Writers Tricks of the Trade Issue 3 Volume 9 | Page 9

ously work for some people. If not, at least
they’re a great exercise to help hone your
chops.
They’re a spirit-quashing tool for me
reeking of outlining, but I’m not everyone.
M Y P LOTTING C OMES O UT O RGANICALLY
If you’ve read any of
my other articles, you
know how I work. If not,
I’ll repeat: I know where I
want to start and where I
want to end. Everything in
the middle is a total sur-
prise. My plots develop
from that. The last thing I want to do is pre-
analyze, outline or in any other way, suck
the life right out of my inspiration (polka-
dot sewer). I leave that for the more analyt-
ical crowd.
I’m not that mercenary in my approach.
I write because I love to, and I do it for my-
self, first and foremost. For example, I’m
having a blast writing this article.
You have to follow your muse and if plot
matrixes are for you, there’s plenty of liter-
ature out there. I urge you to at least check
them out to see if they’ll either help or hin-
der you.
Happy writing!
Fred
F RED R AYWORTH FOUND HIS PASSION FOR WRITING IN 1995. H E HAS BEEN A REGULAR CONTRIBUTOR TO
W RITERS T RICKS OF THE T RADE FOR SEVERAL YEARS NOW , ALWAYS OFFERING SAGE ADVICE , OR HIS OWN SPIN
THAT MAY RAISE QUESTIONS ABOUT TECHNIQUES THAT HAVE BEEN THE STANDARD . WWW . FREDRAYWORTH . COM
E DITOR ’ S N OTE :
In case you are wondering about these basic plots, here is something to consider. Like
Fred, I do not employ a matrix, but many find these guidelines helpful.
ness, manages to fulfill that potential.
N INE P LOTS Y OU C AN A DAPT T O Y OUR G EN-
RE
O VERCOMING THE M ONSTER : The protagonist is
pitted against an antagonist who repre-
sents a threat to the community or the mis-
sion. The protagonist must destroy it or
stop it and escape. Sometimes this results
in some sort of reward.
R AGS TO R ICHES : Someone who seems quite
commonplace or downtrodden at first
glance, but displays the potential for great-
F ALL 2019
T HE Q UEST : The protagonist embarks on a
long journey to obtain a great prize or re-
sult, often encountering and conquering
obstacles along the way.
V OYAGE AND R ETURN : The protagonist jour-
neys to a strange world that seems en-
chanting at first, but evolves to something
so threatening he/she finds they must es-
cape and return home to safety.
C OMEDY : A community divided by frustra-
P AGE 4
W RITERS ’ T RICKS OF THE T RADE