Tag Archives: plotting

Developing Ideas: One Path from Idea to Draft

Posted on September 3, 2015 by J. Sevick

You start with an idea, a glimmer in your eye, a shimmer in the void, a vague sense of maybe… It may be a single image, a lone character, an interesting what if? You poke and prod, squint and twist, … Continue reading →

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Analysis Paralysis: Killing Your Novel Before It Dies… Or Even Lives

Posted on February 13, 2015 by J. Sevick

[So there were zero votes in last week’s poll… which I take as the entire internet choosing the secret fifth option: “Don’t care, nobody reads this crap anyway.” Which is probably for the best of humanity, so… For now, I’m … Continue reading →

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Random Thoughts on Writing Romance

Posted on January 21, 2015 by J. Sevick

Exactly what it says on the tin. 🙂 Romance plots come in three types: Major plotline (sometimes only plotline)—the conflict generated by this romance, as well as the scene time dedicated to resolving the conflict, makes up a major portion … Continue reading →

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Staring into the Abyss: Finding the Plot

Posted on November 17, 2014 by J. Sevick

So you have an idea. Maybe it’s a character, maybe it’s a world, maybe it’s just a genre—or maybe you’re lucky and it’s a conflict. If you’re anything like me, ideas are everywhere. But stories are harder to come by. … Continue reading →

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Threat-Protection Storylines

Posted on October 17, 2014 by J. Sevick

In my copious notes on finding ideas, I stumbled across a type of story or plot that I have to admit I particularly enjoy. I’m not sure why… But beyond that, I think it’s a fine tool for possibly coming … Continue reading →

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MacGuffin Plotting

Posted on August 15, 2014 by J. Sevick

A MacGuffin is an item that becomes the central focus of the plot—despite the fact that it doesn’t really matter what it actually is. It has become a staple feature of blockbuster films, even though some call it lazy plotting—but … Continue reading →

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Epic Heroes and Cliches

Posted on August 14, 2014 by J. Sevick

I really could not think what to post about today… So you get some random notes I made on epic heroes! Congratulations… 🙂 Heroes and Epic Fantasy Clichés A lot of times, heroes (almost always male) will start in one … Continue reading →

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How to Develop Themes

Posted on August 5, 2014 by J. Sevick

If you’ve ever taken an English class, you have probably talked a lot about “theme.” Some teachers call it a one-word topic, like “love” or “individuality”; some call it a phrase or message, like “love conquers all” or “crime doesn’t … Continue reading →

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Fostering Unpredictability

Posted on July 30, 2014 by J. Sevick

Similar to unoriginality, there is a certain amount of automatic backlash when something is predictable. This is mostly critical backlash, as opposed to mainstream backlash, as predictable stories like romances and action films can still be hugely successful. But someone, … Continue reading →

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Writing Crappy Plots: The Key to the First Draft

Posted on June 26, 2014 by J. Sevick

It’s common writer wisdom to write rough first drafts. Just get through it, no matter how bad. And at the level of the sentence, the paragraph, the words, it’s not that hard. I can accept that these sentences don’t have … Continue reading →

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