Reddit Reddit reviews Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish

We found 11 Reddit comments about Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

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Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish
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11 Reddit comments about Plot & Structure: Techniques and Exercises for Crafting a Plot That Grips Readers from Start to Finish:

u/AllThatJazz · 9 pointsr/SpaceXLounge

Wow! Like you, I have a fascination with SciFi, and I'm actually writing a SciFi novel!

It's great to see others so inspired with the genre.

And certainly everything that's been happening lately in rocket science and astronomy certainly seems more and more like we are increasingly living in a SciFi story!

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But yes, I was just curious: is this going to be your first short story?

Do you happen to have any favorite authors in the SciFi genre (and outside of it)?

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ALSO...

in terms of your questions above, I was noticing that many of them seem to overlap with ideas explored in this amazing youtube channel by Isaac Arthur.

I think all aspiring SciFi writers will gain a lot of insights into the possibilities (mostly according to known laws of physics) about the future.

So that channel has helped me a lot in shaping out some of my own SciFi ideas.

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ALSO... just to address one of your questions above... (since you asked!)...

For the price per KG to LEO, that's a pretty intense specific and intricate detail to put into a short story.

Of course, for your story to work well, you don't actually need to have any highly intricate facts/figures measured out that specifically.

A lot of great SciFi stories and novels don't.

BUT... then again, a lot of great SciFi stories and novels do!

I am thinking of Andy Weir's amazing SciFi novel "The Martian", and he certainly put a lot of mathematical and intensely intricate figures like that in his novel, and he made it work well!

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But keep in mind...

If you do decide to put highly specific and intricate figures in your story, and see if that works... then you're going to increase the research levels of your workload, and ideally, it would be nice if you could talk with someone who knows a lot about it, here in subreddits like this one.

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NOTE: one solution for you in terms of dealing with an intricately accurate SciFi story, is to simply write a lot of the story first...

Then after that, you do your research.

(And then you do a lot of rewriting of your story!)

So for example, for the KG to LEO, you just pick a semi-educated number yourself (without researching it initially), and then when the story's done you can really pin it down more accurately.

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I mention that because sometimes even great authors admit they can get carried away with too much research at the beginning... neglecting the story/characters/plot development, which of course are the most important elements of the story!

But then again... some authors say they become greatly inspired when immersing themselves into research... and the research actually suggests story and character ideas...

So I guess it's a balance, and also knowing what is your own best way of working...

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NEXT...

I noticed based upon all your questions, that's quite a vast world/universe you are building there!

And that's a great thing! It means you're greatly inspired by this story you want to tell, and so that's a good sign that your story is going to be a good one.

BUT... for a short story, that might be a lot of subplots and locations. Maybe too many?

If all of those locations figure as key scenes in your story, intricately described (I mean you've got Moon bases, Mars bases, and space stations going on here!) then that's certainly a lot of topics to cover in a short story.

To me, it seems that your world building is approaching the level of an actual SciFi novel, rather than just a short story.

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So one way to handle this... might be for you to write a novel instead!

(NOTE: if you want to make a living as a writer ultimately, then you'll have to do it with full length novels, rather than short stories anyways. Novels are where the money is! There are some exceptions to that rule... but not many.)

But ya, in your novel, you could develop a lead character, that has adventures or journeys from Earth, to the moon, to Mars, and beyond.

Of course your character will need to be driven by something... a desire to find something... or to avert a disaster, or whatever...

Initially your main character might not even consciously know he or she is being driven to achieve something, and avert something... but gradually comes to realize it... or maybe your character knows right from the beginning and is one a determined quest and mission...

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NOTE: Just because I'm of the opinion that you might have too much territory to cover in a short story, and you may want to consider an actual novel instead...

doesn't mean I'm right!

There are indeed some short stories that have a huge scope of the Universe as the background landscape, and a character races through a vast universe... or through a vast time-scape...

and it's achieved all in one compact nice short story!

So... ultimately... don't listen to me if you disagree with any of my tips!

(I'm just throwing tips and ideas at you because you asked!)

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EDIT: FINALLY...

I would highly HIGHLY recommend this book to you, since you seem very serious about writing this story of yours:

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Plot and Structure (by James Scott Bell).

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NOTE: as a writer, you don't have to agree with everything he says. (In fact you shouldn't!)

BUT, if you read this book, then it will give you a strong edge, to be able to push a "good story" or "good novel" into becoming "a GREAT story" or "GREAT novel"!

Reading this book, could be the edge you need to become a best selling author!

It will give you great insights into the psychology of your readers, and w
hat compels them to become obsessed by your story, making them not want to stop reading... and keep turning those pages late into the night!

u/legalpothead · 5 pointsr/scifiwriting

Good on you for stepping into it. There are lots of would-be SF/fantasy writers who spend years and years on worldbuilding, but somehow never quite get around to the actual writing of the novels.

As it turns out, worldbuilding is the fun, easy part of writing. The actual writing is the terribly hard part. Because when a person starts writing, their writing is shit. When you read back over what you've written, it's full of awkward phrases and boring cliches, and the dialog is so bad it's unreadable. Lots of new writers look at their output and get depressed, and then because they have no idea how to improve their writing, they retreat back into more worldbuilding.

The solution is you have to keep pushing it out, every day. Your output gets better with experience.

If there's one book that inspired me to write better, it's James Scott Bell's Plot and Structure. The ebook is $10. Put that on your phone and take a week to read it through. This book is part of a writer's tools series. I also have Characters, Emotions and Viewpoint by Nancy Kress and it is also good. You might do well to look at that entire series.

