Breakout Session: Plot Paradigms for Pantsers

Janet Fox’s books, picture book through young adult, have won awards including SCBWI’s Crystal Kite and Women Writing the West’s WILLA and received starred reviews and appeared on state lists. They’ve been included on best of lists like Bank Street Books, CBC, YALSA, Kirkus, and JLG. Her newest books are a middle grade novel, CARRY ME HOME (Simon & Schuster 2021), and a picture book WINTERGARDEN (Neal Porter Books illustrated by Jasu Hu, 2023). Upcoming books include THE MYSTERY OF MYSTIC MOUNTAIN (Simon & Schuster 2024) and THE REAL ROSALIND (Lerner, 2025, co-authored with Debbie Loren Dunn); she also contributed the Connecticut story to SCBWI/Godwin Books HAUNTED STATES OF AMERICA. Janet is the mother of a writer son, and she lives in Montana with her husband and their lively yellow Lab. janetfox.com

Story is all about change. If there's one thing Janet wants this group of pantsers to takeaway, it's this-change is key! 

And, turning points are key moments of change. 

Your protagonist needs to make things happen that change the course of the external action in the story, and your protagonist will change internally over the course of the story. 

There are 7 key turning points in story:

• the inciting incident
• plot point one (end of Act 1, beginning of Act 2)
• the midpoint
• the crisis point
• plot point two (end of act 1, beginning of act 3)
• climax 
• resolution

Plot paradigms (there are many) are just a guide. This is important to remember for those writers who are more organic and intuitive. 

Cause and effect is what moves the story forward. It's the propulsion for change. 

"Plot grows out of the actions of your character and not the other way around."

A favorite definition of plot for Janet.

Plot Your Novel in One Hour with Naz Kutub

Naz Kutub is author. His debut novel LOOPHOLE came out last year. His next novel NO TIME LIKE NOW comes out in February 2024 (and we all get a sneak peek at the cover!). 

We are going to plot an entire novel in one hour. Come along for the ride. 

Grab pen, paper, and keyboard and get ready.

Starting with the seed (an idea). And we all start with this: When she found the ticket, everything changed...

Choose one of these age groups and genres.

A story needs to be plotted out so that your have story progression; increase tension and raise the stakes. Put your story on an upward trajectory. 

Set up goal posts first! If you know the beginning and the ending, your mind can start to fill in the blanks in the middle. 

Naz is setting us up to walk through the Hero's journey (with a few tweaks).

Act 1

• Who is she? 
• Something that tells her she needs to go on this adventure (she finds the ticket)
• She doesn't want to go on the adventure... (Why? Because life is comfortable as is?)
• Someone gives her advice, could be a traveling companion, or a random stranger.
• She decides to go through the door of no return. (Something she can't undo or backtrack from.)

Act 2

• She encounters a friend, group, and/or enemy, both who test her resolve. (Will they help or hinder?)
• She approaches an uncomfortable moment/event (something she's never done before)
• A series of challenges to help her become stronger, better than before, teach her a lesson (or maybe just one major challenge)
• She receives something to aid her in future battles/confrontations (a special item? new knowledge?)

Act 3

• She heads on her way to the final destination, knowing this is it (the final uphill climb)
• Final fight, but does she survive and carry on stronger than before? 
• She's armed with the knowledge to solve any problem now (Is this the same ending you envisioned earlier?)

Did you get a skeleton of something plotted? It's not easy, as Naz reminds throughout the process. Naz suggest studying the Hero's Journey, practicing, adding twists, and breaking the rules. 

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If you want to view this session to hear the full content, along with the rest of the conference, register at https://www.scbwi.org/events/summer-conference-2023. Replays of the conferences will be available until September 10, 2023. 

CHRIS EBOCH: "What I Learned From Nancy Drew: Tools for Fast-Paced Plotting"

CHRIS EBOCH: "What I Learned From Nancy Drew: Tools for Fast-Paced Plotting"

It LITERALLY was a packed room for Chris Eboch's "Fast-Paced Plotting" lecture. So packed that (NO exaggeration), about a couple dozen people sat in the AISLES, taking copious notes.

Chris provided a handout with extremely detailed notes on plotting plus book recommendations. Some highlights from her handout and from the lecture:

-- She showed the original ending for a Nancy Drew cliffhanger followed by the extensive revision and discussed the reasons behind those changes. Her editor said, "I would like to see more of a slow build-up toward the intense action. In horror movies, it's always the ominous music and the main character slowly opening the closet door that scares us the most, not the moment right after she opens the door."

-- Some books she recommended included her 2009 book, "Haunted: The Ghost on the Stairs" and "Haunted" The Riverboat Phantom" from Aladdin. She also recommended Louise Spiegler's "The Amethyst Road" and "Self-Editing for Fiction Writers" by Renni Browne and Dave King."

-- Add subplot: "If you can't pack your main plot any fuller, try using subplots to add complexity and length to your manuscript. A subplot may be only loosely related to your main plot, but still add complications."

-- Chris also advised, "To keep tensions high, make sure your characters are struggling enough." She mentioned the "Rule of Three" where a character tries and fails a first time, tries and fails a second time, and then tries and succeeds, achieving the goal by the third time. "If the character succeeds on the first tyr, then we don't believe the problem was that difficult for that character." She said it's "satisfying" when the character finally achieves the goal by the third time and proves the problem was a "worthy challenge." Although the "Rule of Three" is used in picture books, Chris advises that in novels, there are often many steps beyond just three tries, and writers must make sure these many complications always push the story forward.

Overall, Chris had a very detailed and extensive lecture with many great tips on how to improve the plot of your novel and to make sure the pacing never drags. The handout she distributed among the standing-room-only crowd was especially valuable with her meticulous notes. Another fantastic example of the wonderful information you can learn at this conference!

Posted by Paula Yoo