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Welcome, Writer, to the second installement in my Five-Steps-to-a-Novel-Promgram. Once again, my name is Hailey Myers and I am thrilled that you have decided to continue on in your writing process. Perhaps you've already completed all the exercises up to this point, but if you're still looking through and wondering if this is something you can actually achive, I'm here to tell you that is and you can!
Plot is by far the most daunting part of the noveling process because it makes up your entire story and if it's the slightest bit boring or overdone, readers will offer you no mercy. However, I have a simple outlining process that have been used thoughout the years by all the great authors we aspire to be.
Some writers prefer to charge into their new manuscripts head first without planning at all, but for first-time novelers and novelists who are especailly cautious to begin writing, a clear strutcture to follow can be extreamly helpful.
Of course, there are thousands of outlines that you could follow out there, but today we will look at just one method. It's called the Three-Act Structure, and it is inspired by the popular technique used by screenwriters. There are a few variations of it, and we will follow the most simple version which splits all three parts into equal sections.
If you follow this outline exactly, with a chapter for every element of each block, you will end up with twenty-seven chapters in total. Looking at the whole thing just sitting there probably is a bit scary, and that's why I'm here to break it down for you while using my Yaweh story as an example.
In the first act it is essentail to introduce your Protagonist in their world, which we will discuss in the next lesson, and set the scene for what's to come.
In the Introduction you jump into your characters story, adding the essentails while still advoiding a full-on info-dump. - This is where we will see Yaweh kiss his parents goodbye before heading off to school. Little peices of information about his backstory will be included.
The Inciting Incident is the thing that really beings your story, the thing the novel could not survive without. This happens in every well-known story; Tris chooses Dauntless; Harry gets the letter; Katniss volunteers as Tribute; the list could go on for days. - In my sample story, the Inciting Incident is where we introduce the Antagonist, Balan (this is the name of a powerful king of Hell, which goes to show why naming is important). Balan will ask Yaweh to skip school to run some errands with him, claiming that it will bring him joy if he agrees.
The Immediate Reaction is just that; the character's inital reaction to the Inciting Incident - Yaweh agrees to Balan's proposition because his selfless personality forces him to.
In the Reaction, your protagonists reflects on the possible long-term outcomes of the Inciting Incident. - After realizing that he's not going to get home any time soon, Yaweh considers the conseqenses of his choice to follow Balan.
After that comes the Action in which your character must do something based on their thoughts in the Reaction. - Yaweh decides to follow Balan around dispite his worries.
Next is the Consequense which is whatever happens right after the Protagonist handles their Reaction. - Balan is thrilled and sets out to mess around as much as possible with Yaweh who is traditionally raised and the polor opposite of Balan.
Block Three starts out with Presure, in which stress starts building up due to the Action. - Yaweh rides in Balan's car and is forced to listen to rap music. He's begining to regret his discison, but convinces himself to stay put for the greater good.
Next comes Pinch, which is your novel's first plot-twist. You want it to be something unexpected that will take the story down a different path than before. - Jokingly, Balan asks Yaweh to kill a jock who bullied him once ... and Yaweh agrees.
Now is the Push. It's called this because the Protaganist should be pushed into uncharted territory as a result of the pinch. - Balan, who did not think Yaweh would do as he was told in the slightest, scrambles to cover up the murder.
This act is mainy centered around conflict and is likely to be the most important puzzle piece of your novel.
The new act begins with New World, which allows your Main Character to assess the situation his is now in. - Yaweh internally panics over what he has done, but externally acts calm and continues to do whatever Balan tells him to.
Just when your characters lives aren't looking too ideal, you can let them have a break in Fun and Games. - Balan and Yaweh flee from their home town and stop at a diner a ways away for some coffee. There, they have a light discussion on their morals and upbringings, causing them to bond.
After that comes Old World Contrast, where the Protagonist compaires his/her new world to the old one. - A Televison in the diner shows a reporting of the newly missing teen that the boys killed and they flee again, disscusing what their next move is to be.
The Build-Up is the chapter that is meant to set up everything the way it needs to be for the Midpoint. - Yaweh, diven by his need to keep Balan safe and happy now that he's invested, steals his car and drives back to their hometown in the middle of the night.
In the Midpoint, there should be an event that negatively impacts your Protagonists life or one that changes them very dramatically. - Yaweh turns himself in.
Now we turn to the Reversal, which is the event that takes place immediately after the Midpoint. - The police temporarily lock Yaweh up in the town jail.
We now have another Reaction, where the character considers the long-term consequenses of the Midpoint. - Yaweh realizes that he's going to be in jail for the rest of his life and that his parents are probably dissapointed in him even though he was just trying to do what they told him to.
Time for an Action! - Balan attempts to free Yaweh by blowing up the jail and succeeds, though injuring Yaweh in the process.
After the Action, the Protagonist dedicates him\herself to something, usually sucession at their ulimate goal. - Back on the road, Balan and Yaweh make a pact to stick together no matter what happens next.
The final act is the resolution act, where loose ends demand to be tied into pretty knots. Entering it signifies the closeness of then end of your novel.
Although the third act of your is the act where everything comes together, it should start out with Trials. You can use this time to make your character do something they've never had to do before. - Far away from the blown-up police station, Balan tries to treat Yaweh's injuries while keeping him out of sight of the public.
Now it's time to work in another Pinch or plot-twist that is unexpected and makes everything a bit more difficult for you Protagonsist. - Balan is identified as Yaweh's accomplice by the police.
The Darkest Moment is where your characters should think that all hope is lost. This is caused by whatever happened during the Pinch. - Yaweh and Balan realize that they are now wanted criminals
The next plot point is Power Within in which you Protagonist rehashes their Dedication and finds the will to carry on. - Yaweh and Balan look back on everything that has happened to ge them so far and relaize that it's time to take:
Action! Heres's where your character does something after relaizing that he\she can. - The boys decide to stop running and face their battles face-to-face.
The Converge is where you start to pull your story together and get everything in the state it needs to be for the final block. - Balan drives a still slightly inqured back again closer to where the blow-up was.
It's time now for Battle. This could mean the tradition Good vs Evil or a more contemporary verbal fight between friends. - A large part of the area's police force and the boys have a showdown in the parking lot of a Wendy's.
The final Climax of your novel is your story's point of no return. Whatever happens here will influence the end of the novel. - Balan and Yaweh take their eyes off the battle for one second and both get shot.
Resolution is the event that takes place as a result to the Climax. - Yaweh and Balan die.
Using the basic structure, you can craft a fast-paced story that always keeps your reader wondering what's to happen next! In the next lesson, we'll discuss Setting.
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