Then there's a book by Mary Buckham I think is indispensable, Writing Active Hooks. Learning how to use hooks is a critical part of a fiction writer's skill set, but no other book I know of tackles the subject head on. You set a hook to keep your reader interested, and before that one times out you can set another one, pulling your reader deeper and deeper into your book. It's the secret weapon you have to have.

u/steel-panther · 5 pointsr/writing

There are plenty of books like this. https://smile.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1538987966&sr=8-4&keywords=James+Scott+Bell

Personally, I'd stay away from actual college classes, and look more to local workshops or cheap online courses like from writers.com I think it is.

My main recommendations revolve around self help books like that above, and actually reading other people's fiction. I believe that will be the biggest help to you based on my own experiences.

u/m0nk_3y_gw · 4 pointsr/writing
u/hugemuffin · 3 pointsr/writing

Here's the deal, you don't know what you don't know about your story.

Maybe you're an outliner, maybe you don't know how to build a scene, maybe you don't know your character's motivations.

Writers block is not a lack of a muse, it's your brain realizing that it is short of something and needs some knowledge to press on.

Depending on how you want to approach this, you have to know the basic unit of storytelling which is the scene. Research it, practice it, do it. From there, build your scenes into plot. Or do that in reverse and build your plot and fill it with scenes. Learn how to make characters into people.

I also like wired for story since it fills the gap between plot and scene by focusing on characters and how they fit into story.

Sitting in a chair, putting sentences in front of you is good, doing so with a bit of knowledge is better. Without knowing how to build scenes, make characters, and plot out a story (even as a pantser or discovery writer), you will get discouraged and flail around in the dark.

Listen to the writing excuses podcast and try out their various tips on novel writing, they have a three act structure that is good but their talk on it is crap. This is better.

You can't place up walls well without blueprints, you can't build walls without carpentry skills, and you can't finish a house without effort. Writing a novel is similar.

TL:DR Educate yo-sef. Keep writing while you're learning. Your first draft will be crap, but it will be worse crap if you go into it blind.

u/makesureimjewish · 2 pointsr/writing

i read these two books, hugely helpful:


link 1

link 2

i know everyone has their opinions about the best books but i really enjoyed both and they're very motivating

u/Emberwake · 2 pointsr/gamernews

Happily. Here a few few quick resources I found for you:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plot_(narrative)

http://www.storymastery.com/articles/34-ten-simple-keys-to-plot-structure

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/how-to-structure-a-story-the-eight-point-arc/


And here a couple references that might interest you if you want more detail on what we generally expect from fiction:

http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X

http://www.amazon.com/Writing-Fiction-Guide-Narrative-Edition/dp/0205750346


Now, I hope you don't mind if I assume you may feel that I have attacked your opinion of ME3 with my comments. It wasn't my intention to say that you can't enjoy it. Hell, I'm happy for you if you did. But there is a real difference between enjoying something and believing it is good.

In the case of ME3, we can see that some of the most well established principles of writing, thematic and structural elements which are integral to the crafting of a quality narrative, have been abandoned.

If you honestly want to know more, I'd encourage you to take a course in creative writing, or even better, in literary history. With a little background and perspective, you can start to understand why some books, films and games seem to be lacking and why others have a stronger appeal.

EDIT: As I look at your post again, I wonder why you are asking me for specific examples at all, when I have clearly outlined a major structural failing of the narrative in my last post. Oh well, maybe this additional information will be of use to you anyway.

u/BorisGuzo · 2 pointsr/writing

There's no easy answer. Here are a few starting points.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDwieKpawg
Pixar's Stanton on story

http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X
Great book by James Scott Bell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcmiqQ9NpPE
Part 1/5 of series by Dan Wells, you can find the rest, all are good.

I hear you, don't give up.

u/Cdresden · 2 pointsr/WritersGroup

I recommend you get James Scott Bell's Write Your Novel From the Middle. It's a quick read; you can download it and probably finish it in an afternoon on your phone or tablet. With this idea, you build the framework of your plot around the main character's personality. Later, you can start filling in the specifics.

If you like his writing, a more in depth treatment can be found in his Plot and Structure.

u/AidenJDrake · 1 pointr/writing

Plot and Structure By James Scott Bell: Far and away one of the best book I've ever read on writing.
http://www.amazon.com/Plot-Structure-Techniques-Exercises-Crafting/dp/158297294X

I actually just started Techniques of the Selling Writer by Swain, which I have heard great things about but I haven't read far enough to give my own opinion.
http://www.amazon.com/Techniques-Selling-Writer-Dwight-Swain/dp/0806111917

u/pier25 · 1 pointr/escribir

Hola, he leído las primeras páginas.

El principal problema en mi opinión es que no tienes trama y te pierdes en la exposición. Como muchos autores noveles, parece que quieres engatusar al lector con tu prosa poética en lugar de usar las técnicas narrativas básicas.

Está muy bien tener ideas respecto a la situación del personaje, el mundo, etc, pero necesitas una trama para sostener eso y mantener al lector interesado. Como dicen en mi pueblo, estás empezando la casa por el tejado.

Yo te recomendaría que trabajaras en historias más cortas enfocándote en la trama antes de emprender una novela o novela corta.

Este es uno de los mejores libros que he leído al respecto. Está en inglés, no sé si lo hayan traducido al español.

Otra recomendación que te daría es que no busques retroalimentación de amigos y familiares a menos que ellos mismos sean escritores. Lo más probable es que ni sean honestos contigo ni sean capaces de darte una crítica que te ayude a mejorar.