The Plot Thickens

I am writing this off the cuff. Normally, I spend an inordinate amount of time to think, ponder, and reflect before I put the words down. Call it the forever preparer or someone who like to know beforehand exactly what they are going to write. For this, I have had this in mind to write for some time, but not the details. And then it hit me this morning.

You have got to do this!

So here I am. Sitting at my PC putting my thoughts and ideas to good use. Follow along on the journey and let’s see where it takes us.

A good plot keeps you entertained. A great plot keeps you on the edge of your seat guessing on what happens next. An out of this world plot makes your hairs stand up and question whether a small tidbit of information will play out later or a remark made in passing has a deeper meaning.

The point is that a really well developed story and the underlying plot has twists that you may not recognize at first, questions what you just read, wonder if something else is at play, and absolutely makes you say, “WOW,” when what you thought you knew turns out to be something else entirely and makes the book.

Talk about taking the reader for a cross country joy ride at 100 miles an hour! And in a rickety old truck waiting for the wheels to fall off.

You can read a thousand self-help books or writers formulaic pieces in blogs or books on how you should do things specifically in order to write. Sure. Go right ahead.

But, if we all write the same way, using the same frameworks and formulas, doesn’t it then become each book or novel is exactly the same, just like regurgitated televisions shows, and all you are doing is swapping out locations, characters, and details?

Who wants to read that crap?

Originality and breaking the mold is a writer’s greatest gift. If you are simply looking to be like everyone else and sell millions of books for pure entertainment, then be a sheep and part of the flock.

Go ahead. I dare you.

However, why would you if you want to be the best writer that you can be? Why would you not want to be a leader, an example, someone who creates and weaves an intricate masterpiece that is entertaining and makes your reader pay attention to the minute details? The smallest things, just like in life, are the fanciful snippets of juiciness that draw your audience to you and your writing style. You have to be you, otherwise you are just a drone. And drones get shot out of the sky.

A plot is like an expensive Persian rug, woven with care one piece of wool at a time. At first glance you see nothing but strings and color. As the process of laying each strand meticulously in place happens, you begin to see a pattern develop. By the time the wonderful artifact is completed, you have a picture in front of you.

But did you pay attention the whole time?

What you thought was a common pattern was in fact a deception. Walk to the other side of the loom and your eyes begin to see the colors shift, the pattern not real. A different canvas emerges entirely, and then it hits you.

That is what I was supposed to see!

Call it the sleight of hand approach. Think of it as a magician who is working the stage where you have to pay attention the entire time to try and catch the trick. You focus and focus and all of a sudden, the tiger appears and you have no idea how it happened. You tried, but the show was so great and had you on the edge of your seat that you got lost in the excitement and missed it.

That my dear friends, is how you want to construct your plot.

It is very much the way I like to write and a theme in my work. Truth and lies are gray areas. What a character believes is truth or reality is not always the case. Much the same way in life, things are not always black and white. There are shades of color. How we present the information and details in our books is what sets us apart. For me, my characters have a backstory that plays into who they are and how they live. They bring with them certain moral groundings if you will and their ideal of right and wrong.

These are all based on their experiences.

What makes the plot are the details, the snippets of backstory tied into the now. The passing thought or observation. A dialog exchange with another character. A focus on an object, reference to one. As I say often, there is a method to my madness. I like to paint enough of the canvas with vibrant colors to paint the picture. But maybe its pointillism, thousands of intimate dots that upon close inspection all run together and you cannot see a damn thing. Step back and something might reveal. A few more steps and a shape comes into focus. Six feet and a collage of activity smacks you in the head.

You can lead your reader the entire way and lay it all out.

Or, you can take their hand and give a small push and let them go on their own. Discover as they wander. Provide a sentence here and there with something that on the face, has no real significance. As the story moves along, another piece confronts you. As a reader you then have to think, are these things tied together? Or is it just happenstance?

