Sometimes
an editor or agent will tell you that the plot of your book or screenplay
"doesn't hang together." What do they mean?
In
a recent post I quoted the horror writer H. P. Lovecraft: "“Plots may be
simple or complex; but suspense, and climactic progress from one incident to
another, are essential."
In
other words, for each scene there has to be something before it that leads
logically to it, and something after it that results logically from it.
Of
course exactly what happens depends on the genre of your story, the characters,
and your theme. For instance, let's say that a woman finds a text message on
her husband's phone that convinces her he's having an affair. There are almost
endless options. She could:
- Pretend she didn't see it
- Confront him
- Start an affair herself to get even
- Ask for a divorce
- Shoot him
- Shoot the other woman
- Slash all of his clothes and pour paint on his beloved car
Whatever
she chooses, we will know she's done it because of what went before: the
discovery of the text message. If it then turns out she was wrong, there are
more choices about how to respond to that new development.
THREE
COMMON PLOT PROBLEMS
If
a plot isn't working, often it's because there is a gap in this series of
causal links, or one or more of the links is weak, or the links are
predictable.
If
there's a gap, characters seem to be acting with no motive. Naturally you can
withhold their motivation and reveal it after they've acted but at some point
the audience has to feel they understand the actions.
If
the action is due to something that happened before your story started, we need
to see something in the present that triggers the memory and motivation. For
example, someone who was bullied as a child may over-react to being teased as
an adult. Even if the mention of his childhood takes place much earlier in
the book or script, the audience will make the connection.
If
the links are weak, the script will seem overly episodic. This happens in road
movies when the only link between one incident and the next is that the
characters have moved on to a new location. That makes it hard to keep the
audience's attention. It's better to find some way of letting the audience know
that what happens in the next location was influenced by what happened in the
last one.
If
the reactions are too predictable the audience will feel they don't need to
keep watching because they already know what's coming next anyway. This means
you have to try to find character actions and reactions that are logical but unexpected.
For instance, a man may be a coward in most situations, but finds courage when
the safety of his child is threatened.
FIXING
THE LINKS
If
you didn't discover these problems in your outline you may spot them as you review
your first draft. Here are some useful tips for finding and fixing these kinds
of problems:
*
For each major scene, ask what went before it that led to it, and what happens
within it that leads to the next one.
*
If there's no link, or the link is weak or predictable, ask yourself what else
could cause your protagonist to behave the way he or she does, or what other
reactions could be more interesting.
*
Boring people generally do boring things. If your characters make boring
choices it may be that you need to make some changes in your character before
you make changes in their choices.
*
Remember that just because you know
why a character did something, that doesn't mean the readers will. Give them
enough clues to let them feel they've figured it out themselves—don’t use
exposition that slows down the action and sounds unnatural.
When
the links between scenes work well, the plot flows easily and the audience
doesn’t even notice the connections. When there’s no sign of the major effort
you’ve put into constructing a tight story, that’s when you’re done!
(Want more help with plotting, as well as creating great characters, using settings powerfully and much more? Get my book, "Your Writing Coach," published by Nicholas Brealey and available from Amazon or your other favorite bookseller.)
