A Simple Tool to Design Your Plot for Novelists
It’s not too early to start planning for Nanowrimo!
Welcome to an 8-post series on preparing or planning your novel for Nanowrimo (or anytime.)
This series is part of our PLAN YOUR NOVEL: 30-Day home study course and annual October workshop, now in it’s fifth year. Details at the bottom of the post.
Today is the seventh in an 8-post series on preparing your novel for Nanowrimo. In today’s post, we focus on a simple tool to design your plot called “Problem-Solution.”
If you missed it, the first step in your novel preparation is your elevator pitch and the second step is crafting your story synopsis. The third post on preparing your characters is here. The fourth post is here on world building. The fifth post on plot and story building tips is here. The sixth post is a unique way to develop conflict in your story for pantsers here.
Keep in mind: Take note of your genre (yes, read and study it!) and review the information you drafted about your characters and your world.
Time to budget: I recommend you spend at least of 20 minutes to do this exercise for your story. Set the timer to make it fun and help you focus.
Design Your Plot with the Problem-Solution tool
I wanted to write a novel, but I didn’t know where to begin. So I used the book The Weekend Novelist as a guide to write every weekend. This book got me writing and planning and muddling through my first book.
One of the tools I really liked was the “problem-solution” tool, helping me design my story plot in a quick way.
Since plot was so confusing to me, this tool helped me get a handle on it.
Here’s how it works:
What’s the starting problem of your story?
What’s the solution to this immediate problem?
What problem is caused by this solution?
Create a new solution,
which creates a new problem.
This leads to a new solution,
new problem…
etc. until you get to your story resolution.
Design your plot with the problem-solution tool and find your way into your story. Tell us how it went in the comments below.
YOUR TURN
Brainstorm your story’s problem-solution series. It doesn’t matter if it’s “right” or “wrong.” What matters is that it’s written.
Share fun details or your Ahas in the comments below.
You can also post it on my Facebook page to enter into fun weekly giveaways.
Want help planning your novel?
It’s not too early to start planning for Nanowrimo and consider joining us in our upcoming Plan Your Novel 30-Day Writing Challenge. We start October 1st.
You can also do this course anytime in the home study version here.
