Writing Tips - Plotting Triggers Part 1
When writing stories you need to capture the reader's attention.
You need a great story that will keep the reader turning the pages.
A story needs problems and solutions.
Events that will challenge your characters.
Here are some plotting triggers to help you get your story moving: Revenge: This one can keep your whole story going.
Who is out for revenge? What happened in the first place - betrayal, breaking a confidence? Does your character get revenge? If so, are they happy or has something valuable been lost along the way? Perhaps the main character got revenge but lost the love of their life.
Conflict of loyalty: This could be between families, friends, lovers, even countries.
Will your character stay loyal to a friend even though they know the friend is in the wrong? Think about your own loyalties - what would you do if these loyalties were tested? Puzzle or mystery: Everyone loves a puzzle.
This could be the main plot of your story or a sub-plot.
Perhaps you are writing a romance story but there is also a certain minor mystery to solve.
I love stories with a mystery, I like trying to work out the puzzle before the story ends.
Secrets: Who has a secret and will they keep it? Will the wrong person find out and resort to blackmail? Will the secret be revealed by the end of the story? (It should be or your readers may become annoyed with you!) Mistaken Identity: Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? I was once mistaken for a shop assistant in a Hong Kong shop.
I could have taken the customer's money and run off with it.
There are lots of occasions when people are wrongly identified and this can lead to all sorts of problems.
Does your character own up to the mistake or do they go along with it for their own reasons? Comedy: All of the above triggers can turn your story into comical situations.
It depends what kind of story you are writing.
If writing a thriller or horror, you can use dark comedy.
Perhaps you can use a combination of all of the above - as long as it doesn't get too complicated! Maybe you've had situations in your life that have involved the above.
Use these in your writing.
Unless some things are best kept secret.
You need a great story that will keep the reader turning the pages.
A story needs problems and solutions.
Events that will challenge your characters.
Here are some plotting triggers to help you get your story moving: Revenge: This one can keep your whole story going.
Who is out for revenge? What happened in the first place - betrayal, breaking a confidence? Does your character get revenge? If so, are they happy or has something valuable been lost along the way? Perhaps the main character got revenge but lost the love of their life.
Conflict of loyalty: This could be between families, friends, lovers, even countries.
Will your character stay loyal to a friend even though they know the friend is in the wrong? Think about your own loyalties - what would you do if these loyalties were tested? Puzzle or mystery: Everyone loves a puzzle.
This could be the main plot of your story or a sub-plot.
Perhaps you are writing a romance story but there is also a certain minor mystery to solve.
I love stories with a mystery, I like trying to work out the puzzle before the story ends.
Secrets: Who has a secret and will they keep it? Will the wrong person find out and resort to blackmail? Will the secret be revealed by the end of the story? (It should be or your readers may become annoyed with you!) Mistaken Identity: Have you ever been mistaken for someone else? I was once mistaken for a shop assistant in a Hong Kong shop.
I could have taken the customer's money and run off with it.
There are lots of occasions when people are wrongly identified and this can lead to all sorts of problems.
Does your character own up to the mistake or do they go along with it for their own reasons? Comedy: All of the above triggers can turn your story into comical situations.
It depends what kind of story you are writing.
If writing a thriller or horror, you can use dark comedy.
Perhaps you can use a combination of all of the above - as long as it doesn't get too complicated! Maybe you've had situations in your life that have involved the above.
Use these in your writing.
Unless some things are best kept secret.
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