Writing is for everyone. The notion of an artistic elite is as much a fiction as the notion of (spoiler alert) Santa Claus and Bigfoot. Everyone who wants to write creatively should take the time necessary to do it. Doing degrees in fiction and poetry writing and/or taking writing courses is important and may be necessary, but this thing we call fiction and poetry and so on is as democratic a thing as the common cold or wearing an overcoat in bad weather. It is in all of us and we all get it. We are coded to create. Its never a waste of time and its a great tool for self discovery.

Okay, but why?

Creativity breathes life into everything. Self-expression is empowering, healing and transformative. Go for it! Don’t be afraid of failure. Everyone fails many times before success comes, and success is not and never has been measured in dollars and cents. Moreover it usually takes me more than half a dozen drafts of a novel, just for instance before it comes together. It can take longer when one is actually learning the craft of writing, be it poem, play, script or novel. all of the best writers had long, long apprenticeships filled with devastating disappointments and false starts. As I said, its a remarkable way to get to know oneself. The thing is to learn what went wrong and try again. Humility is key. Don’t live in fear of failure. It’s the ultimate form of self-defeatism.

When writing remember your audience. Who am I writing this for? Keep it simple, direct, and know your characters inside out. Language is your world building tool. Feel them. See them. Smell them. Understand every aspect of their lives. Think of their dark side as well as the bright. Everyone is complex and well rounded, even awful characters you despise. Bad stories don’t work because of three things usually – paper thin characters, dire plots and poor grasp of the fundamentals of writing sentences. Reality makes fiction work. Fiction on the other hand creates alternative realities. Learn the basics and make them your own.

Then, inhabiting the lives of your characters, describe the setting and introduce the central problem of the story. A great introduction immediately captures the mind and heart of your readers. Keep it simple, and yet, with an eloquent simplicity, display the dazzling complexity of the story you want to tell.
Example of a great beginning:

“The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Murphy sat out of it, as though he were free, in a mew in West Brompton.” Samuel Beckett, Murphy, 1938.

Why is this great? Why is it not simply, well, good?

Well, for one thing it’s short and it’s funny, which rocks. It also sets a context. It depicts a worldview in a few witty phrases. It’s engaging. It draws a character and draws you in. Its short and it’s unforgettable. With this opening, you just have to keep reading. Think of other examples of this – better ones even. Write your own. Practice opening lines. It’s not unlike telling a really good joke. Listen to comedians tell stories. They are fantastic at drawing character and plot together. Learn from them, the good ones that is!

Rising Action: Next develop the characters and introduce a trajectory whereby the central problem of the story (whatever it might be) becomes complex and obstacles and complications develop. The hero finds he or she or they has an illness, or finds the one she loves does not love him or her, or the job the main character wants suddenly becomes impossible to get because the person is hopelessly under qualified, and so on. The options here are near infinite. Remember whether fiction or non-fiction, biography or play or novel, you are still telling a story and you still have to structure your story so as to be able to communicate it to your readers.

Climax: The problem reaches a high point. This is where the entire plot turns. This is where all the elements of the problem developed within the rising action reach a central crisis. It should push the reader on. In the climax heavy moral choices or events conspire to either resolve the central problem of the story, or not resolve it. Either way, clear characterization, well-paced writing, good exposition and a clear vision of the overall story will lead a writer to be able to write well so as to bring their story to an engaging climax. In writing your climax, remember that referring to your notes and making notes as well as having a deep intuitive feel for each of your characters will make the whole process less daunting. Stay cool as you go towards a climax.

Resolution: Based on the events in the climax, following a good clear beginning, and a clear rising action, the elements of the plot resolve themselves into a satisfactory or unsatisfactory manner. The hero wins the great prize – or not, love is fulfilled, the dragon is slayed, one finds meaning to one’s life or not, a problem is solved or not, the possibilities here are as manifold as there are stories to tell, and there are an infinity of stories.
The End. Of all the elements to plot, writing the end can often be the most challenging or elusive of skills, and it is a skill which requires practice. In producing a good ending you are seeking to dovetail everything you have written and produce a vision for the reader that satisfies the elements of the plot without introducing new elements and leaves the reader with an emotional impact that will keep the story in their mind. Many stories flop at a poor ending. A well-wrought ending is essential for a story to work.

Actually I have a little formula. Its unexciting. Very unexciting. You might ask for your money back, but here it is:

(1+2+3+4+5 = Story)

– in other words the plot has to be logical and follow step by painstaking step. No skipping numbers. Take your time. Its worth it in the end. Theres no plot without character and no character without their story. plot is the oxygen that story breathes. One fits into the other, hand in glove.

With the exception of highly experimental works that rarely work unless you got a real genius at the wheel, few if any pieces of narrative writing are without the elements of plot. Whether it be a biography or a work of fiction, or even a piece of historical fiction, or a magazine article, if these elements are not part of the structure of ones writing, you are giving your reader very little to encourage them to continue reading. Our minds naturally seek out story and plot and character. If it’s not there, one’s writing will have problems, rather big ones.

In closing – a few things to avoid when plotting:

Poor preparation. In order to be able to write well you need to be really well read. I can’t emphasize enough that a great writer is a great reader. One needs a clear sense not only of one’s character, but also of the historical, political, social, psychological, emotional, scientific and cultural aspects of the story you are about to draw. This sounds like a tall order, but this is what it takes to make a story work, any story. A great writer is a great reader. There I said it again because I can’t say it enough. A great writer has read just about everything in or around the subject matter of their story. Read often and make sure you read up on as many subjects as time allows you. If you are in the middle of a story, take time out to become someone who haunts your local library. This reading may not form a direct part of the writing, but it provides depth and context to the story that otherwise would be absent. It’s also fun.

Info Dumps: An ‘info dump’ is where a writer literally pours forth a lengthy exposition of dry facts, or history, or science, or indeed any subject whatsoever, in the middle of the story that might have a direct or indirect relation to the story. The problem is it slows the story down. Boring, so boring. Some writers do give lengthy expositions, but rarely does this work in a story. I generally lean towards avoiding info dumps, and I advise against it. Science fiction novels, for example, are full of info dumps, and though writers find clever ways to give information – it generally slows the drama. Avoid it and find other ways to give information through context or maybe in dialogue. The research you do and all you know (which is a lot) is background and should stay there.

Cliché: The only story in the history of stories that is allowed be full of clichés is Hamlet. Each story is and should be unique and when one finds that ones stories have been done before, many times, or use language that one has heard many times before, then one has to ask oneself: Am I prepared? Am I writing a unique character? Where is my story headed? Stick to ones truesest sense of character and story, and cliché will be easily avoided.

Preaching: another source of infinite tedium is the writer trying to make a moral point. Look at the stories coming out recently. Few of them work because they have lost their focus. They are moralizing instead of telling a great story/developing a fascinating character. Taking a moral stance rather than developing a character and/or humble bragging kills a story stone dead.

Instead – tell it like it is and give readers the space to make up their own minds. Treat your audience like sophisticated adults and you will get real respect. Also you reach more people that way and you give them latitude to explore every aspect of a complex plot. And they will read your story till the end and enjoy your work.

Have fun and looking forward to your next tome!