids, Ladybug, Single-Parent Family and Charisma-Life.  Though she began her career writing for adults exclusively, she was soon lured into the challenging world of children's writing. Jan has taught adult and children’s writing for over twenty years. In addition to this busy schedule, Jan is the editor of Kid Magazine Writer e-magazine. She is a member of the SCBWI and a repeat speaker at local SCBWI conferences. Her articles about writing have been published both in print and online markets such as Keystrokes, Byline, Children’s Writer, and Children’s Book Insider. Her first middle grade novel is presently in production with DRG Publishing. In her spare time, she sleeps.

"A Plot is More than Interesting Stuff Happening"

by Jan Fields

As an instructor, I read a lot of manuscripts filled with great settings, interesting characters, and stuff happening. But sometimes they don't have a plot. Hey, they have stuff happening, how can that not be a plot? A plot is purposeful stuff happening. Let's look at some common plot myths and the realities of plotting a publishable story:

That's what really happened -- so it's a plot. Nope, in fact, trying to base a story on something that "really" happened is tough because reality is a kind of "anti-plot." In real life, each day is full of stuff happening -- and most of it doesn't follow any purposeful pattern except chronology. But plot is about purposeful actions where every element builds tension and meaning toward a resolution. When the resolution happens, you know immediately. There is a sense of "ah, that's done." Real life doesn't offer that very often.

It all happened to my main character -- so it's a plot. Nope again. It's great that you keep the focus on the main character -- that's important. But a plot is more than following a character as stuff happens to him/her. A plot is about the specific choices and actions made by the main character BECAUSE of the specific need/goal/situation of great importance, and the main character's actions will change things. A plot doesn't have room for the passive person very often.

It all happened in a single day -- so it's a plot. Lots of newer writers create "a day in the life of" stories, where they simply follow a young character through the ordinary stuff in the day. The story opens when the child wakes up and closes when the child goes to bed. That does offer a sense of form, but plot isn't about the passage of time, it's about purposeful action and choices to a given end.

But my story will help kids respect their parents/grandparents/elders. Actually, it won't. If real-life isn't teaching a child that, a story won't do it. Besides, part of the business of childhood is acquiring the skills to be an adult. The most important of those skills is problem solving and dealing with consequences. As parents, that's hard to let kids do (even then they're imaginary character kids) so we have adults swoop in and solve the problem in the name of teaching the reader that parents are wise or helpful or whatever. But we're short-circuiting the purpose of the plot -- we aren't helping the reader gain problem solving skills along with the character. That's one reason (and there are many) why you don't have adult character lecture the young characters into the story solution.

My story teaches an important lesson, so it's a plot. Nope, lessons aren't plots, and sometimes they're anti-plot too, unless you've very subtle. We learn things from adult fiction all the time. In historical novels, I may learn things about the time period. As I see a character struggle and overcome a problem, I may gain insight for my own life. As a writer explores a theme, I may gain a new perspective. But these are side effects, not plot. A plot is a story...if told well, it will be deep enough to reveal truth. But if told badly, it may just be a lecture...at that point, it fails as a plot.

Okay, smartie -- than what is a plot? A plot is a series of actions by the main character in response to a conflict; actions that are vital to the resolution of the conflict. Say my main character is a moth whose life is spent trying to reach the moon -- the most beautiful light the moth has ever seen. No, logically, that moth is never going to reach the moon. It isn't going to happen. But something about the actions of the moth in response to that longing for the moon *is* going to bring about the story resolution. Maybe, by striving for this impossible dream, the moth builds a life of adventures that he shares with the other moths. Someday, he gives up on his dream, only to hear a story told about himself -- a story that brings hope to another young moth with a dream. And the main character realizes that the journey toward his dream has become enough...so he turns away from the original goal, and gets a new one in his old age, to encourage creatures in following impossible dreams. Okay, it's a hokey plot, but it would actually be a plot (even though it contains a lesson) because no one solves the story problem but the moth and the end grows out of his actions and decisions.

To find the plot, imagine your main character in front of you and ask him -- what do you want most? What is your biggest problem? What are you going to do about it? There in lies your plot.

Good luck with it.

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