Original Plots. Bryan O'Neill
Читать онлайн.| Название | Original Plots |
|---|---|
| Автор произведения | Bryan O'Neill |
| Жанр | Руководства |
| Серия | |
| Издательство | Руководства |
| Год выпуска | 0 |
| isbn | 9781607468738 |
Now that we have an estimated length of each chapter it is time for us to figure out what the story is going to be about. Keep in mind anything that goes into the story grid can be changed or modified later.
The idea is to get a handle on the pacing and consistency early. First include your story title. For the chapter ideas include character introductions and plot twists describing what the chapter is about. Once you have main ideas filled out chapter names will come easier. Ideally you would want to put these in a spreadsheet program, but writing it out works just as well. The basic story grid outline for a 300 page story would look like this:
Story Outline Grid (300 Page Story)
(Your Story Title)
Act 1: Exposition | Beginning
Chapter 01 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 02 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 03 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 04 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 05 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 06 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Act 2: Rising Action | Plot Point 1
Chapter 07 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 08 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 09 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 10 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 11 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 12 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Act 3: Climax | Middle
Chapter 13 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 14 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 15 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 16 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 17 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 18 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Act 4: Falling Action | Plot Point 2
Chapter 19 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 20 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 21 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 22 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 23 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 24 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Act 5: Denouement | Ending
Chapter 25 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 26 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 27 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 28 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 29 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
Chapter 30 (Chapter Name) (Chapter Idea)
A grid for movies and television, and a grid for books are located at the end of this chapter.
The World Grid
“Don’t put the cart before the horse,” means do things in the correct order. Stories work this way. It is easy to come up with compelling characters but most writers fail to build enough detail into the world that they populate.
The World Grid concept is a way to break down a stories environment and detail the setting. Instead of following a characters arc through a story the world arc follows the world setting within your story. Details in this grid may or may not ever show up in the story but remain for reference.
You will have to determine if your story needs this much work. Thinking about what properties the world your characters populate may not sound like much fun, but in a truly epic story it is needed, especially for science fiction. Even if your story is small and taking pace at one location, does it take place during a day, a week, a year?
This type of grid keeps track of setting details like the passage of time and the seasons. In epic stories entire worlds are often created and it is critical to keep track of this because it will dictate where your characters can go and travel. Here are some of the questions that need to be answered in a world story arc. This grid should also take into account smaller locations, from the world, to the country or province, to the kingdom, city, village, or town.
ACT 1: Exposition | Beginning
Where is this story taking place when Act 1 starts?
Is the story taking place in a physical (world) or mental (dream) realm?
Is this story happening in our universe or somewhere else?
If this world is not Earth, what are special traits or features of this world?
What makes this place special?
What kind of climate is there when Act 1 starts?
What time of day is it when Act 1 starts?
What time of year is it when Act 1 starts?
Is the setting meant to be an obstacle for your characters?
ACT 2: Rising Action | Plot Point 1
Where is this story taking place when Act 2 starts?
Is the story taking place in a physical (world) or mental (dream) realm?
Is this story happening in our universe or somewhere else?
If this world is not Earth, what are special traits or features of this world?
What makes this place special?
What kind of climate is there when Act 2 starts?
What time of day is it when Act 2 starts?
What time of year is it when Act 2 starts?
Is the setting meant to be an obstacle for your characters?
ACT 3: Climax | Middle
Where is this story taking place when Act 3 starts?
Is the story taking place in a physical (world) or mental (dream) realm?
Is this story happening in our universe or somewhere else?
If this world is not Earth, what are special traits or features of this world?
What makes this place special?
What kind of climate is there when Act 3 starts?
What time of day is it when Act 3 starts?
What time of year is it when Act 3 starts?
Is the setting meant to be an obstacle for your characters?
ACT 4: Falling Action | Plot Point 2
Where is this story taking place when Act 4 starts?
Is the story taking place in a physical (world) or mental (dream) realm?
Is this story happening in our universe or somewhere else?
If this world is not Earth, what are special traits or features of this world?
What makes this place special?
What kind