Plotting it Out *podcast transcript*

Podcast link: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7qGHohSYcwlfWeAIpAkMBY

Hello! I’m Jenna Michal! Welcome to Breaking Writer’s Block! Here you’ll get your weekly dose of writerly inspiration all in under ten minutes. Why? Because sometimes all you need is one spark to get you writing.

Each episode I will start off with a writing tip based on knowledge from professional writers. I will give 3 writing prompts to use as you wish. Lastly, I’ll end each episode with a book rec!

I hope you enjoy!

- Writing Tip -

The writing tip for this week comes from the book Style: The Basics of Clarity and Grace by Joseph M. Williams and Joseph Bizup. The book was a part of my Advanced Composition curriculum for my English Major. The Chapter I want to highlight is Lesson 8: Concision.

To sum up the chapter concisely, we should use the least amount of words to say the most. We can do this by taking out words that do not add meaning. For example: adjectives and adverbs that don’t add anything like a fast sprinter. It is implied that a sprinter is fast. So, we can take the word “fast” out. We can also replace wordy phrases with shorter ones. For example: “in order to” could just be “to.” Hannah went to the barn in order to see the kittens, is more awkward than Hannah went to the barn to see the kittens.

- Topic -

Today we’re going to focus on plot. Plot is the excitement of a story. It keeps the story always moving full-throttle ahead. Without it, our readers are bored out of their minds, and asking themselves why they ever picked up a book.

- Prompt #1 -

The first prompt I have for you today is one of my favorite techniques for beginning a story. It is called “in medias res” meaning to begin in the middle of the action. This strategy allows you to throw your readers into the deep end of whatever is going on in your story. You can then later go back in time to show how your characters got into the situation that they’re in.

If you can’t think of anything chaotic enough to throw your readers in your first lines, then think about a situation you yourself would hate to be in. For example, standing in a stadium with thousands of people looking back at you and nothing to say. Or, taking an elevator down to the main floor of a building when it drops to the basement floor.

- Prompt #2 -

Prompt number 2! For this prompt I’m going to tell you what the climax of your story is. A climax is the part of the story where all the tension and conflict has built up and up and up until finally one last push makes everything come shattering down.

You can decide where in your story you want to put your climax. At the beginning, and try out in medias res or nearing the end and make it chronological. But either way, the climax, has to involve the loss of someone’s job.

- Prompt #3 -

My last prompt for this week is to write a short story following the template many writers have used since mythology: The Hero’s Journey.

You can google The Hero’s Journey to help you with this prompt. I will be explaining it, but just know, you don’t have to memorize all the sections. There are plenty of images that will remind you of each plot point.

The Hero’s Journey is a plot arc that starts at the top of a circle and concludes when the main character, or “hero,” has made it all the way back around to the beginning back at the top of the circle.

The first few plot points in The Hero’s Journey are: Call to Adventure at the very beginning, Refusal of Call, Meeting Mentor, and Crossing the Threshold. They are all pretty much what they sound like. The call to adventure is when the main character is told they must go on their journey. Refusal of call is them not wanting to go at first. Meeting the mentor is like in the Hobbit when Bilbo meets Gandolf. The mentor is someone the main character meets who changes their mind. Crossing the threshold is the main character stepping out of their regular world to begin their journey.

The next section is then: The character facing various trails and the main ordeal halfway through. After the ordeal, the character experiences a transformation or reward and is now going back up around the circle. The character experiences atonement, so righting their wrongs. Then they make their grand return back to the regular world. It is all pretty complicated if you haven’t heard of The Hero’s Journey before, but I recommend trying it out for one of your stories if the idea intrigues you! You’ll never know where The Hero’s Journey will take you unless you follow it.

- Challenge -

Time for my weekly challenge to you! My challenge for you this week is to plot out one story. You could use The Hero’s Journey as a template or the standard rising action, climax, falling action template that many authors use. This could be any story as well no matter how short or long. You could plot out a full novel even if you’re feeling ambitious. Any story that has just been an idea in your head until now, brainstorm and get all its main points out on paper. Stat.

- Book Rec -

Now, the book rec I got for you this week is a pretty popular one – on Bookstagram and Booktok anyway. It’s Finaly Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano.

There has also been a sequel published that I haven’t read yet. And! There’s a third one coming out in 2023, so I better get going on the 2nd one. So I’ll be ready when the 3rd one comes out.

Finaly Donovan is Killing It has a plot that never lets up. The main character, Finaly Donovan, a very relatable author struggling with writer’s block, is thrown into disaster after disaster after disaster, each one hilariously amassing on the other.

- Outro -

Alright guys that’s all I have for you today. Thanks so much for listening! It’s a pleasure to talk about storytelling with you. Please share your writing in the comments section of this podcasts transcript on my blog. The link will be in the description. I also have a Bookstagram account dedicated to reading if you’d like more recs: @acollectionofpages_.

Join us next week as we talk all things POETRY!

Adios, escritores! See ya next week.