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P R E M I U M P LOT T I N G WO R K B O O K

H O W TO P LOT YO U R N O V E L F R O M S TA R T TO F I N I S H

C O N T E N T S PAG E 1 Title

15 Setting

23 Third Obstacle

2 Contents page

23 All is Lost! Moment of Despair

3 Free Resource Library

17 The Three Act Structure Continued

4 Introduction

18 The Basic Plot Outline

25 Resolution

6 The Basics of Storytelling

18 Beginning/Opening Scene/ Protagonist Introduced

25 Lessons learned

7 The Three Act Structure 8 The Hook/What If? 11 The Blurb 13 Main characters

19 Inciting Incident 20 Protagonist’s Goal/s 21 First Obstacle 22 Second Obstacle

24 Climax/Battle

26 Other Notes 27 What now?

28 About the Author 29 Character Spreadsheet

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INTRODUCTION So, you want to write a novel? Great!

But, I hear you say, where do I start? Actually, where do I stop? How do I write a good story? How do I know what to write next? What if I get stuck? What are my characters actually supposed to do? Should I put in a twist and where and how? What – how – where…?

This is why most people don’t write books.

Writing a book is hard work. But it’s not rocket science. One of the ways you can write a fantastic story and not get stuck halfway, is by understanding how a great story fits together. You can write a solid outline for your novel which you can use as a roadmap, a blueprint even, leading you through the narrative to emerge onto the final page, weary but victorious!

This is not the time to get embroiled in the great ‘plotter or pantser’ debate. Eh, what? If you’re looking at these words blankly and scratching your head, don’t worry. Basically, writers seem to fall into two camps – those who like to plan their stories out, either loosely or meticulously, and those who like to

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write in a much more unstructured, ‘fly by the seat of their pants’ way (hence, ‘pantsers’).

Obviously, as you progress as a writer, you’ll find out which method works best for you. But if you’re a new author, or still struggling with getting the words down, you might want to at least try outlining your novel. This workbook will walk you through the process, step by step, until by the end of the book, you’ll have a coherent outline and a plot worked out scene by scene. Then, all you have to do is write it!

Easy, heh? ;)

Ready? Let’s get started…

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THE BASICS OF S TO RY T E L L I N G

that they will never achieve their goal. The climax of the story occurs, after which the hero either achieves their goal or they are changed in some significant way by the journey.

From once upon a time to they lived happily ever after…

Every story ever written follows a recognised path.

Even stories which might seem to deviate from the ‘norm’ actually do follow a customary configuration.

This is known as the Three Act Structure and even if you don’t know the term, you’ll be familiar with the concept. At its very basic level, the Three Act Structure means that a story has a beginning, a middle and an end! It’s also known as ‘the hero’s journey’.

At its most basic, a compelling story has a format.

The protagonist/hero/main character wants something. They’re frustrated in their attempts to get whatever it is that they want at various points in the story. They reach a point of despair, when it seems PREMIUM PLOTTING WORKBOOK

If you follow these basic concepts in plotting your novel, you won’t go far wrong. Ever since humans sat around their cave fires telling stories, the human brain has been conditioned to accept this basic storytelling structure. The wonderful thing about it is that it gives you so much freedom in what actually happens in the story. Don’t forget, the journey the hero goes on doesn’t have to be an actual, literal journey. It can be just as satisfying for the protagonist to travel emotionally and mentally, becoming a more developed person by the end of the story.

I’ll be using examples from my book, Creed (A Kate Redman Mystery: Book 7) to illustrate every part of the story structure. If you haven’t read the book, I apologise now for the spoilers!

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T H E T H R E E AC T STRUCTURE

BEGINNING

SETTING SCENE

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MIDDLE

CONFLICT / CONFRONTATION

END

RESOLUTION

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TH E H O O K / WH AT I F ? Â

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So where to start? Well, what’s your story actually about?

Sometimes you might have a whole story jump into your head, fully formed (God, I love it when that happens – rarely!). Or you might have almost nothing – nothing except a question. If you have a question – a ‘what if’ – then you’re all good! You’ve got the seed of a story.

What is your ‘what if’? You could also call it a ‘hook’.

It’s something that’s going to hook a reader into reading the story.

The ‘hook’ for the Harry Potter books could have been something like “What if a young boy found out he was actually a wizard?”

