Asking for a Friend... You'd think that every writer would know what story is. Turns out, maybe I didn't. Here's what I learned and how it improved my writing.
"Plot and story" always reminds me of my Mom, who could never tell a story straight :) - A movie for example: the story would be about a young girl who unexpectedly becomes Queen, a Cinderella thing. Mom would get lost in the plot: and she did this, and that, and the dress she wore, it was blue, with ribbons .... the entire family would go: for God's sake, what's it about???
One important aspect to constructing the plot is also developing surrounding characters and letting the world take their individual personalities and collective dynamics into account. There might be a decision taken under time pressure by the governor of the city in which your main character lives for example and that could also influence how the MC has to react. Each character has the opportunity to shape that reality, to invent that room. It's like playing with bounded infinities.
Yes, this is another thing I'm actively working on. That's why I also consider what the non-MC characters are doing, and trying to ensure I'm not just using them as props.
BTW, "Playing with Bounded Infinities" would be a great name for a prog rock album! Love it!
"Plot and story" always reminds me of my Mom, who could never tell a story straight :) - A movie for example: the story would be about a young girl who unexpectedly becomes Queen, a Cinderella thing. Mom would get lost in the plot: and she did this, and that, and the dress she wore, it was blue, with ribbons .... the entire family would go: for God's sake, what's it about???
Yup - I've had comments like that about my fiction writing!
"What's it all about?" is a great question for me to ask myself when I'm writing...!
One important aspect to constructing the plot is also developing surrounding characters and letting the world take their individual personalities and collective dynamics into account. There might be a decision taken under time pressure by the governor of the city in which your main character lives for example and that could also influence how the MC has to react. Each character has the opportunity to shape that reality, to invent that room. It's like playing with bounded infinities.
Yes, this is another thing I'm actively working on. That's why I also consider what the non-MC characters are doing, and trying to ensure I'm not just using them as props.
BTW, "Playing with Bounded Infinities" would be a great name for a prog rock album! Love it!
🎸