Questions tagged [plot]
Plot typically refers to the events and their ordering in a work of narrative fiction. Use this tag for questions regarding plotting, outlining, and narrative arcs. Be aware that questions asking users to come up with plot details for you are off-topic.
34 questions from the last 365 days
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Which option would best fit my episodic series?
So I have this base idea of this story about a vampiric, tentacled monster(s) that put people into a dreamworld/illusion/matrix called Reveries so they can feed on their blood. It also follows a man ...
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Stuck on a scene of characters going from one location to another
So the context is that two characters have to go from Country A to Country B. They have to travel through various airports and take a cab in order to reach Country B. The main story starts after they ...
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How do I know if I’m plagiarizing? [duplicate]
Ok, hi everybody! I hope this bodes over well. It all started when I was worldbuilding for my novel tonight and I was thinking about a few things. I made a nation, a backstory for the nation, and a ...
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How do I start my characters dream / What do I need to start my characters dream
I'm trying to write a backstory for my character but somehow I can't think of how or what place to start his dream because I'm currently new to writing stories
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How and where do I start writing my novel?
I've been creating stories in my head since I was very young. When I was around 8 I started writing it in a notebook (didn't go anywhere), when I was around 12 I started typing up a story with my ...
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I'm worried that people won't take my animation series seriously because of the fandom
I'm currently working on my own Indie animations series, Space Hazard, but don't know if anyone will take it seriously.
For the most part I was inspired by series like Murder Drones, Helluva Boss, The ...
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I wanna start making scripts for my own Indie animation series, but can't find a good way to start it
I've been stumped for a few days on beginning my script for Space Hazard. I chose to begin writing with my biggest inspiration being Rodamrix. I already had a whole universe of ocs out there, but ...
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How can I have two plots progress on different rates of time?
My story starts with a bunch of characters in a group, and relatively early on they split into two sub-groups who go on their independent adventures, there's geography separating them. So Group A has ...
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How to not make my series repetitive?
I'm working on a fantasy book series of around 8 books, (might grow, might shrink, I don't know) about a girl who grew up in our world but gets sent by her parents to the fantasy school that they went ...
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How many plot twists are too many plot twists?
In my book so far, I have tried to limit my plot twists. With the neighbor being the antagonist, and as well as a friend, would it be too much to reveal that the neighbor and his friend that is now ...
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Tropes to prove a character loyalty and make them in a position to become a leader
I have a problem bridging two parts of the book. I need to make a character some kind of hero that has admiration of the country.
In my story, the character is a "wizard". Wizards are meant ...
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Would it count as a story if nothing bad happens to the character anywhere in the story?
Most stories follow this simple rule: Hardship occurs to main character and main character attempts to get through hardship. Character either gets through hardship or other hardship happens and plot ...
user64012
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Am I allowed to write a continuation of a book series/story I like? (Ex. Harry potter, Amulet, Wishtree etc.)
So I am a writer and I personally like to take ideas from other stories and make them my own. Of course I won't copy something obvious like "Once upon a time there was a boy name Parker Peter who ...
user64011
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What's the difference between short stories and novels with plot?
I am asking this question as someone who has read many short stories and novels, so in theory, I should know the difference between the two.
However, I have found it difficult to write short stories/...
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How to plot a memoir?
I have a fair amount of material (incidents, characters, places) that would perhaps amount to a memoir or Bildungsroman. But readers, including myself, seem most attracted to narratives with a plot. ...
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How do you find an ending to a partially finished plan for a novel?
My planning process is beginning to take a little more form now and I have a good amount of ideas, characters and wotnot to begin writing (knowing me I won't and I'll procrastinate but I digress). The ...
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I need help writing a murder scene in first person [closed]
So the chapter starts like this:
I continued to sip my coffee as he choked on his own blood. It was bitter - both the coffee and the look permanently etched onto his face.
I want to write a seamless ...
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How should I introduce a crush on a friend?
I am writing a fanfic about these two childhood friends, but I don't know how to really introduce their crushes. Character A has a huge crush on Character B, which is the only reason why Character A ...
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How should I choose what happens to my protagonist?
The main plot of my story is that a girl named Arabella signs up for a dance competition and practices for weeks. Fearing that the other dancers are too good, she invites them over to a practice ...
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Showing the readers what the villains are doing in 3rd person
I am currently writing a YA detective mystery. It involves a group of detectives who work to keep their city safe, but there is an organization that has infiltrated every level of the government. They ...
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How do romantic relationships in books work?
Now, I'm not asking this as in a "I'm new to writing and I want a tutorial" but more in a "I'm aromantic, have never had any crushes, and I have little to no knowledge on how romance ...
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Can I write a character that does not technically exist? They are an alter identity(?) of another character
I’m currently planning my characters, and wanted to grab some opinions.
I’m planning to have three main-ish characters, where the third character is more of an alternate identity of the second ...
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What is the difference between the points in a three-act structure
I've recently come across the three-act structure, and it seems pretty helpful. My only confusion is that a few of the points in each act look fairly similar.
Here is the version of the three-act ...
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How and when do you reveal information about your character?
Similar to my previous question 'How/when do you reveal a big secret to the reader,' I'm looking more specifically at the first few chapters and when to reveal anything, not just big secrets.
For ...
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How do I include a woman on her period in a Fantasy novel?
One thing I want to see more of in Fantasy exploration books is mentioning the necessity for 'emptying ones bowles' and women on their period - human reproductive systems will generally not change ...
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Are there any theories as to what makes a story's premise good or compelling?
John Truby, in Anatomy of Story, says you shouldn't write a story that doesn't have an exciting premise.
But what makes a premise good, bad, boring, compelling, or exciting?
This is what Truby says ...
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How to Structure a Series of Books? Can the Hero's Journey be Used?
I'm working on a franchise universe that will form the base for a wide range of interconnected stories told via different media. I plan to loosely base each separate storyline on the concept of the ...
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How/when do you reveal a big secret to the reader using first person or third person viewpoint?
How and more importantly when do you reveal a major secret about the character?
My character is a mythical species, highly valuable for both intel and magical properties, however she is humanoid and ...
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How to make a story not just constant action?
How do I write it so that the MC isn’t just facing conflict after conflict, but make it not seem like filler. I get that there needs to be SOMETHING going on, but at the same time they can’t just be ...
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How do I determine if the premise of my story is believable?
This post is part advice and part discussion.
How do you determine if a story's premise is believable?
Is the believability of a story's premise more of a demographic thing? Do people determine how ...
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How do I fit the scene ideas to the plot?
I have lots of very cool and developed scene ideas, but when I think about them, they seem to be seperate from the plot. It's like instead of the protagonist sailing on a boat down a river, they're ...
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How do I turn my Imagined-Daydream-Fantasy-Book into an Actual Book
Problem
I love writing and I love reading. I also love coming up with all sorts of books/films in my head so that if I'm bored in real life, I can just dive into my imaginary book/films to entertain ...
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How do you create an emotional attachment to a character who never appears?
Main Question
My protagonist, Dannie, was taken from her home for 7 years. The story starts when she escapes and follows her journey home. Dannie discusses her home with her traveling companion, and ...
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Writing a short story set in a real museum - how much can I include?
I have written a short story set in a museum in Ireland. It is a private museum that contains various displays and sculptures. I am happy with the story and would like to submit it to a few journals/...
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