Here’s the rough and ready notes I made for Creed before I wrote it (NB. They are VERY rough but I wanted to give you an idea of how an entire book can grow from just a few scribbled notes. You can see I ask myself a lot of questions to which I didn’t know the answer at the time – so don’t worry if you don’t know exactly what’s going to happen in your story yet – it’ll all come to you as you write it): My example: Abbeyford School of Dance and Drama –Drama school is set into the woods, all very ‘elemental’ – like Regent’s Park Theatre.

Suicide cluster – young people committing suicide

If I was writing the ‘hook’ for Creed, it would be something as simple as “What if teenagers start killing themselves but it’s not actually suicide?”

Charismatic school (Drama? Art?) teacher has students under his control in some sort of cult – why? Sex, money, power?

Use this section to write down your hook and any other ideas you have about the story. It can be as rough and ready as you like – it’s just something to get you excited about writing the story.

Second twist is that one of the deaths is actually a murder disguised as a suicide – but who? And why?

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Teacher is murderer because his victim is going to expose him so he murders her (or him?) but disguises it as a suicide because so many have been happening. But he is responsible for the others (?) because he encourages them to commit suicide. Only real murder is the student who was going to expose him but could he be prosecuted for the others??

What is your hook? Write down your notes here:

First victims were ‘golden couple’ of the college – popular, from stable families, good looking and great things were expected of them. They played the lead roles in the recent production of Romeo and Juliet. Murder/suicide? Boy kills girl because he thinks she’s been unfaithful to him because of suggestion by teacher. This would mean the police remain involved. Other suicides are singular.

Drama teacher manipulates his pupils into doing what he wants them to do by power of suggestion.

Actual point of the book is that it IS a suicide cluster but that it’s being orchestrated by drama teacher.

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T H E B LU R B

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It might sound funny but I sometimes find the best way to kick start a story is to write the blurb, or the description first – the words that you read on the back of a book cover or on the Amazon product page. Here’s an example from Creed.

My example: Joshua Widcombe and Kaya Trent were the golden couple of Abbeyford’s School of Art and Drama; good-looking, popular and from loving, stable families. So why did they kill themselves on the grassy stage of the college’s outdoor theatre?

Detective Chief Inspector Anderton thinks there might be something more to the case than a straightforward teenage suicide pact. Detective Sergeant Kate Redman agrees with him, but nothing is certain until another teenager at the college kills herself, quickly followed by yet another death.

college killing themselves? Is this a suicide cluster? As Kate and the team delve deeper into the case, secrets and lies rear their ugly heads and Abbeyford CID are about to find out that sometimes, the most vulnerable people can be the most deadly…

By writing out your blurb/description (don’t worry, it’s not set in stone – you can change it later), you’ll have a clearer idea of where to start and where your story is going.

Check out the Beautiful Blurbs Workbook for more details on how to write a really engaging blurb.

Write out your blurb here:

Why are the privileged teens of this exclusive PREMIUM PLOTTING WORKBOOK

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M A I N C H A R AC T E R S

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Who are your main characters? Who is your protagonist (hero) going to be? Who’s going to be their ‘enemy’ or the villain of the story? This doesn’t have to be a real, super-hero type of villain! In the simplest terms, it means the antagonist of the protagonist - the person who gets between the hero and their goal, the person who stops them getting what they want.

You’ll find a character spreadsheet at the end of this book, which you’ll be able to fill in and should help you keep track of your characters.

becomes an enemy and villain of the piece Zac Downey.

Other main characters: DI Mark Olbeck, DS Theo Marsh, DC Ravinder Cheetam, Kate’s mother Mary, Kate’s new boyfriend Tin. Write down your main characters here and use the character spreadsheet at the end of the book to get really detailed:

Jot some notes down on your main characters – what they look like, their personality, their strengths and weaknesses, any oddities (physical, mental or emotional). You can get really detailed if you want to – in fact, the more detailed you make their characters, the easier it will be to write them.

My example, from Creed: Protagonist: Kate Redman, Detective Sergeant in Abbeyford police, CID section.

Antagonist: Detective Chief Inspector Anderton he also wants the case solved but as he and Kate are attracted to her, he’s a temptation to stray. He’s also a lesson as his sexual behaviour has at some point jeopardized his career and ended his marriage). Also Fliss who actually PREMIUM PLOTTING WORKBOOK

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SETTING

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Where is your story going to be set?

Write your setting notes here:

In a real-life city like London, perhaps? A small country village? On a distant planet? In another fantastical universe altogether?

Obviously your setting is going to be heavily influenced by the genre you’re writing in. If you’re writing a cosy mystery, it’s going to be rather jarring for your readers if you set it on a battleship in the middle of the ocean (that could be interesting, though…).

If you’re going to be using a real-life town, city or location, you will need to do some research to make sure you get the landmarks in the right place and the street names right, for example. You could try keeping a clippings board (an actual board or use a virtual one on something like Pinterest). If you don’t know your chosen location intimately already, Google Maps can help with this or try reading travel books or looking up tourist information websites for a general feel of the area.

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Right, so you’ve got your basic story idea, your main characters and your setting. It’s time to start plotting, baby!

You can use the Three Act Structure as a framework on which to hang your story. You can see from the following graph that there are various points in the story where things have to happen, in order to move the plot along. We’re going to take them one by one and I’ll give you examples of each one along the way.

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T H E T H R E E AC T S T R U C T U R E CONTINUED

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THE BASIC P LOT O U T L I N E As an example, here are my notes for the opening scene of Creed (I had a prologue and an opening scene): Prologue: early morning dog walker finds bodies of two teenagers in woodland forest.

B e g i n n i n g /O p e n i n g S c e n e / P ro t a g o n i s t I n t ro d u c e d Pretty much does what it says on the tin. This is where your story opens. It can start right in the middle of the action or it can ‘set the scene’. Try to avoid openings where your protagonist wakes up to sunlight streaming though the curtains – it’s been done a million times.

Opening scene: Olbeck and Jeff’s wedding Kate’s speech – some little funny scene with Anderton that foreshadows how his feelings have changed towards her. Now he’s keen but she’s not sure, not least because she’s with Tin. Your notes on your opening scene:

You might have a prologue, which takes place before the ‘official’ opening of the story. You might also introduce your protagonist during the opening scene or they can join the story at a slightly later point.

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Inciting Incident This is the scene that forces the protagonist to act.

This is the scene that begins their journey. Quite often this is also the scene in which the protagonist recognises their goal, but not always.

My example from Creed: The Abbeyford police investigate the double suicide. Kate Redman wants to solve the case.

Your notes on your inciting incident:

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Protagonist’s Goal/s – could be external or internal or both

Your notes on your protagonist’s goal/s:

Your protagonist begins to realise what it is he or she wants. It might be an externa goal – to solve a mystery, to achieve a career goal, to move countries, for example. Or it might be that the protagonist begins to realise their character flaws to be overcome by the end of the book – or perhaps they will be defeated by their psychological weaknesses.

It depends on the book!

My example from Creed: Kate Redman wants to solve the case and the mystery behind the suicides (external goal). In this scene, the reader also sees her emotional vulnerability after the death of her mother and the depth of Kate’s grief and how it’s preventing her from moving forward as a person is foreshadowed (internal goal)

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First Obstacle

Your notes on the first obstacle:

What stops your protagonist from achieving their goal? What gets in their way? It is the antagonist, a situation or the protagonist’s own behaviour?

My example from Creed: Second body discovered, another girl, hanging from a tree in the school grounds. Again, PM proves classic suicide. Kate wants to find out more. Goes to talk to Anderton in his office, he asks her out for a drink. She feels guilty about Tin then thinks sod it, I’m going anyway.

Temptation. Anderton talks about his failed marriage, about Kate’s boyfriend. Kind of half warning her, half flirting with her.

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Second Obstacle Again, what is stopping the protagonist reaching his or her goal? The antagonist now may become more obvious or a more significant part of the story. The protagonist may have a renewed desire for their goal or think of another way of reaching it.

Investigation into girl’s family and situation and friends. Again, some hint of secret friend. Why did she kill herself? Bullied, abused? Teacher gets hold of this info and uses it to manipulate her.

Third body discovered. This time, police manage to find the ‘secret’ phone. This time Zac is the one to find her and report it to Kate directly.

Another scene with Anderton – do they kiss?

Kate realises temptation, can she resist?

Anderton himself realises danger ‘Kate, don’t end up like me, married to the force, divorced, with children who hardly know you, or even worse, no children at all.’

Your notes on the second obstacle:

My example from Creed: Kate thinks that she should take Fliss, her vulnerable colleague, under her wing a bit more but circumstances prevent this. She spots Fliss talking to someone in a secretive manner, something about the scene seems faintly wrong but she can’t put her finger on it. (we don’t find out until climax scene is that Fliss was talking to villain).

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T h i rd O b s t a c l e You don’t have to have exactly three obstacles. You can have as many as you want! Each time a protagonist is prevented from reaching their goal should also be an opportunity for them to achieve more self-awareness.

