Category Archives: Plot Points

Static vs. Progressive Plot Points (video)

Watch on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MqYY4DawMs

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Using Forewarnings

Whether or not the characters are aware of them, the audience will need to see forewarnings that indicate the approach of the Consequences. Forewarnings describe the kind of items that can be used to indicate approaching Failure. One way to … Continue reading

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A Story’s Limit: Timelock or Option Lock?

Dramatica : Now, I’ll jump ahead for a moment and look at a couple of plot questions…. First of all, is your story forced to a conclusion because your characters run out of time, or run out of options? This … Continue reading

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Success or Failure?

A story without a clear indication of success or failure is a failure with your readers or audience. You need to work out exactly how the audience will know the goal is achieved or not. This might seem obvious in … Continue reading

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Creating Extra Tension with Consequences

A goal is what the characters chase, but what chases the characters? The consequence doubles the dramatic tension in a story by providing a negative result if the goal is not achieved. Consequences may be emotional or logistic, but the … Continue reading

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Don’t Forget the Requirements!

  The achievement or failure to achieve the goal is an important but short moment at the end of the story. So how is interest maintained over the course of the story? By the progress of the quest toward the … Continue reading

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Quick Tip: The Collective Goal

Some novice writers become so wrapped up in interesting events and bits of action that they forget to have a central unifying goal that gives purpose to all the other events that take place. This creates a plot without a … Continue reading

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