But this is not exactly the type of plot I had in mind when I decided to blog about plot. I'm talking about the plot that drives your story. Oh! Yeah! THAT plot! Without a plot, there is no story, no matter how scintillating your characters are, no matter how witty the dialogue, how sparkling the description---there must be a reason for everything those scintillating characters do, a reason for the witty dialogue and the sparkling description. Without a good plot, you may as well try to drive your car without first turning on the ignition.
Plot needs conflict, much like a car needs gasoline. For more about conflict, please visit the following links:
Creating Conflict in Romance Novels (one of my Squidoo lenses)
Conflict and Resolution in Romance Novels by Linda Shertzer
Internal Versus External Conflict
Romantic Conflict
No Conflict=No Story
Yeah, that's a lot of links just for conflict. Aside from the initial idea itself, conflict is the most important part of any story---the defining element of any plot.
So...Plot...What goes into it besides conflict? Characters. Setting. Goals. POV. Motivation. Pacing. Flow. Plot is a good, all encompassing word for what it is, because if we called it "Jambalya," we'd be hungry all the time. Hunger is what we want to elicit in our readers---a hunger to read MORE. So maybe we should call "Plot" "Jambalya" instead, anyway. If we build a good Jambalya, like the edible dish itself, we'll have a nummylicious, spicy concoction on our hands that will tease, entice and satisfy. Just be sure that anything you toss into the pot enhances, clarifies or somehow otherwise contributes to the tastiness of your Jambalya...er...story. :D
For more about Jambalya...er...PLOT...please visit the following links:
Plotting Your Romance Novel
Choosing Your Plot
Plot Whisperer for Writers and Readers
Romance Writers Offer Tips (newspaper article)
The Mechanics of Writing Romance Novels (one of my Squidoo lenses, this one with all sorts of information.)
I'm fond of links, yes, I am. LOL. Why? Because, searching out articles on any given topic gives me a chance to read, refresh and relearn or learn something new myself.
Yesterday, in attempting to help a friend figure out how to work on her new blog at wordpressdotcom, I started a new blog. Because I clearly need another one, obviously. Thought it might be a good place to track my writing habits. So, here it is: Diary of a Book in Progress. We'll see if it actually helps me or if it turns into another procrastination destination. Comments are always welcome, here on this blog, and on my new one.
Happy Writing!
Easy reading is damn hard writing. ~Nathaniel Hawthorne
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