The ‘Anonymous’ statue in City Park, Budapest. Commemorating the unknown scribe who recorded the story of the Magyars. Rubbing his pen brings inspiration.
A good exercise in plotting is to take a book, a play or a film you’ve really enjoyed and try to break it down into a series of plot-steps. Now, change the setting, the gender of the protagonist, the era, the goal and the type of obstacles that stand in the way. Yet, stay true to the plot template. When you’ve finished you’ll find you have a completely new story. Don’t feel as though you’ve stolen another’s plot. In truth, there are no new plots, each is a retelling of an older version. You’ve simply adapted and updated a classic plot line and in the process have created a unique story.To have a story, you have to have some sort of muddle or conflict, which fall into one or more of the following categories:
man vs. nature
man vs. man
man vs. the environment
man vs. machines/technology
man vs. the supernatural
man vs. self
man vs. god/religion
Steps to structure your story could follow the classic Hollywood example below:
Stasis – the status quo. The reader is introduced to the character and setting.
Disturbance. Something occurs which upsets the normal run of things. For example, a stranger arrives in town.
The main character is affected by the disturbance.
The main character decides on a plan of action to rectify or improve matters.
Obstacles stand in the way of the plan of action succeeding.
Complications occur in the guise of choices/new characters/new ideas/discovery.
These lead to a crisis, when the focus of a play comes together in an unavoidable way.
The crisis usually leads to a climax or the major confrontation.
Finally comes the denouement or resolution which results in a new stasis.
The above will often feature a character development arc whereby the protagonist is changed in a fundamental way by the events.
So, a ‘Beginning, a Muddle and an End’.
suehealy 
November 23rd, 2014 at 14:50
beautiful and powerful!
November 23rd, 2014 at 16:48
Thanks for this, Sue. You have distilled a lifetime of reading books, articles, author interviews and blogs about the writing process into a simple, focused, actionable post. They say you don’t really understand something unless you can explain it to a five year old. Wish I’d read this when I was five.
November 23rd, 2014 at 21:44
Great piece. So succinct!
November 23rd, 2014 at 22:45
Straightforward and very helpful. I’m very good at the muddle already, just got the other bits sorted.
November 28th, 2014 at 03:41
good
December 18th, 2014 at 21:43
Powerful thoughts found your blog looking around decided to follow
May 6th, 2017 at 23:29
great post. so true.
May 7th, 2017 at 12:12
Perfect timing, as always. Thanks so much, Sue.