Inciting Incident. Every story has this event. The Inciting Event is responsible for throwing the protagonist
headlong into the path of trouble/conflict or problem.
Plan. It’s what the Main Characters decides to do, to thwart
the obstacle, to bypass the roadblocks and overcome the Antagonist. This is a
course of action the MC decides upon to tackle the problem at hand.
Game. Every conflict is like a game where there is only one
winner; either the protagonist or the antagonist. The result depends on who
plays smartly and aggressively. The game and its rules come into play here. Who
has the odds stacked against them? Who is the Dark Horse?
Changing Obstacles.
These obstacles in the story keep changing, very often they
grow not only in size, but also change their direction and shape. The introductory
of sub - plots comes into focus here.
This change of direction can get the protagonist into more trouble and make the
antagonist more powerful.
Plot
Twist. These curves in the path of the plot
help to set the pace. Many times plot twists happen when new characters arrive or the old ones wave a
goodbye.
Sometimes
even the unexpected actions of few trusted characters bring about a twist in
the plot.
Dark Moment. This is the moment when the Main Character is left completely
alone. He or she has to now trek the route to victory only on the sheer
strength of his or her own efforts. External help may or may not
come. But the war started has to be waged and the battle fought.
Epiphany. The moment of Epiphany
brings about an illumination. It’s the moment when things fall in place
and the path ahead is clear as though someone has showed the Protagonist a
roadmap complete with detailed directions. A light bulb literally lights up.
New Plan. With the moment of Epiphany a new course of action is
charted, new plans made. Once again there is a change of speed.
Cliffhanger. The Cliffhanger sees the execution of the new
plan/s. Will they bear fruit? Will the protagonist fall flat? Will the
antagonist win because of the protagonist’s foolishness. It’s the moment that
adds tension.
Climax. The final battle is fought. The protagonist is all set
to do or die, while the antagonist is all ready to kill or be killed.
Ending. Where perfect resolutions find their true place and the
loose ends are tied together.
These are the plot points I loosely base my stories on. They are like a
rough map that help me chart the course of action the protagonist takes and the
plans he or she makes. What about you all. How do you plot your stories? We all
would love to get familiar with your individual processes, as I am sure we can
learn a lot from it
