This past Saturday, at the “I’ve Always Wanted to Write a Book” conference, Mary and I presented a workshop on plotting.  Here is the hand-out we used on “How to Plot a Book in 19 Steps.”  It’s missing Mary’s Powerpoint presentation, but I hope it will help you in plotting out your next or current book.

19 Step Plotting Worksheet

1. Pick a genre (more than two can be combined)
   1. Romance
   2. Suspense
   3. Mystery
   4. SciFi/Paranormal
   5. Historical
   6. Action/Adventure
   7. Any other genre
2. Choose a main character, your protagonist
   1. Lawyer/cop/detective
   2. Artist
   3. Homemaker
   4. Sheikh/Tycoon/Billionaire/International Man of Mystery
   5. Orphan/Virgin/Bride/Virgin Bride/Mistress
   6. Any other character
3. Create a setting
   1. A metropolitan city
   2. Dude ranch/Yacht/Castle
   3. Space, the final frontier
   4. Other
4. Pick a time period
   1. Present
   2. Past
   3. Future
   4. Alternate reality
5. Define the main character’s GOAL
   1. To achieve a specific task
   2. To find something
   3. To find someone
   4. Save the ranch
   5. Conquer the barbarians
   6. Other
6. Create a plan the character can use to get his goal
   1. What specific details will accomplish his need?
7. Define the main character’s MOTIVATION.  This doesn’t have to be an external motivation – save the planet or conquer Mt. Everest.  It’s a more effective motive, and will resonate deeper with the reader if it’s tied to an internal motivation, even if the character isn’t aware of why he needs to succeed.  Maybe he had an awful childhood and wants to prove himself worthy by saving the planet.  Maybe he has to climb Mt. Everest because he was responsible for the accident that crippled his mountain climbing brother.  Dig deep into your character’s psyche.
8. Create CONFLICT, the obstacle standing in his way.  This is usually another character, the antagonist, who has an equally important (to him) but opposing goal.  Is it another mountain climber who doesn’t want his record broken?  Al Gore?
   1. Create a GOAL and MOTIVE for the antagonist
9. Give the protagonist an ally, friend or mentor.
   1. An ally or friend:
      1. i.              Acts as a conscience
      2. ii.              Defines the protagonist’s character, and values
      3. iii.              Acts as a sounding board
   2. A mentor gives the protagonist valuable wisdom he will use throughout the trials of his journey
10. Give the antagonist an ally or helper
    1. Evil henchman
    2. Minion
    3. Do not make him stronger than the antagonist
11. Create an INCITING INCIDENT, the catalyst that propels the protagonist into the thick of things.  This should be an event that is so overpowering he makes decisions (usually for the bad) he normally wouldn’t
12. Create a deadline.  This creates urgency and tension.
    1. The train is due at 3:10 to Yuma, and the fair maiden is tied to the tracks
    2. The bomb is set to go off in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl
    3. Little Johnny will die if he doesn’t have his medicine in 24 hours
    4. Other
13. Character Arc.  The protagonist changes over the course of his journey.  He’ll make decisions at the end that he didn’t have the skills for at the beginning.
    1. Write down how you think he’ll change
    2. What abilities does he need to gain?
    3. How will he acquire them?
14. Brainstorm key scenes you’d like to include.  They might not be in the final version, but could act as a springboard for plot points.
    1. Chase scene
    2. Love scene
    3. Red herrings
    4. Climatic fights
    5. Interesting plot twist
15. CONFLICT AND ESCALATING ACTION.  The antagonist’s choices should throw him into deeper and deeper water.  Find the one thing he’d never dream of doing, and force him to do it.
    1. Climb a mountain to save his child when he’s afraid of heights
    2. Walk away from the company he build up over ten years to go to the woman he loves
    3. Speak before a Congressional committee, when he’s self-conscious about his stutter
16. Tie up all the loose ends and subplots, in reverse order they were introduced.
17. CLIMAX.  The protagonist and antagonist have been going at it for hundred of pages, and it’s come down to the final, big, black moment.  It’s do or die, and only one will survive.
    1. How are they going to duke this out?  Describe the scene.
    2. What’s really, really at stake for your hero?
    3. What is his blackest moment, the darkest hour before the dawn?
    4. What makes him survive?
18. RESOLUTION.  The reader needs a brief resolution, the catharsis to return to the normal world.  What will you write to show this?
    1. A happily ever after
    2. The Hero dies
    3. A bittersweet ending
    4. An open end, hoping they’ll buy the sequel

19              Decide on a title (the publisher will change it) and start working on your novel.  Good luck!

The cover for my November ebook release.  “Robert’s Rules Undone.

The goblins of the magical world of Lowth are on the move.  After a year of tentative peace with the Elves, they’ve broken off ties and demanded their own lands, threatening war.

Into their midst whirls Sheila Drysdale-Roberts, the Queen’s sister, ex-contestant on “The Apprentice,” and the poster child of policies and procedures.  Her self-appointed mission is to bring Lowth into the twenty-first century. Soon after her arrival, she and her infant nephew are abducted by the goblins.

Charged with finding them is shapeshifter John Tivat, the Elven King’s right-hand man.  Tivat craves action after almost a year of routine.  Babysitting an infant and an opinionated, incompetent Earth woman would be an insult to his talents if not for the importance they hold to the kingdom.

Rescuing and retrieving the two is complicated by inclement weather, harsh terrain, a pissed-off Goblin King and a bad case of diaper rash.