How Plotted is your Nano Plot?

Myrealana · Oct 31, 2016

I have two books mostly plotted, and I'm going right up to the last minute deciding which one is really my NaNo novel.

In one, I have 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 -- It's basically a Man v Nature story with a spaceship lost in time and space, so I guess I have #6 - SPACE. (Yeah, mate, I know we're in space.) But, I haven't worked out how they're going to fix it. I have two options in mind, but heck, by the time I get to the end, another one might present itself.

In the other one, I have all seven, but I'm not sure of the level of threat my antagonist really presents. I'm kind of thinking I've created a short story problem in a novel-length outline. I need a bigger challenge.

Maggie Maxwell · Oct 31, 2016

Surprisingly, I have all seven. I guess I intuitively don't start writing until I have all of them. Those aren't usually enough for me though. I don't feel confident unless I have a scene-by-scene idea of where I'm going. I can go off-track, but I have to know where the tracks are first. Aaaand I've kinda not laid them. I'm actually worried about this year. Gonna give it my best shot, though. I don't like to lose.

Sage · Oct 31, 2016

I wrote them out in a quote-able form:

1. A knowable protagonist who will fascinate readers
2. A problem that needs solving/goal that needs reaching
3. An understanding of your protag's inner/outer desires
4. Interesting/workable locale
5. Menace/threat hanging over the protag
6. An antagonist
7. How it all will turn out

GeneBWell · Oct 31, 2016

I sat down and wrote out the chapter names for every chapter in the book. 23 chapters plus a prologue. If each of the chapters (and prologue) were the same length (which they won't be) that'd put them at about 2080-ish words per. That's good. Much shorter than the chapters I've been writing for another MG novel I'm working on. Hopefully trying to keep within those kinds of bounds will help me make shorter, punchier, more focused chapters.

The chapter titles are a good reminder to me of what each one is supposed to contain, but I think that's as far as I'll go for plotting before-hand. I'm ready to jump right in! Tomorrow could not come soon enough.

CoffeeBeans · Oct 31, 2016

Sage said:
1. A knowable protagonist who will fascinate readers Hopefully. I think so?
2. A problem that needs solving/goal that needs reaching Yes
3. An understanding of your protag's inner/outer desires outer desire, totally. Inner might evolve a bit
4. Interesting/workable locale concern! Real world setting, in a place I've never been. Upside, a lot of the story is away from the "home" location
5. Menace/threat hanging over the protag Yes.
6. An antagonist Eeeeee. I have one, who might be mostly off screen. (makes her more of a 5, in addition to the one I have...) I have an actual villain/bad guy who doesn't actually stand in the hero's way, but has a different goal.
7. How it all will turn out I have two options. I'm willing to let that happen how it happens....

Put on a list like that, I might be feeling a little less confident! I have them all in a way that I can work with, even if they aren't 100% set in stone. I think I'm okay. I'm a pretty hardcore plotter, so we'll see if the cake rises.

(Thanks for the quoteable Sage!)

KateSmash · Oct 31, 2016

This morning I only had 1 and 3. Now, thanks to just talking at a dear writer friend all day, I think I actually have the rest. Without having to rip out as much of the old stuff as I'd previously though. Woo.

Sage · Oct 31, 2016

Sage said:
I wrote them out in a quote-able form:

1. A knowable protagonist who will fascinate readers
2. A problem that needs solving/goal that needs reaching
3. An understanding of your protag's inner/outer desires
4. Interesting/workable locale
5. Menace/threat hanging over the protag
6. An antagonist
7. How it all will turn out

1. I hope that Hale will fascinate readers. I think he has more relatable quirks than his inspiration.
2. I maybe have too many of these. I have ones that come from the source material, and ones that come from my development beyond it.
3. I feel like i have this for the protagonist, but only him.
4. It's all about the locale. I'm going to develop this one more as I go, and I'm more nervous about the other locations than the main one.
5 & 6. The source material doesn't really have these, but I developed this some more. It's really the LI(s) who have the biggest threat hanging over their heads and an antagonist. Thanks to this checklist, in fact, I developed the antagonist to being involved with the other problems in #2
7. Happily ever after, of course!

Mary Love · Nov 1, 2016

Sage said:
7. Happily ever after, of course!

For ever and ever??! The best kind! :hooray:

I actually do not have that kind of ending this go around, much as I love it as a reader. But I'm the writer now. Mwuahahaha :evil

Sage · Nov 1, 2016

I like bittersweet endings, but this is based on a 1950s musical, so happily ever after.

Lillian_Blaire · Nov 1, 2016

I'm not sure I can say how fascinating people will find my protag. I guess I'll have to work on that as I go. I HOPE she's interesting. Her love interest is. Anyway, other than that, I feel fairly confident in all seven. Except I might have to rework the ending a little because as of right now, it may may be a touch too cliche. But a lot can happen in the next 48,000 words.

Myrealana · Nov 4, 2016

I'm scrapping the space novel. It's just not working.

Moving over to the weird west and starting from scratch today! WooHoo NaNo in 27 days.

No problem.

Sage · Nov 4, 2016

Keep those words at the top of your document, just highlight them or use strikethrough or something

Lady Cat · Nov 5, 2016

I pretty much have #7. - I know how it's going to end. Sort of.

It took me until yesterday to settle on a name for my MC. Which is probably why I'm about 6,000 words behind at this point.

How Plotted is your Nano Plot?

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

Maggie Maxwell

Making Einstein cry since 1994

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

GeneBWell

CoffeeBeans

KateSmash

this was a triumph

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

Mary Love

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

Lillian_Blaire

Procrastinator Extraordinaire

Myrealana

I aim to misbehave

Sage

Supreme Guessinator

Lady Cat