Tuesday, June 23, 2009

My Quote

"A novel is born several times and dies several times, before it takes its final life form."
Manjiri Prabhu

Imagination to Ink : Plot

What is a Plot? The dictionary meaning of a plot is : an interrelationship of the main events in a play, novel, film etc. Another meaning is a conspiracy or a secret plan.
Within a novel, a plot is exactly that – an interrelationship of the main events, which give rise to a conflict between the characters (sometimes a conspiracy) and which leads the story to a climax, resolving the conflict.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that a plot is the core of the novel. It is the HEART of your novel and a very crucial element. A good plot is made up of many virtues. It has to be gripping and interesting to keep the reader hooked. And, of course, it has to be convincing.
A gripping plot is usually a combination of the following :
P for Planning and Pacing
L for Logic
O for Originality
T for Technique
We all know that a story needs a beginning, a middle and an end. And so, it is very important to plan the layout of your plot. How is the story going to begin? Is the conflict in your plot revealed immediately or is it exposed gradually? Is it introduced through characters or situations? At what point is the conflict going to rise and climax? These are some of the questions you need to answer, which will assist you in planning the layout of your plot.
Also, what is going to be the pace of your story? Is your plot going to be fast paced, or slow-paced? A thriller usually is fast-paced, whereas a romance can be relatively slow in pacing.
Another crucial feature of the plot is Logic. The events unfolding in your plot have to be logical. The sequences that will lead from point A in the story to point B, should be logical and convincing enough to clear the doubts in the minds of the reader, as he continues to read. At no point should the reader feel – “Hey! this is impossible! This can’t happen!” or “this is too much, no one will ever behave like that!” Of course, you are free to experiment!.
Indisputably, Originality of the plot is a must. You may love a particular character or a story that you have read. But although you may be inspired by it, under no condition can you copy any part of it! You’ve got to be original, by trying to create a plot which is absolutely incomparable! I agree that this is the most difficult part of a plot. But not impossible. If others have done it, why can’t you?
And last but not the least, comes the technique of writing out the plot. The style and the narrative techniques will hold your plot and novel together, making it an interesting read. Sometimes even off-beat techniques can take an ordinary story to great heights!
Well, in short, you have to understand, that for a good plot you need to Plan and Pace your story in a Logical and Original manner, using different Techniques in writing.