On today’s episode, Heather Hein joins Bonnie and Miranda at The Writing Forge to discuss plotting and planning your novel. 

[Correction: Orson Scott Card coined the term MICE Quotient. Mary Robinette Kowal popularized it.]

Tips and Tricks:

• Outlines can be used two ways: (1) as a map to guide your story as you write it or (2) as a diagnostic tool if you are stuck in your writing or there’s something off about the manuscript.
• There are dozens and dozens of plot structures out there. Find one that fits your genre and your style.
• Some plot structures are: The Hero’s Journey, Save the Cat, the Three Act Structure, Four Act Structure, Seven Point Structure, and the Snowflake Method.
• If you create an outline, you can send it to your editor to save them time and work, as well as to help identify anything that might be wrong with your story structure
• Different genres have different story structures; be sure to do research on your genre expectations—especially if you want to publish commercially.
• Don’t be afraid to let your outline be fluid. If the story is taking a different direction than you expected, don’t be afraid to follow it and change the outline after the fact.

This week’s question: What are you struggling with in plotting your stories? Let us know on our social media platforms. Maybe we can hit each other up and brainstorm some solutions.

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Cover art by Maggie Walker

Links:

Margaret Mizushima

MICE Quotient

Save the Cat Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody