Early in 2011, I realized I have a problem with plotting. I wasn't terribly upset about it, because everyone who mentioned my plot could use work also mentioned I have a strong voice and well developed characters. I mulled over these comments and realized I shouldn't be surprised plotting is not my strong point. When I think about my favorite books, they have strong emotional connections and life like characters but have been criticized by everyone under the sun for poor plotting and pacing. I wrote what I loved, but it would be a hard sell. I took a class. I feel like I learned a plotting formula from the class, but not
how to plot, and I'm pretty sure that's the important part. I've talked to better writers and read books, nothing seemed to work and then I realized I should just teach myself how to plot. So plot point Tuesdays will be a new weekly feature where I attempt to identify the seven plot points of a well known book, and ask you to correct me when I'm wrong. It's really okay for you to tell me I'm wrong. I want you too.
This week's book will be
Anna & The French Kiss
- Inciting Incident--Anna meets Etienne.
- First Turning Point-- Anna & Etienne start hanging out alone, going to movies, etc.
- Second Turning Point-- Etienne stays in Anna's dorm room for a few days, but becomes more distant when everyone returns from Thanksgiving.
- Midpoint-- Etienne kisses Anna in the park then goes to find his girl-friend when they are caught by a friend.
- Third Turning Point-- Anna confronts Etienne about not breaking up with his girlfriend and he says she's pretty much guilty of the same thing, because she was holding out hope for her crush back home & dated someone at school too.
- Climax-- Anna finds Etienne on the stairway in Notre Dame. (He's afraid of heights but has climbed a winding stair case for her).
- Resolution--Etienne tells Anna he loves her and there colleges will only be 20 minutes part in the fall.
Have you read this book? Is this how you would analyze the plot?
P.S. Please help me re-build my blog & you can win $25 for the book depository here.
I haven't read this book, but I can easily follow what you have here so that probably means you did a good job. Have you tried doing this for your WIP?
ReplyDeleteWell, I did this with the ms I spent more than one year editing and it still needs work. But I don't have a WIP right now :(.
DeleteI don't know why, I love paranormal romance, but it seems to be easier for me to do this w/ contemp books.
DeleteI haven't read this book either, but your points are clear and show the major points of the story. Looks good to me. :)
ReplyDeleteThat sounds spot on! And very clearly put. If only it was as easy to break our own writing down...
ReplyDeleteI haven't read the book, but it seems like you did a good job summarizing the plot points. BTW, I see you want to rebuild your blog. I'm not great with that, but visit Anthony over at bookcovercafe.com for some great tips. Dan Blank at wegrowmedia.com is another great resource!
ReplyDeleteI am dying to read this book. It sounds so good.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read that book - I like the idea of analysing books we like and trying to learn from them though. Might try that myself.
ReplyDeleteNo, I haven't read it, but it sounds like an accurate analysis.
ReplyDeleteSounds good to me, but I'm not a plotter, either. I'm interested to see if this helps you become more of a plotter or not.
ReplyDeleteShannon at The Warrior Muse, co-host of the 2012 #atozchallenge! Twitter: @AprilA2Z
Im not really looking to become a plotter for the first draft. I just need to get better @ recognizing my main plot & what to cut/add. I love not knowing what happens next.
DeleteI haven't read it either, but looks like you pulled out the plot.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, plotting is definitely not my strong suit either. Like you, I'm much for of a character person. That just means that this feature will be good for me to read as well as for you to write though! :) And WOOHOO, you chose Anna and the French Kiss as your first book! LOVE IT. I think you did a great job :) You hit the major points and they're plotted accordingly. Nice work!
ReplyDeleteSonia
I LOVED Anna And The French Kiss. Interesting Meme.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by,
Livin' Life Through Books
I read and loved this book. I think you did a great job hitting the plot points of the romance. Of course in contemporary there's also that personal growth stuff, but that's definitely not the main plot in Anna! Anna is all about romance, which I think it why it was such a successful book.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, the turning point terminology never really clicked with me, but I started to feel like i understood plotting when I read Blake Snyder's SAVE THE CAT GOES TO THE MOVIES! Seeing all his examples really helped me. Maybe it would do the same for you? Who knows! Everyone seems to have their own path.
I used to be a complete pantser, but after doing MASSIVE revisions on a few manuscripts, I finally realized it would be easier to have a guide map going in rather than trying to draw one in the mud I made without it. I don't know if that's the case for everyone, but so far it seems to be working for me.
Good luck with this new feature. Seems like it's going to be fun :)
- Liz
Well, I tried to outline a couple of times, but it messed up the voice and the pacing. The whole story felt off in both cases. I have to completely re-write. I can't revise. So I'm hoping to find somewhere in between plotting and pantsing b/c I seem to need the discovery process, but I also know plot is not my strong point.
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