Need a Killer Plot? Try This!

It is said that there are just three basic plots you have to work with in your writing. These plots can be multiplied to create another 10, 20, 30 but these are only variations on the basic ones. But actually there is just one real killer plot. master this and you will on your way to success in writing your novel.

If you look on the shelves at bookstores (or online databases) the basic plots are man/woman vs. a machine, or man/woman vs. mother nature, or man/woman vs. himself/herself and so on. Of course there are a lot of books that offer variations on those themes and that’s where you get into the large numbers of variations of plots.

But no matter how many plots the publishers say they love, it often always boils down to one killer plot: The Quest.

No matter what genre of fiction you’re publishing, readers and publishers love The Quest. The entire story should be devoted, directly or indirectly, to the protagonist achieving their goal by going on a quest. That’s where all the interesting stuff should take place.

The quest could be anything. It doesn't have to be traveling to far off lands to slay dragons, (though it could). It could be a psychological thriller where the hero/heroine is trying to fight off their inner demons.

Of course it does need to be an interesting quest, and a worthwhile goal. Just running down to the corner fast food joint to get a hamburger, fries and a pop might be a quest, but there is no real interest here as it is accomplished without true conflict.

However if you add a bit of conflict or obstacles that our protagonist has to overcome, say a band of gypsies come and kidnap him/her and take him to another country and now he/she has to make it back home before dinner time. Now you have a story, okay a bit far fetched, but still there is a quest here.

The idea is to present the character, the goal and the obstacles early to build interest. But don't give too much away, just enough.

Ideally, the goal should grow into something so important that the future of the world hinges on its achievement and there is the risking of life and limb in the exchange. But again not always when we are dealing with our inner quests.

It is important to identify the motivation, he why of the goal. What is the reason for this quest? Bettering oneself? Finding out where the gypsies keep their gold? The best hamburgers in the world? It can start out simple enough, like doing someone a favor, etc. But the motivation better grow, become important and all consuming and fast. Remember, the world hinges on the achievement. The motivation, the goal and the quest all grow in size as the story progresses.

Next of course comes the quest itself, whether it is scaling mountains to capture the evil scientist and rescue the world, or to overcome drug abuse make it as detailed as possible so we feel the protagonist's pain, frustration, elation and joy during the struggle.

So when writing fiction, follow the quest strategy for plot development. It’s almost always a sure-fire winner.

Come back next time for more tips, tricks and techniques to assist you in your writing,marketing and sales efforts. Remember we're all in this together and I'm pulling for you.

Mahalo.

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Using Time As Your Will Writing Ally

When you sit down to write there are two powerful time tools you can call upon: the obsession and the deadline. Both are useful and if used right they will help you get the kind of results you want. However each should be used at different times and for different occasions. If you do use them, you’re almost guaranteed you’ll never have any problem writing that book of yours and more than likely in record time. But if you're new to writing and you’re just learning how to write a book you may not be as familiar with them as you’d like, and not know how or when to use them correctly and to your advantage. Here’s some tips on how using them and the amazing results you can expect to get with each.

First there's “The Obsession”. This has nothing to do with some muse sitting on your shoulder or the mythical wonder of inspiration. Let's say that several months ago, just for a fleeting second or two, a thought popped into your head that you’d decided to write a book about it someday. Perhaps you had the topic or story idea all fleshed out in your mind and you knew exactly what you wanted to say.

And then, POOF, the moment was gone. Just like that.

Then a few weeks later, out of the blue, the thought to write a book came back but this time it lingered for a minute or so. A month after that, it was a 15- 20-minute daydream. Now it has become all you can think of. You’re driven by who knows what, but when you wake in the morning, it’s on your mind, and it stays there even after you fall asleep, haunting your dreams. This is the obsession of writing your book you need.

The result of this process is almost magical. One day you’ll sit down and you’ll arise, refreshed, a few days later, with your entire book completed.

How do you bring this obsession about? It’s not difficult. After you’ve finished reading this article, just think about the book you want to write, if only for a few seconds. Write it down on a scrap of paper or even better a “to-do list”. Tomorrow, remind yourself to do the same. As well as the day after that, and the day after that.

Each time, think about your book for a longer and longer period. After just a few days, you’ll start to see that the thoughts are coming by themselves, now. And you’re giving them more and more time.

Don’t write, just think. Watch as the thoughts become an interest, the interest into a passion and the passion into an obsession.

This is the kind of technique I hear about when other writers tell me they couldn’t believe it but they just sat down and before they knew it, the book was writing itself and without thinking about it, it was nearly half done, or even completely done.

Now on to the deadline for writing your book. Here’s the logic behind this strategy. If you give someone all the time in the world to do something, how long does it usually take them? That’s right, all the time in the world.

Giving yourself until next week to accomplish something is a good start, but I’ve learned that the shorter the deadline, the more impending the goal, the easier it will be to accomplish that goal.

So, instead of saying that you’ve got to finish your book in a few weeks, or this chapter in three days, I tell myself that I have an immediate deadline of five minutes to produce 200 words. I’ll be able to master that only if I have a substantial blueprint for my book, and if I write (er.. type) as quickly as I physically can. If you write 200 words in five minutes, you’ve got a 10-page chapter in just 75 minutes of writing. That’s progress.

Start using time as you’re ally, rather than your enemy. If you can master either of these techniques, you can write your book faster than you ever thought possible. If you get control of the time factor you will make it happen if you let yourself.

Come back next time for more tips, tricks and techniques to assist you in your writing,marketing and sales efforts. Remember we're all in this together and I'm pulling for you.

Mahalo.

********************************************************************

For environmentally smart resources to help you with your Online Business check out

http://www.renspubhouse.netii.net/products.html

Fast easy resources to help you with your marketing, save a tree by not wasting paper, be environmentally correct and have some fun and learn something to boot!

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