My example from Creed: Investigation into third death. On searching girl’s room, the police find ‘secret’ phone.

There’s something on the phone that could incriminate the villain, Zac Downey, but Fliss, who’s under his spell already, deliberately changes/blocks the info so the police don’t find out.

Your notes on the third obstacle:

A l l i s Lo s t ! M o m e n t o f Despair Or ‘it’s always darkest before dawn’. Put your protagonist in a situation, either literal or emotional, where they reach the depths of despair, where they think they will never achieve their goal. This makes the next scene – the climax or battle – much more emotionally charged.

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My example from Creed: Olbeck tells Kate that she’s pushing everyone away especially those who love her – she’s got to deal with her grief. ‘Stop, just stop. It’s me. You can’t get rid of me’. Tears, recognition that he’s right. She starts to panic that they will never solve the case, that these teenagers will just carry on killing themselves and Kate will never be able to stop them.

Your notes on the moment of despair:

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Climax/Battle This doesn’t necessarily mean a literal battle (although in several genres, it would be expected).

It’s the confrontation between protagonist and antagonist - who will win?

My example from Creed: In the climactic scene, Kate realises that Fliss has a secret phone – puts two and two together and this is why she realises she’s in danger.

Realises Fliss has drugged her drink but falls asleep before she can do anything about it.

Fliss contacts Zac and he comes over to watch Kate die. But Kate regains consciousness and there’s a big fight to the death.

Write your notes on the battle here:

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Resolution

Lessons learned What has the protagonist learnt about themselves?

What is going to round the story off satisfactorily?

Did the protagonist ‘win’ (achieve their goal) or did they lose? Sometimes the lessons learned can be ambiguous…

The wrapping up of the story. What happens after the battle or the climax?

My example from Creed: The case is solved and the people of Abbeyford are now safe from a ruthless killer. Kate opens up to Tin, her boyfriend, and arranges some grief therapy.

My example from Creed: Kate’s learnt that to be happy you have to be honest and truthful with yourself and with other people, hard and embarrassing and frightening as it might be. She’s working through her grief, put right the mistakes she’s made and achieved her external goal of solving the case.

Write your notes about lessons learned here:

Your notes on the resolution here:

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Other Notes Any other points you might like to make can be written here:

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What now?

So, my fellow author, I hope this workbook has been of some service to you. Don’t forget, plotting is not an exact science. You might be one of those people who write better and more easily when they don’t plot, so don’t worry if you find it very hard to plan it all out at the start. Even if you have the bare bones of a story, sometimes that’s all you need.

What they say is true – sometimes the character themselves really do take over and refuse to do what you tell them!

Also, like everything else in life, the more you practice something, the better you get. The first novel you write might be awful. The second will be better. The third should be better still. Keep on writing and reading, and keep on learning, and you will improve as a writer – I promise.

If you fancy learning more about how to have a fulfilling and successful indie author career in greater detail, then do go to the Courses page on the website here. Upcoming courses include: Sensational Shorts! A FREE course for people wanting to write their first piece of creative fiction Write that Novel! Mindset & Motivation for Authors The 6 Week Novel: how to build your backlist by learning the secrets of writing fast and well Indie Author Bootcamp: how to quickly and successfully build your career as an indie author Good luck in your authorial journey 

Be sure to check out Indie Author School for loads more free advice, indie publishing news, inspiration and writing tips.

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About the Author

C o n n e c t w i t h m e h e re :

www.facebook.com/authorcelinagrace www.facebook/indieauthorschool

@celina__grace | @indieauthorsch

www.indieauthorschool.com www.celinagrace.com

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Celina Grace is old enough to be somewhat coy about her age and wrote her first story, The Blue Ruby, at the age of seven. She’s the author of The Kate Redman Mysteries, The Asharton Manor Mysteries, various standalone psychological thrillers and the historical mystery series Miss Hart and Miss Hunter Investigate. Having written for much of her life in pursuit of a traditional publishing contract, she discovered the joys of indie publishing in 2012. Two years later, she became a full time indie author.

To date, she’s sold over 120,000 books, reached over half a million readers, been an Amazon UK Top 100 bestseller and could (and sometimes does) talk about indie publishing and the joy of creative writing all day. She lives in the beautiful Georgian city of Bath in the UK, with her husband and sons.

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C H A R AC T E R S P R E A D S H E E T

SERIES

NAME

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D.O.B.

ADDRESS APPEARANCE

PARENTS

PARTNER

SIBLINGS

FRIENDS

LIKES

DISLIKES

OTHER

OTHER

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