{"id":22489,"date":"2019-12-17T03:00:27","date_gmt":"2019-12-17T11:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/?p=22489"},"modified":"2019-12-06T05:16:37","modified_gmt":"2019-12-06T13:16:37","slug":"your-plot-its-not-just-what-happens-by-kay-keppler","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/writersfunzone.com\/blog\/2019\/12\/17\/your-plot-its-not-just-what-happens-by-kay-keppler\/","title":{"rendered":"Your Plot: It\u2019s Not Just What Happens by Kay Keppler"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Your<\/a>Let\u2019s welcome back monthly columnist, editor, and novelist, Kay Keppler<\/a>, as she shares with us \u201cYour Plot: It\u2019s Not Just What Happens.” Enjoy! <\/em><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Back when I was in an MFA program<\/strong>, our instructor had us watch this video<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Longer versions of this presentation exist, but this two-minute film gives you the idea.<\/p>\n

For those of you who skip the video,<\/strong> here\u2019s what it\u2019s about: the writers of South Park<\/i> explain to a class of NYU students how they write the series. They say it\u2019s about \u201cbut\u201d and \u201ctherefore,\u201d never \u201cand then.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trey Parker and Matt Stone mention that each episode of South Park<\/i> has thirty scenes, and those scenes aren\u2019t just any action scenes that happen in a sequence. Each scene must be connected to the next by cause and effect (the but<\/i> and therefore<\/i>). The action of the second scene is a consequence of the action in the first.<\/p>\n

Plot Comes From Consequences<\/h2>\n

For example,<\/strong> let\u2019s say your story starts like this: \u201cMaribel tried to shove open the barn door.\u201d<\/p>\n

Therefore, as a consequence<\/i>, your second scene might start: \u201cShe picked up a rock and smashed the lock.\u201d<\/p>\n

And then,<\/strong> therefore, as a consequence<\/i>, your third scene might start: \u201cFarmer Joe ran after her with a pitchfork.\u201d<\/p>\n

Each action after the first one is a consequence of what happened in the scene before it. The implied therefore<\/i> is the choice the character makes that sets up the next goal and scene.<\/p>\n

Advance The Action and Build Your Plot<\/h2>\n

Another way to advance the action and build your plot is to connect your scenes with a metaphorical or literal \u201cbut\u201d\u2014a contradiction that demonstrates conflict.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/strong> \u201cFarmer Joe saw the damage Maribel did to his barn and ran after her with a pitchfork, but<\/i> Maribel threw a bale of hay at him and escaped on the tractor.\u201d<\/p>\n

The situation Maribel found herself in\u2014chased by an angry farmer with a pitchfork\u2014forced her to make a choice.<\/p>\n

In this case, would she fight or surrender?<\/p>\n

With a \u201cbut\u201d construction, your characters make choices about the conflict in their path, which leads to reaction (what will Farmer Joe do now?) and then the next action.<\/p>\n

What Doesn\u2019t Work in Building Plot<\/h2>\n

What doesn\u2019t work in building plot, as Parker and Stone say, is writing scenes that could connect with an \u201cand then.\u201d<\/p>\n

In these scenes<\/strong>, actions don\u2019t depend on the actions of other characters.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no response and no consequence.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/strong> \u201cMaribel tried to shove open the door. And then<\/i> she saw a car swerve off the road.\u201d<\/p>\n

An \u201cand then\u201d scene sequence is random\u2014it\u2019s action, but it isn\u2019t a story.<\/p>\n

If you want, and you\u2019re careful not to prolong it, you can use an \u201cand then\u201d to change the direction of your story.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/strong>
\nMaribel tried to shove open the door, but<\/i> it was locked.
\nTherefore<\/i>, she smashed the lock.
\nTherefore<\/i>, Farmer Joe ran after her with a pitchfork.
\nTherefore<\/i>, Maribel escaped on the tractor.
\nAnd then<\/i> she saw a car swerve off the road.
\nTherefore<\/i>, she drove over to check it out.
\nBut<\/i> the sheriff arrested her.<\/p>\n

The \u201cand then\u201d in this sequence brings the action to a halt\u2014and that\u2019s okay for the very short run, as long as you get back to the characters\u2019 actions and the consequences of those actions.<\/p>\n

One thing to look out for<\/strong>\u2014it might seem that some actions are consequences because they can be tied with a \u201cbut\u201d or a \u201ctherefore,\u201d but in fact, they are not direct consequences.<\/p>\n

For example:<\/strong>
\nMaribel tried to shove open the door, but<\/i> it was locked.
\nTherefore<\/i>, she smashed the lock.
\nTherefore<\/i>, Farmer Joe ran after her with a pitchfork.
\nBut<\/i> he tripped and fell.<\/p>\n

Farmer Joe\u2019s falling\u2014his failure to capture Maribel\u2014had nothing to do with any action of Maribel.<\/p>\n

For true conflict,<\/strong> when Farmer Joe chased Maribel, she needed to do something to save herself.<\/p>\n

If she threw the bale of hay at him, and he tripped and fell, that works. But if he tripped and fell on the uneven ground of the pasture all on his own, that\u2019s not conflict.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s all about cause and effect, but <\/i>and therefore<\/i><\/h2>\n

Your story starts with an action, and your protagonist reacts to it, which forces the antagonist to respond to that<\/i>. If an action doesn\u2019t provoke a response, then that action is pointless to the plot. It isn\u2019t moving the story.<\/p>\n

To make your plot work<\/strong>, focus on what your protagonist does<\/i>, his or her actions<\/i>, rather than feelings.<\/p>\n

\n

Feelings are motivations. They aren\u2019t plot.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Check out your scenes.<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve linked them with but <\/i>and therefore<\/i> responses, then you probably have a sound plot that\u2019s driving your story.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

ABOUT THE AUTHOR<\/h2>\n

\"On<\/a>Kay Keppler<\/a> is an author Zero Gravity Outcasts<\/a><\/em>, Betting on Hope<\/a><\/em>, Gargoyle: Three Enchanting Romance Novellas<\/a><\/em>, and editor of fiction and nonfiction \u2013Angel\u2019s Kiss<\/a><\/em> and Outsource It<\/em>!<\/p>\n

She lives in northern California. Contact her here at Writer\u2019s Fun Zone in the comments below, or at kaykeppler@yahoo.com<\/a> to ask questions, suggest topics, or if you prefer, complain.<\/p>\n

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***<\/p>\n

More popular articles by Kay Keppler on Writer’s Fun Zone:<\/strong><\/p>\n