When you have explored all the important ideas for writing a book,and believe you've got the foundation for your story well in hand, it is time to get down the task of actually writing your book. As I've touched on in other articles, characters are an important element associated with this process. Nevertheless an equally important feature is plot structure. How does one develop a plot that is engaging enough to keep your readers turning pages? In my opinion, the solution to this question still revolves around charaters: knowing how they will act in a fixed set of circumstances and, most importantly, understanding what they need.
Let's face it: understanding what drives your characters has more to do with creating an fascinating plot than just about anything else. That is due to the fact that understanding this vital piece of knowledge helps you with the second essential aspect of plot development: establishing conflict.
Let's suppose for instance that your lead character is a military man who has been injured in Afganistanâ€"perhaps he's lost a leg. Let's also suppose he thinks foul play is involved with his injuries; he believes that they resulted from another soldier wanting to kill himâ€"perhaps someone who's got something to gain by his dying.
What is our protagonist poised to do with this info? Here's where conflict comes in. Does he investigate the circumstances and have a conversation with the person he thinks is setting him up? Does he even know who it is that did it, and why? And if he does have this knowledge, will facing this person be sufficient. Perhaps our hero suspects a buddy he joined the unit with, one he learns has been having an affair with his spouse. This of course would add a totally new layer of conflict, with its own set of possible resolutions.
These conflicts will unavoidably lead us to another requisite element of plot development: suspense. As your protagonist maneuvers the various roadblocks placed in front of him, readers will be compelled to keep turning pages to discover how things are going to turn out. Additionally, as your personality responds to these obstacles, he will endure change, another strong facet of plot development, and a key to engineering great suspense. How will these conflicts change him? Can he remain a good person and use restraint when he learns that his spouse has been cheating on him with his best friend and that this supposed ally tried to kill him? Or, conversely, will he take steps to try and even the score?
However you choose to end your story, if it is done correctly , it will build the suspense necessary to keep your readers turning pages. And, after all, that's the goal here: the goal of developing a highly engaging plot.
Let's face it: understanding what drives your characters has more to do with creating an fascinating plot than just about anything else. That is due to the fact that understanding this vital piece of knowledge helps you with the second essential aspect of plot development: establishing conflict.
Let's suppose for instance that your lead character is a military man who has been injured in Afganistanâ€"perhaps he's lost a leg. Let's also suppose he thinks foul play is involved with his injuries; he believes that they resulted from another soldier wanting to kill himâ€"perhaps someone who's got something to gain by his dying.
What is our protagonist poised to do with this info? Here's where conflict comes in. Does he investigate the circumstances and have a conversation with the person he thinks is setting him up? Does he even know who it is that did it, and why? And if he does have this knowledge, will facing this person be sufficient. Perhaps our hero suspects a buddy he joined the unit with, one he learns has been having an affair with his spouse. This of course would add a totally new layer of conflict, with its own set of possible resolutions.
These conflicts will unavoidably lead us to another requisite element of plot development: suspense. As your protagonist maneuvers the various roadblocks placed in front of him, readers will be compelled to keep turning pages to discover how things are going to turn out. Additionally, as your personality responds to these obstacles, he will endure change, another strong facet of plot development, and a key to engineering great suspense. How will these conflicts change him? Can he remain a good person and use restraint when he learns that his spouse has been cheating on him with his best friend and that this supposed ally tried to kill him? Or, conversely, will he take steps to try and even the score?
However you choose to end your story, if it is done correctly , it will build the suspense necessary to keep your readers turning pages. And, after all, that's the goal here: the goal of developing a highly engaging plot.
About the Author:
Michael Snow is the writer of ZION'S WEB, the premier novel in the Zachariah Burton detective series. As well as writing novels, Michael maintains a blog site which contains some engaging and illuminating blogs including tips on writing a book.
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