8 Things Best Selling Writers Do To Write Gripping Plots



Introduction:  Most bestsellers all have one thing in common: They all have plots that make it impossible for readers to stop reading. In fact, plot is the most important element in commercial fiction. Simply stated, the plot is what happens in your story. It’s the action, suspense, conflicts and challenges that your characters face. It’s what keeps your reader turning those pages. Sure, every story is different. But a strong plot always feels fresh and original, is well paced, and most importantly, keeps the reader hooked. Readers may forgive a lack of character development or a simplistic writing style in your novel, but plot will make or break your book. Here are eight key ways to immediately improve your plot and hook your readers.

1.  Start your story with a triggering event  Begin your story on the day that something changes for your protagonist, or just after something has changed. News, life changes (births, deaths, weddings, a move, starting a new job) and dramatic moments (a funeral, a proposal, a car accident) are all “triggering events.” A mystery could begin with a murder or theft. A science‐fiction novel could begin with the first sign of an alien invasion. Triggering events naturally hook the reader – they’ll want to know how your character will deal with this change. Bonus: Agents typically want to identify the triggering event within the first chapter, so it’s a great way to grab their attention, too. Ask yourself: — Does your story have a triggering event? — Can you clearly identify it within the first chapter?



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8 Things Best Selling Writers Do To Write Gripping Plots



2.  Keep upping the stakes for your reader  Tension, which is also known as suspense or momentum, is the plot element that makes the reader want to keep reading. Tension is created through conflict – either internal conflicts your character faces, such as his emotional battles, or external conflicts, such as when the character grapples with challenging people or environments. Ideally, you want to keep upping the stakes for your reader – making the conflicts more intense, the consequences more dire, the outcome more dramatic. For example, in a murder mystery, time could be running out before the villain kills again, which would put pressure on the detective to figure out the mystery and raise the stakes for the reader – they’ll want to know if the detective will solve the mystery in time. As you review your plot, ask yourself: — What kinds of conflicts are your characters facing? — Do they gradually become more intense? — Do the stakes get higher? You want your reader to be invested, to have more at stake in your story; how are you creating tension and suspense for your reader?

3.  Is your plot fresh and original — or clichéd?   The best plots are fresh and original, with unique situations and unexpected twists. There’s no foolproof way to make sure you have an original plot, but you should make every effort to avoid a clichéd plot. In commercial women’s fiction, the “unexpected pregnancy” plot has happened so often that it feels clichéd, and in young adult fiction, the “normal” teen falling in love with the paranormal creature (vampire, mermaid, werewolf, fairy) has become trite. Amateur writers often fall into clichéd plotlines because they don't know what else to write or how to connect plot points. Push yourself to be original.



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8 Things Best Selling Writers Do To Write Gripping Plots





Ask yourself: — Will the reader expect this? If the answer is yes, mix it up – add a twist, make a change, or shift the story in a new direction to keep your readers on their toes.

4.  Avoid having too much going on  A key sign of an amateur writer is a story with a complicated plot that is difficult or impossible for the reader to follow. The reader should be able to clearly understand the plot. While some stories may be more complex than others, it’s best to err on the side of simplicity: — Not every character in your story has to play a significant role in the plot — Not every character in your story has to be part of a major event — Not every event has to be intense or dramatic. Aim for a triggering event, a series of conflicts that gradually intensify, and then the major climax event before beginning to resolve the story. If your reader can’t follow the story, you’ll lose them.

5. Cut the backstory  Backstory is the background information about a character or situation, such as events or context from a character’s personal history. Amateur writers tend to include lots of backstory in the beginning of a story—but that’s a surefire way to lose your reader. Backstory can be important and useful, but it should be sprinkled in throughout the story, in bits and pieces as the reader gets to know the character. And not every scrap of backstory needs to make it into the story. Be ruthless: ask yourself: — Does the reader really need to know this information? Your plot will grind to a halt if you spend too much time on backstory.

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8 Things Best Selling Writers Do To Write Gripping Plots





6.  Create momentum through cliffhanger chapters  Amateur writers often think short chapters are the key to making a reader want to read on. But it doesn’t really matter how long your chapters are, as long as you give the reader a reason to keep reading. Each chapter should make the reader want to know more. To do this: — Make sure each chapter is left unresolved in some way. — Leave conflicts unsettled, or create new conflicts. — Have characters make important discoveries or realizations at the end of the chapter rather than the beginning. — And keep upping the stakes with each of those unresolved chapter endings, too.

7.  Build up to the climax  The climax is the crisis point, where the action and suspense in your story is at its most intense. It’s the confrontation between two warring characters, the standoff between the detective and the murderer, the major battle between the aliens and the humans. This crisis point should be the pivotal scene in your plot, the moment that all the conflicts have been building toward. But it can’t happen too fast. A poorly plotted novel often takes the story from triggering event to climax, without a lot of rising action. As you check your plot, ask yourself: — What is your crisis point? — Is it the most significant and intense moment in the book? — Does the story build to that climax?



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8 Things Best Selling Writers Do To Write Gripping Plots



8.   Don’t rush the ending  Poorly plotted novels also often go right from climax to the ending. But the aftermath after the climax is a vital part of the story. Think of this as the cool‐down period after an intense workout – it’s an important part of the process. Consider the loose ends in your story: — What remains unresolved? — What decisions or consequences does your character have to face after the fallout from the major crisis point? — How has the character’s life changed since that triggering event and the climax of the story? Remember, endings don't have to reveal every detail or tie up every loose end, but they should give readers a sense of resolution. Cliffhanger endings are okay for individual chapters, but rarely work as the true ending for today’s novels— and they almost never go over well with readers.



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