Finding A Story Plot

Tell Me a Story - About Plots


AJ, can you tell me the secret of unearthing a decent plot. I've been striving to find one but am getting nowhere?

Hello Amy. Thank you for the message. If you're astonishingly blessed, a plot might come to you fully fashioned – but don’t hold your breath. This seldom happens – all right, we've all heard that Stephenie Meyer claims to have done it, but don't count on it happening for you.... Don’t lose hope though, there are other ways. Try these appetizers.

• Look to advice columns in magazines; they can be a source of ideas for stories.
• Check the blurb on the jackets of books in your category and fashion them into your own. Don’t steal a complete plot though; just use the blurb to kick-start your own. Plagiarism is very frowned upon.
• Read the Personal Columns in newspapers. They can be a fertile supply of plots and ideas.
• Check the Obituaries column. As morbid as it seems, there might just be something in there that triggers your imagination.
• Think of ‘maturing’ a bedtime story - the plot can perhaps be brought bang up to date.
• Fables, folklore, and fairy tales, also offer a rich fund of plots that can be adapted.
• Take an already published story, reorganise the plot, make male characters female, play a what-if game with it, and maybe you’ll start ideas rolling.

One thing further, don’t expect to find a unique plot. There’s little likelihood of finding one after all these years. Just settle for a damn good, well-written story.

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Romantic Suspense