The point is that as writers we can be so transparent that the ending is foretold ten pages in. Or, we can pretend to be transparent while in reality we have false narratives at work, deception at the highest levels, all countering each other. Not in a convoluted way.

No.

Intricate. Thoughtful. Really draw a reader in because of the details we present. Call into question, “Is that true or not?” A plot is perception just like life. And for our characters their perception and how that affects their experiences is what makes a tantalizing plot!

So as you read my latest novel pay attention to the details. Listen to the dialog. Leave your own ideas of truth and lies at the door. Fiction is taking what is real or true and twisting it into a narrative that fits into my story. Nothing is as what it seems. What is an example of a plot that dives into the abyss? I’d say something like this.

A boring plot point playing out.

“The building stood next to the park. John walked over to it and looked inside the window. He saw movement and decided to investigate.”

Yawn!

This sells it!

“The old dirty gray building, dilapidated from years of neglect, stood like a relic next to the city park. The contrast of crumbling stone next to the backdrop of green rolling lawns and tall stoic trees with a color rainbow for fall leaves, drew John to it. Dusting off one of the front windows, the grime thick like sludge in spots, he glanced through, expecting nothing but junk and debris. A quick movement, a flash of shadow or was it a glint of light, he wasn’t sure, caught his eye. Scared stiff, but curious who lurked inside, John decided to push his fear aside and find out.”

Wow!

Now that is the way to write a compelling bit of story for the plot. You read that paragraph and wonder what happens next. It has feeling, context, and details to paint an image that you see in your head. Not over the top, but just enough to tease the canvas. As a reader you imagine, think, and project what might occur as the character goes about his actions. Does he find someone, find something, live, die, the list goes on. You are left waiting anxiously and that is the idea.

But the plot? Well, the first example leaves you with literally nothing. There’s a building next to a park. Movement in a window. Guy decides to check it out.

The second presents a multitude of possible plots that could materialize. There is an old building still standing that has not been demolished. A lovely park is right next door. Why is it still there? Does it have some significance as to why it’s been left to wither away? That’s the first question. The character is drawn to it for some reason. A feeling maybe? Unconscious brain saw something and sent a message to walk over and find out. Second one. He’s now standing in front and dusts off a window. There’s dirt and grime. Sludgy stuff. What is it and where did it come from? He’s curious and we know what happened to that cat. Brush off the window and a mess of stuff resides within. Nothing has been pilfered like you would think in an old building left to rot. Or, has it been plucked over? That’s the third one. Drum roll now. He looks inside expecting nothing and gets a surprise. Not sure what it is and fear and intrigue all at once. Normal person would say great, have a nice day, and bounce away. John goes a different way. That’s number four.

And we are left with so many unanswered questions our brain is trying to decipher that we want more. The plot can go is a hundred different directions from this point and has your attention.

That is a a plot. I can now weave bits and pieces of John into the story. A flashback to the building in its grander days. Throw in gray areas like the building was once a firehouse and then an apartment building. Why did the firehouse go away? What happened to the apartments? How did John get there? And why is he there in the first place?

These are all details to tell. Now, if you have paid attention I mentioned truth and lies and what a character brings with them. Maybe John is a thief, looking for a quick score and seeing the old building he figured he could take something of value and pawn it. We don’t know yet, but I just planted that seed in your head and if I wrote more could tease you with a story that makes you believe that in the words I use, ideas I plant, and possible connections to other plot points.

It could all be deception or careful ways to build you up until the actual truth and not the lies are dropped at your feet. My success is to keep you guessing and on your toes, enthralled with the characters and settings, mesmerized with the details and images you “see” and wanting more. Not, being predictable or formula driven where you know what happens at the end.

My ownership of the reader is where you thought you knew what was going to happen and then everything comes together in the story and you are hit hard with a twist that when you think about it, was woven through the pages so well it gives an “ah ha” moment.

That is how I do it. What about you?

To know more you need to read my novels and see. It’s a ride like you’ve never been on.