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Favorite Plotting/Structure Methods

Aryth

Minstrel
Hello! I'm definitely a planner (not a pantster) and am researching different ways of plotting and structuring novels. What works best for all of you, or what have you tried in the past that you didn't like/it didn't work for you? So far I'm interested in the snowflake and 7-Point Structure methods, but they both seem pretty different from one another.
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
IMO, take your pick. Study them enough and they all basically become the same thing. Plot is like a nebula, it looks different from lots of perspectives, but in the end... it's still the same nebula. That said, I don't full fledge plot (did that in screenwriting) and it becomes just sort of engrained. I watched a real complex explanation for "complex" plots a while back (don't recall his name for it) and I was like, Dude, you're just weaving modern 3-act structure from a different approach/name system.

But! I am also a big believer in coming at the same target from multiple directions, sometimes that's necessary to make the bulb light up. But! Modern 3-act can and will handle anything you've got if you delve into its finer intricasies.
 
C

Chessie

Guest
I agree with Des that they are basically the same thing. I have made my own plotting/outlining system by using the outline methods from the following authors:

-Chris Fox S.A.L.E.S (he has a youtube channel an also writes non-fiction publishing information for Indies)
-Libbie Hawker's Take Off Your Pants
-Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hayes

...and now adding in a few tidbits from Story Grid by Shawn Coyne. I'm always looking to improve my methods! So there are four to start with. :)
 

Demesnedenoir

Myth Weaver
I'm always reading different takes even when I realize it's just a different view of the same thing, because you never know when you'll see something that will make another something click a little differently, LOL.

My pants vary from dangling at the knees to tripping me at the ankles, but they never come off... heh heh.

I agree with Des that they are basically the same thing. I have made my own plotting/outlining system by using the outline methods from the following authors:

-Chris Fox S.A.L.E.S (he has a youtube channel an also writes non-fiction publishing information for Indies)
-Libbie Hawker's Take Off Your Pants
-Romancing The Beat by Gwen Hayes

...and now adding in a few tidbits from Story Grid by Shawn Coyne. I'm always looking to improve my methods! So there are four to start with. :)
 

Penpilot

Staff
Article Team
Yeah, I agrree, they're all just different ways to look at the same thing. I came across this chart that lines everything up next to one another, and I think it's beautiful.

Table-of-Story-Structures.jpg
 

Aryth

Minstrel
Penpilot, I love the visual image! How cool! I find visuals very helpful when I'm planning something. I'm definitely saving this one to the desktop...
 

Aryth

Minstrel
Thank you all for the awesome feedback and resources! I hadn't realized that all of the different methods were basically doing the same thing in different ways, so that insight was helpful as well. I will check out the articles/videos you guys recommended.
Thanks! :)
 

Helen

Inkling

Aryth

Minstrel
Wow, Helen, cool resource! Thanks for sharing! It looks like different movie structures are being broken down?
 
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