Twist, Turn, Pivot and Point: Structure & Plot

I'm nearly ready to transfer my entire document back into a new project in the Scrivener program. I love this program because I can easily shift my scenes around, mark my structure points, color code my hero/heroine/villain cards and more. Oh, it is a lovely writing tool.

Before I move my WIP into Scrivener, I am revisiting the idea of plot and structure. I've read a few books on the subject and they've helped me clarify the major points I need to work toward in my overall novel writing. However, at times they merely muddy my thinking because there are about twenty billion different ways to label the major turning points and sections of the novel. Many novels and commercial movies have been dissected using these amazing templates.

I am in awe of any writer who can sit down with any novel idea/template and know all the answers before she starts writing.

I am not that kind of a writer.

I know most of the answers, or think I know. Then I write away and try to meet the goals I've set for my writing. Then I read my muddled mess, or send it to CPs or enter contests or share it a workshops, and all my clever plotting and ideas are shot down (well not all, but a lot or they are asked to go to the "next" level -- whatever that is as I don't often know what my original level is).

And then I sit down, rip out the parts that aren't working, or don't resonate, and try to come up with more answers to the original questions and fill in renewed blank spaces that I thought were answered. And then I have to look at the mess again and try to create order out of my chaos.

So here I am at the apex of binding my WIP into a solid structure and I am revisiting the plotting ideas once more.

This time I am reading the book STORY STRUCTURE-DEMYSTIFIED by Larry Brooks. He's really good at distilling the information for the reader. The book is a fast read (thank goodness), and it offers really amazing examples from movies like the TITANIC and books like THE DAVINCI CODE. He renames some of points, restructures some of the elements I've gleaned, but essentially I already have the basics written down on my handy dandy chapter/scene skeleton outline (it is very simplistic).

Sure, the words are different (not all, but some), but it is basically the same. So even though I have had this skeleton and have used it for every revision, guess what? Yeah, you got it--I still have to rip the guts out of the story because I haven't quite nailed down all the plot points/major milestones, or I have them but they're not in the right spots.

What gets me is that the information is the essentially the same, but the labels become different. For instance, INCITING INCIDENT. That's Larry's HOOK. His INCITING INCIDENT is the FIRST PLOT POINT. Or in another language THE FIRST PIVOTAL PLOT POINT. He talks about the 3 Act Structure in terms of the novel and screenwriting, but for the novel, he talks about 4 BOXES. And what scenes belong in each BOX. And his ORPHAN, WANDERER, WARRIOR, MARTYR remind me of the hero's mythical journey (or something like that--I have that info tucked somewhere as well).

And I'm glad he does relabel or restate the facts in a new way for me. Why? Because it makes me think outside of my box. I start brainstorming and getting new ideas for my book. I am affirmed about what is working for me as a writer, organically and structurally. I'd love to become the writer he talks about: you know the writer that figures out all the points, the main items in the boxes, and then writes a fairly clean first draft where it needs minor revisions.

Heck, that's why I read structure books. They give me hope that one day I won't need to gut my stories four to five or more times. But the truth is, I'll be lucky if I can get away with not gutting more than twice. That's my goal. At least until I get the "call" and an editor asks me to gut my story and revise it again.

So here are the fun ways to label plot points and story arcs I've gleaned over the years I've been struggling with structure:

TWIST POINTS
PINCH POINTS
PIVOTAL PLOT POINTS
INCITING INCIDENT
OPENING HOOK
MID POINT
FALSE VICTORY
CALL TO ACTION
THIRD PLOT POINT
FALSE DEFEAT
CLIMAX
RESOLUTION
ACT 1
ACT 2
ACT 3
BOXES
SET UP
RESPONSE
ATTACK
RESOLUTION
BEGINNING
MIDDLE
END
BLACK MOMENT
ROMANTIC BLACK MOMENT
POINT OF NO RETURN
ALL IS LOST
PANTSER
PLOTTER
MIST

Well, you get the picture. Is it any wonder I consider my writing process "organized chaos?"

What clever books and ideas have you got to share with me regarding plotting and structure and the writing process?