In literature, a plot is the series of events that make up a story, sometimes you’ll find events in chronological order, but often times events will be arranged in a way that creates suspense, interest, or surprise. Crafting a compelling plot for your novel can take time and practice is rarely, if ever, done right in the first draft. Whether you’re a plotter or pantser, plotting is an essential art form in the novel-writing process. Here are some tips for crafting a compelling plot for your novel:

Determine the story’s genre and tone

What riveting narrative are you longing to share? What genre does it fit best in? Are you aiming to create a lighthearted romance or an intense psychological thriller? As you determine the genre and tone of your novel, it will help to narrow down the choices for characters and plot points as you continue writing. The genre can be broadly defined as the type of story, while the tone refers to the overall mood or atmosphere of the piece. For example, a story that is classified as a tragedy will have a very different tone than a comedy. Similarly, a horror story will have a different feel than a romance.

Challenge: Take a few moments to brainstorm and commit your preferred writing genre and tone to paper.

Start by brainstorming ideas and creating a list of plot points

One of the most important steps in writing a novel is developing the plot. Without a well-constructed plot, the story will lack direction and tension, and readers will quickly lose interest. There are many different ways to approach plot development, but one helpful method is to start by brainstorming ideas and creating a list of potential plot points. This can be done either individually or with a group of people. Once you have a list of potential plot points, you can start to arrange them in a logical order and expand on each one. This will help you to establish the conflict and resolution of the story, as well as the various subplots and challenges that your characters will face along the way. By taking the time to develop a strong plot, you can ensure that your novel will be engaging and enjoyable for readers from beginning to end.

Challenge: List 15-20 potential plot points for your novel. Choose the most interesting ones and save the rest in a safe place in case you change your mind.

Develop a strong inciting incident

Once you know you’ve come up with several plot points, it’s time to develop an exciting and attention-grabbing inciting incident. This is the event that kicks off your plot, sets the stage for what follows, and gets readers hooked. It should be something unexpected or shocking, such as a death in the family or a major life change. The inciting incident also serves as the beginning of your protagonist’s journey, so it should be something that will propel them into a new world of action and force them to make choices.

Challenge: List 5-10 potential inciting incidents for your novel, then choose the one that best captures your protagonist’s journey.

Create tension and suspense with plot twists

One of the best ways to keep readers engaged and turning the pages is by adding plot twists. These moments add unexpected turns, new insights, or reversals of fortune to your story. The key is to create enough tension and suspense that readers are eager to find out what will happen next. Plot twists can be, but don’t have to be overly complicated; they can be as simple as a character revealing an unexpected secret or a surprise discovery.

Challenge: Brainstorm 5-10 potential plot twists for your novel and jot them down. As you write, think about which ones could work in the story without feeling too contrived or forced.

Determine the climax of your story and how it will resolve

In every story, there is a point of highest tension, when the protagonist is faced with their greatest challenge yet. This is known as the climax. The climax is followed by a resolution, in which the conflict is resolved and the story comes to an end. How the climax and resolution are handled can make or break a story, so it’s important to give them careful thought. Will the protagonist triumph over their obstacles? Or will they be defeated? And what will be the consequences of their actions? These are all important questions to consider as you determine the climax and resolution of your story. With a well-crafted climax and resolution, you can keep your readers engaged until the very end.

Challenge: Brainstorm 5-10 potential climax and resolution scenarios for your novel. Choose one that fits the tone of the story best and make sure to consider how it will affect your characters and their journey.

Take your Main Plot Points and Develop the Remaining Scenes

In between the inciting incident, plot twists, and climax/resolution lies a world of scenes and action that will help to propel your story forward. These are the scenes, the smaller plot points that move the story from one point to another. Each scene should have a purpose and add something new to the story, whether it’s giving readers more insight into a character or advancing the plot in an interesting way. Keep track of all of your scenes and make sure they link together like pieces of a puzzle.

Challenge: List 10-15 potential scenes for your novel and decide which ones are absolutely necessary for propelling the plot forward and engaging readers. Make sure to consider how each scene will affect characters, settings, and actions.

How to know when you’re done plotting your novel

There’s a common piece of advice given to writers: always be plotting. And while there’s certainly truth to that advice, there’s also such a thing as plotting too much. So how can you tell when you’ve plotted enough? Here are a few signs that you may be ready to start writing your novel:

-You’ve reached the point where making any more changes would just be nitpicking.

-You’re starting to get bored with your own story.

-You find yourself making excuses not to work on your novel because you don’t want to mess up what you’ve already plotted.

-You find yourself making changes to the plot that would dramatically change it. This often leads to the temptation to rewrite what’s already been written to match the new idea.

If you find yourself in any of these situations, it may be time to stop plotting and start writing. Of course, there’s no harm in doing a little bit of extra plotting before you begin, but at some point, you’ll need to take the plunge and start putting words on the page. Otherwise, you’ll never finish your novel!

Conclusion paragraphs: Plotting a novel can seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t have to be. With these tips, you’ll have the structure and guidance you need to craft an engaging and compelling story. Brainstorm plot points, determine crucial scenes and twists, and decide on a climax and resolution – all of these elements will come together to create a powerful narrative that readers won’t soon forget. So get plotting today – your story is waiting for you!

Writing a novel is an exciting journey filled with adventure, discovery, and challenge. By taking the time to plan out your story ahead of time with careful thought given to each character, setting, and plot point, you’ll give yourself the best chance of writing a successful novel that readers love.