Writing Stack Exchange
Writing Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [plot-structure]

This tag is for questions regarding the plot structure of a fictional work, such as novels, screenplays, or radio dramas.

This tag is for the questions about the structure of a story’s plot.

52 questions
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When is it too late to introduce major characters?

Would you consider it too late to introduce major characters at the midpoint of book 1 in a trilogy? By major characters I mean characters that aren’t the protagonist, don’t have POV chapters (my book is first person), but are with the protagonist…
a.m.d.
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10 answers

How to make a story entertaining with an almost invincible character?

I'm writing this fantasy story with the MC slowly transforming into a non-human being. Which makes him invulnerable... Or at least quite resistant. The problem is that I'm still not fully sure which the limitations should be. Hard to kill, with…
Erin Tesden
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How do I give characters logical reasons to be with each other?

It's an annoying problem with writing - I've got a bunch of characters that I've written, how do I keep them together for the adventure I want them to go on? In some stories, this can be quite annoying - reading YA novels for example, where the…
WasatchWind
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How to make a fiction more visualizable by readers?

I was reading through Agatha Christie's novels and I found that she literally made me visualize everything in the plot. How does she do that?
Riotheavn
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Is there a method to determining how many books long your series needs to be?

I set out to write a trilogy, and feel my characters, world, and story are complex enough to warrant it. However, the more I dig into it, I’m sensing three books isn’t enough. But it will be a huge and complex undertaking to add a forth book since…
a.m.d.
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9
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5 answers

What to avoid when writing distant and inconsequential POVs?

I'm currently writing a sci-fi novel, where we've got some huge, solar system-spanning stuff going on, with huge stakes. I've got four POVs that are directly involved with this, whose decisions matter and are directly influenced by what…
A. Kvåle
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How do I know if my plotline is boring?

This is a question that often comes to my mind while writing. I can't know whether I should respect the sequence of events chronologically as they happened or try to include backstories/flashbacks. How do I know what entertains more a reader in such…
Nour Fourti
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I’m feeling overwhelmed about writing a novel, can anyone help?

I’ve always wanted to write a book. I’ve finally gained enough courage to attempt to write a small novel, 100-150 pages. I’m 13, which I’ve learned is a small problem. I hate to say it, but I’m just gifted at writing. I have many adults around me…
Liz
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Would a real location for a book be more intriguing than a fictional setting?

I am a beginner to writing, so not sure exactly how to base the book I've started to write. I want it to be a real cozy romantic book where the characters kind of live in a cobble stoned village with more of countryside feel. They attend a…
Elysia
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How do I handle a backstory for a surprise revealed at the climactic scene?

I am writing a story, which involves the main character springing a big and dramatic surprise on their adversary in court. A large part of the story involves the explanation/backstory of how he came up with that surprise. The challenge is that I…
user17760
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How to slow down plot in slowburn romance?

My current work in progress is a slow burn romance between two characters who do not believe in love in their own way. MC simply does not believe in it due to bad experiences being proven, and LI (Love Interest) has sworn off any romance…
L'Yana James
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How "resolved" do things need to be at the end of the first book of a trilogy?

Without going into detail... I'm trying to decide when to end the first book of my trilogy. There are two options that seem natural to me, but one feels more exciting and allows me to drag the tension out. The other fits traditional plot outlines…
a.m.d.
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Can revealing the series finale to open the series be effective?

Considering the Marvel film Deadpool II we open up with Deadpool detonating himself on a warehouse full of explosives, and then he tells the story on how we got there. That was one "book," however, and we know that works well. Now my series ends…
Vogon Poet
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Novels with big time jump

In a father/son novel, there are two parts to the story: half the book follows the protagonist for a few years. Part two is twenty five years later. The story transitions with a 10 - 12 page narrative section giving a sense of what happened with the…
Sid47
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Least confusing way to structure 2 plot lines merging when one starts several years before the other

My story has two POV characters, Delilah and Jack, who start separate and meet ~ 1/4 of the way though. Delilah's story starts several years before the Jack's and is the entire reason he even has a story at all. The thing I'm not sure about is,…
aurorajack
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