Thinking prompt #16: LATE(R)-STAGE PLOTTING

Hi Everyone,

I’m not someone who ever plots out my novels ahead of time. But there comes a point, often after a couple of messy drafts, that I start thinking seriously about structure.

Usually, I consider my existing scenes then try to organize them around pivotal junctures, which is just another way of saying I start making preliminary decisions about sequencing. At a much later stage, I begin sequencing in reverse. Why? Because thinking about a story in reverse unleashes—at least for me—possibilities that weren’t apparent to me moving front to back.

YOUR PROMPT(S):

1. If you’re still relatively early in your story/novel, think about how you might (re)sequence your material to maximum effect. This could mean discarding, or radically upending, the existing chronology. Or giving a character written in the third person, a first person voice (or the reverse). Or maybe slipping in historical flashbacks.

2. If you’re moving toward the end of your story, consider sequencing what you already have in reverse. Is there anything missing? What might enhance what’s already there? Would cutting a section strengthen the whole? Surprise yourself (and, ultimately, your reader) by introducing unexpected elements— interstitial segments, a contrapuntal perspective.

   Give yourself plenty of time to figure this out on your own story’s terms.

   Good luck!

   Abrazos,

   Cristina