Get the Boot!

Are you a plotter or a pantser? If you’re a pantser (those who write as they go — by the seat of their pants), that’s the way you like things, and you find success in that method of writing a novel, read no further. Don’t change it if it ain’t broke. But if you’re a pantser who wishes to be a plotter or a plotter who is all over the map, read on!

To get your novel off to a good start, get the Boot! Bootcamp, that is – an online plotting bootcamp. Most of us have the wherewithal to write a novel without such things, but I guarantee you that participating in a bootcamp will push you far ahead of the game at lightning speed. Authors Elle James and Delilah Devlin are published sisters of romance and erotica whose popularity is really taking off. They haven’t been writing very long either. No matter what your genre, check out their story for a nice inspiration bump!

What’s an online plotting bootcamp? Simply put, four weeks of two talented drill instructors leading you through the plotting process and teaching you invaluable skills to use all on your own. How do they accomplish that?

Briefly, the first phase consists of sketching out your theme, logline, and premise. If you already have this down pat, you’re way ahead of the game. Most writers, especially pantsers, don’t figure this out until they’re done with the first or second draft of the whole book. And then they’re often still figuring it out.

Next, move on to your characters and their roles. Make a list of your major characters and what positions they’ll play within the story. Who’s your protagonist, antagonist, contagonist, mentor, etc. These characters and their actions will bear significant impact on your hero/heroine, and you’ll want to know a little about each so you understand the motivations behind their actions.

Following characters are character conflicts. This is the key setup for me personally. Knowing the underlying conflicts my characters have allows me to come up with all sorts of complications that will keep them from getting what they want (until the end!). Once I have sketched out all the major characters’ conflicts, I can see many ways in which their conflicts will influence their behavior with each other, which creates the tension necessary to keep readers turning those pages. In this area, we are looking at both internal and external conflicts.

Next, you’ll choose a story structure. For Elle and Delilah’s Plotting Bootcamp, you’ll choose from Novem or Hero’s Journey. These are both tried and true methods for developing a strong, publishable storyline, and most writers employ some form or other of these structures. You’ll establish and track threads and character arcs for each or your main characters, imagine roads they will travel in parallel fashion to get what each wants, and you’ll build even more on the tension. You’ll do this chapter by chapter, preferably in Excel spreadsheets so that everything is visible and you have your roadmap to get from beginning to end.

None of this plotting is written in stone. It’s your story, and you’ll be able to change things up as you think of more conflicts, complications, and twists; and while it may sound like a lot of up-front work (read, complicated and anal, and maybe it is), it’s easier than it sounds. Elle and Delilah are experts at spotting your novel’s weaknesses and strengths, and have a keen eye for calling out the baloney. I have attended three plotting bootcamps (one in person and two on line) and, as a result, planned and plotted three full novels that I know I’m going to love writing. And that’s the rub — now I just need to get my ass in gear and write them!

For more info on Elle and Delilah’s Plotting Bootcamp, check out RosesColoredGlasses.com.

©2008 K. Jayne Cockrill