On the road

Finishing Sarah Waters’ Affinity reminded me how important good plotting is for good storytelling.  Sometimes as writers we can get a bit lost in one character or another and forget that keeping the story moving is important too. 

Think of plot as the road that leads you from one end of your piece to the other.  Too many diversions or roadworks and you get a little confused or a little lost.  Ask yourself as you’re writing, Where is this going?   Some writers will even benefit from a map – plotting out their route from start to finish.  Others like to take the road as it comes.  Either way, keep in mind that you are going somewhere… Sarah Waters is a planner, a map maker.  And reading her work, you can see just how well it serves her.  Here are her thoughts on plot –

I pretty much had the whole plots worked out before I began writing; the exciting part, then, came in discovering how my characters felt about each other, and about the (sometimes dastardly) things I needed them to do. (Sarah Waters)

And here are 3 practical plot tips from me:

1- Keep your characters doing something.  Too much sitting around and staring out the window is deathly for your plot.

2- Each scene should move the story forward in some way – even if it’s only a small step.  Think about how the scenes connect to each other and how one leads into another.  Be ruthless in cutting out scenes that don’t serve your story.

3- Read well plotted books.  Learning from (and being inspired by) writers like Sarah Waters is part of your job as a writer.