Table Plotting (the highly advantageous, yet boring way to plot)
Have you ever asked yourself why the story you discovered while writing had so many holes? Why you had to go back and fix a bunch of things?
Well, you’re not Stephen King, are you? You can’t hold a whole world in your head, then remember that Tom Periwinkle has a mole, a scar, and likes to burp after every lunch. Or that to have that really good ending, you have to spin at least ten plates somewhere in the middle and keep the reader guessing and interested.
Don’t worry – most of us aren’t Stephen King. My first novel was a wonderful act of discovery, which at times was the most satisfying thing that ever existed, at others a harrowing experience. So, while writing at the seat of your pants is fun, it just doesn’t make great stories (usually!).
For my current WIP novel, titled Ma’dain Aurora (Dawn’s Northern Light) I cracked open my rusty Excel skills and got to work. I started with a plain table and wrote the outline of a few chapters. Then I added a few columns to depict various plots. Lastly, I deleted the sheet and started researching this kind of plotting online.
I didn’t go far or do much research. I believe that you need to figure what works for you, and the first article I found was what I went for (J.K. Rowling plotting example). I did other research, but the basics were always the same. With this technique, I created the sheet you see below, the gargantuan, five thousand word excel, with 70 scenes, 1 main plot and a few subplots.
Doesn’t seem like much? Well, trust me, this is helluva lot of work. I spent around a month creating the plot – arranging, moving, deleting scenes. This is probably version 17 or even higher. After plot, followed world building. I’m not a big fan of writing down my world building, but you have to know the basics, so it’s an important step to do so. I wasn’t sure if it’d be worth it. It was just so much work, took so much time – time better spent writing. So how do I feel now that I’m about halfway through my novel? About the work and effort? The lost time?
THANK GOD ALMIGHTY I PUT IN THE EFFORT.
Writing has been so much easier, the words now flowing freely from my fingers. I can now average 800 – 1000 words an hour, where before I could barely reach 400. The plot is more intricate, the world more refined. I’m already spinning plates (red herrings, subplots, character development) – I don’t have to tidy up at the end (well, not much at least). The plot has deviated slightly from my outline, which is normal. So here’s my advice.
DO IT. Put in the effort. Make your own table out of paper mache if you want, just do it.
Dos and Don'ts
- Make a table, Excel, Paper, Word, Carve it in your mom's table
- List out and describe every scene
- Make columns for your various (sub)plots
- Don't forget about the Worldbuilding - write down what you're going to show and when
- Spend at least a month on it (if you hammer it out in a week, take a break and revisit)
- Don't give up - it'll payoff in the end
- Don't forget about emotions and character interaction
- Make the plot managable. Don't start with 20 subplots and 16 characters. Keep it SMART until you know what you're writing about
Peter