So I had this brilliant idea for a story. There was a girl and a rival, this little village and some monsters. I knew what the shopping centre looked like. I knew where other people lived. But I had no idea what I wanted to happen in the story. I did a little research and here are my results.
plot
So NaNoWriMo is being a bust for me this year. I’m failing to write anything meaningful, despite all the planning I did in October. Instead of forcing myself to continue writing a story that doesn’t really interest me, I’ve had a think about how I planned in the past and I’ve come up with worksheet.
This week’s worksheet concentrates on the middle of the story. Why not the beginning or the end? Well, in my experience these are the easiest parts. You know who’s involved and what you want to happen in the end. But the middle is the stinking swamp you need to traverse to get there. The middle is where all the trials begin.
So this week’s worksheet is another one of those I use for working out what to do next when I can decide between a few different but similar scenarios. I find it useful when two characters are in conflict about a situation.
Occasionally, we get stuck when we’re writing. The two characters in your scene haven’t interacted in exactly the way you wanted them to and now the bank job is delayed. Or the wedding. Or someone didn’t get murdered properly. Whatever it was that ought to have happened, you’re not sure how to get back on track. So, what next? Here’s a worksheet that may help.
A Writer's Life for Me 