KLOSURE: the resolution, often achieved through unexpected turns, that ties diverse aspects of the story together in a way that satisfies the reader that the story is complete. OBSESSION: a goal that is important to the main character ĬOMPLICATIONS: the obstacles, generally building on each other, encountered by the main character while pursuing the goal LEAD: a main character with something that makes him interesting, whether likable or not I can’t condense the entire workshop into a few hundred words, so I will stick with one of the concepts instead: that all plots, come down to the LOCK.Īll plots can be condensed down to (or designed starting from) four elements: Afterwards, Marian Allen asked if I would share the results on her blog – and hence, you have this blog post. Last weekend I shared that learning in “The Plotter’s Workshop” at Imaginarium, the amazing writer’s con held in Louisville, Kentucky. Rather, it’s something that can be learned, and I’d managed to do it. Yet, The Kirkus Review called my second novel, Choices, “a tense and well plotted sequel,” and the Midwest Book Review said I had “a native talent for imaginative storytelling that … readers will find unfailingly enjoyable and engaging from beginning to end.” In other words, I learned that plotting isn’t a mysterious gift that you have to be born with. After a hard-fought battle, my first novel, Foreseen, received positive professional and reader reviews, but I wasn’t sure I could ever get there again. To fix that, I had to painstakingly learn how to make a plot work. I’m great at creating characters and events that entertain and intrigue the readers, but despite a lot of effort, the early manuscripts of my first novel lacked a sense of completeness. You might expect an instructor on plotting to be naturally gifted. She does workshops on it, and I would have loved to attend at Imaginarium, but I was busy as a … as a busy person.Īnyway, here’s Terri-Lynne.

She writes, and she writes about writing.

I’m delighted to have Terri-Lynne Smiles with me today.

Foreseen by Terri-Lynne Smiles