12 Easy Steps to Help You Plot Your Novel

One of the hardest parts about being an author (in addition to getting your ass in the chair and fingers on the keyboard) is when you come to the point in your writing process where you hit the “this sucks…I’m the worst writer ever…I don’t even know where this story is going…” wall.

This happens to every author.

I could talk about why this happens and what occurs within the limbic system as we open up the creative facets of our brains, but let’s not focus on the whys…Let’s focus on the how to circumvent the lizard brain.

As authors, we need a road map. This is where plotting comes in and plays a vital role. Even pantsers (folks who swear they just wake up with an idea and can pump that baby out like its smothered in Crisco) have some sort of vague idea of what and where they want to take their books. However, for the rest of us who birth books like they are Krakens with industrial-strength suction cups on their tentacles, well…we need a bit more help.

One of the simplest tools I have found to help my Kraken-bearing soul, is the Hero’s Journey based on the 1949 exposition based on Campbell’s theory.

Here are the required elements of any good story line/plot (see open-source diagram):

Write down these steps (I put them on index cards), use them as your basic compass directions for your book. From there, fill in the blanks.

Utilizing these twelve steps, you have twelve basic chapters, now add in your lead ups and resolutions and there you go, bam, you have almost become a Crisco-laden storyteller. Okay, maybe not…but at least you won’t find yourself lost in the middle of a novel and driving the story off the edge of a proverbial cliff.

If you have any questions, please don’t be afraid to reach out. We love to answer questions and help authors who are one step away from lighting their manuscript on fire.

Standing by with a fire extinguisher and a can of Crisco (don’t worry, I won’t let you lather up before striking the match),

Danica Winters