TO PLOT OR NOT TO PLOT
A plot is a daydream that a writer uses to craft a novel. Many books have been written on how to write a first draft, how to create interesting characters, how to write natural dialogue and how to beat writer's block, but the one thing the 'HOW TO' books can't agree on is when to plot the novel.
Some books insist that a writer should spend weeks, maybe months, writing a detailed plot, including spreadsheets of characters' descriptions and their backgrounds. The other books suggest that plotting inhibits the creative flow of a novelist. The information is conflicting and confusing. So what should a novice writer do?
A NOVEL IS A JOURNEY
Why do so many many novice writers never finish their novel? Most writers start out with a two-page outline and run out of steam or ideas or encounter writer's block. Writers must know where their plots are going. If you were taking a long car trip, you wouldn't leave without a detailed map or GPS tracker. A novel is like a journey and if the writer plans in advance, the ride will be much smoother.
The excitement of beginning a novel without an outline can be hazardous to the writing process, sort of like jumping into the deep end of a pool without knowing how to swim.
WHY PLOT FIRST?
If your memory is a sieve like mine, you may want to get all your ideas on paper before you begin to write your novel. Knowing what is going to happen allows the writing process to flow without stopping to work out any glitches. I don't believe a writer needs fifty to one-hundred outlined pages before they begin to write. I've done that in the past and realized when the novel was finished that I didn't use half of the notes or research I spent months working on.
There's something about jotting down initial plot ideas with a pen and paper that I find stimulating. I love to fill a notebook with ideas, character sketches and research that is relevant to the novel. This is what I use to craft a formal outline in the computer.
I like to create scenes separately, because it's hard to know how long each chapter will be when it's written. I don't number chapters until I'm finished editing the first draft. So, scene by scene, I draft what I hope will be an outline that takes my characters on a journey that a reader will enjoy. I write a paragraph or two about what happens in each scene. For point of view, I decide which character has the most to gain or lose and detail the conflict he/she encounters.
BEFORE YOU PLOT YOUR NOVEL
A writer needs to know the characters inside and out. A page describing each character in your notebook will come in handy when you forget what color eyes they have or how tall they are.
You need to know the main character's goal and what obstacles will get in his/her way. What motivates the main character to keep stumbling through hundreds of pages to achieve that goal?
EXPECT TO DEVIATE FROM THE PLOT
There's no such thing as a perfect first draft, but the more plotting and researching you do before writing, the less editing you'll need to do later. It will also allow you to write a manuscript that doesn't end up looking like the dog's dinner during the editing process.
Don't stop writing to make those brilliant changes you suddenly think of or you'll lose momentum. Jot ideas down in your notebook and keep writing until you finish the first draft. Taking the time to craft a scene-by-scene outline will save a writer from abandoning an unfinished novel.
What is your favorite way to plot a novel?
In Honour of Valentine's Day
I'd like to pay tribute to a few of my favorite romance books. Romance novels were a big part of my life when I was much younger and I still remember many of the plots and characters. Scarlett O'Hara's headstrong disposition kept me riveted through Gone With the Wind's one thousand pages. The shy and humble unnamed heroine in Rebecca was closer to my personality, but I didn't appreciate her until my adult years. I preferred feisty heroines like Pride and Prejudice's Elizabeth Bennet.
I especially love historical novels
They transport me to other places and eras. The first classic romance I read at age twelve was Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, which was to be the catalyst to a genre that would sweep me away to foreign countries with castles and manor houses and brooding gentlemen, hidden secrets, family curses and sometimes insane wives locked in the attic.
I prefer happy endings, although some of the greatest love stories end tragically. I still have a second edition of Jane Eyre with yellowed pages and black leather binding, which I found in a secondhand bookshop many years ago. Unfortunately the text is underlined with pen (don't blame me) and it isn't worth much, but to read from this volume makes me believe I am part of C. Bronte's world.
The following list of great romance novels is not in order of preference
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare
The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton
Possession by A. S. Byatt
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James
I know I've left a few romance novels off my list
Anything written by Georgette Heyer and Rosamund Pilcher deserve to be mentioned. I'm sure you've noticed that my list of great romance novels does not include books with vampires and werewolves. Please don't judge me. I really do love horror novels, but my list is for human lovers only.
Since my adolescent years I have held a fascination for Pre-Raphaelite artists and poets, probably because they represent Gothic romantic themes. Many of the titles on my list are Gothic novels that I never tire of reading. The Lady of the Lake by Sir Walter Scott is a poem so I left it off the list, but it's breathtaking.
Do you agree with my list? What is your favorite romance novel of all time? ♥
It's that time of year when snow is falling and wind is howling through the bare branches outside. I find myself snuggled in a comfy chair, wrapped in a throw blanket, sipping hot tea or wine while I read a Gothic novel. There's something about cold winter nights that draws me into the pages of Gothic books.
The formula of a good Gothic is a combination of elements. Atmosphere is crucial--the ancient graveyard at night, the crumbling castle or dark mansion, the misty lake, a black dog baying at the moon and gusts of wind blowing out candle flames. A woman in distress, an oppressive male threatening the heroine and a supernatural presence that might include omens, curses or ghosts are essential.
My introduction to Gothic Romance began when I was a young teenager. Staying at a friend's cottage in Muskoka and trapped inside during stormy weather, I discovered rows of leather-bound classic novels on a dusty bookshelf and immersed myself in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre. I was hooked and went on to devour other Victorian Gothic treasures including, Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, Dracula by Bram Stoker and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. Even Sherlock Holmes found himself lost on the moors in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles.
When I was a few years older, Edgar Allen Poe drew me into darker horror that led me to H. P. Lovecraft, Stephen King and Anne Rice. The first Gothic novel is considered to be The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole. I'll never know how I missed reading this one, but I'm off to the library today to borrow it. I found a list of the best 250 Gothic Books of all time on goodreads and I was surprised to find that I've read a great many of the titles with the exception of the more recent novels.
Modern Gothic novels continue to delight my love of horror. Susan Hill's ghost novels are short, but frightening. I discovered The Woman in Black many years ago in a secondhand bookstore and read it every winter. Last week I ordered two of her other ghost tales, The Small Hand and Dolly, and the former is wonderful. The Small Hand is similar to The Woman in Black in that it suggests a ghostly child touching the main character in a way that is so creepy I got goosebumps.
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier is another favourite novel of mine. Of course I cannot leave out one of the best Gothic horror novels of all time--The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Most of my writing reflects my love of Gothic themes and my bookshelves are filled with novels containing tales of terror and otherworldly thrills. My corner of the world is expecting a storm tonight that is predicted to be the heaviest snowfall in five years. I'm looking forward to my cozy chair, a glass of wine and losing myself in a Gothic novel.
Do you have a favourite Gothic novel?
