Lesson Four
Welcome Back everyone!
For this lesson, we're going to talk about different plots and what goes into a good plot. Now, I know this isn't a writing class, but I still find it necessary to at least discuss different plots and what's involved in every good book. If you remember, at the end of lesson two, we discussed different writing styles. One of those styles was called narrative writing, which was the actual part of telling a story. This relates to this lesson a bit since narrative writing involves a plot and suspense.
Antagonist Vs. Protagonist
The antagonist's role in most stories is causing the protagonist trouble. Now, the protagonist and the antagonist are not to be confused with each other. The Protagonist is the main character, usually the hero of a story, the one the whole story is centered around while the antagonist is the character who the protagonist is in conflict with. The protagonist and antagonist are not necessarily the 'bad guy' and the 'good guy'. If you think about it, who the bad and good guys are depends totally on whose perspective the book is written from. For instance, have you ever read a great series that you automatically take sides with the good guys only to read a book from the bad guys perspective and find yourself slowly changing sides? Sometimes, authors will do this to allow the reader to see things from another point of view. Authors are able to manipulate their readers' decisions about their characters by what side they take. Most books have a main character and something that main character is battling. Now, I would say there needs to be an antagonist, but a story doesn't always have to have a good guy and a bad guy. Sometimes, a character is simply battling emotions or family issues and not a specific person. Whatever it is that is causing the problem is called the conflict in a story and most stories have it - at least one thing that a character is battling.
Climax
Most stories should also have a climax. This is the part of a story where the action comes to a tip. The definition of the climax is 'the term used to refer to the part of a story or play where the tension or action reaches its highest point.' The part where the action is at its highest, most on-the-edge-of-your-seat moment. The climax usually occurs around the middle/near the end of a book. This is where the suspense of a story should be at its peak and the where the problem usually comes to a head. After the climax, things start to straighten themselves out and the book begins to wrap itself up. Books without a real climax can sometimes be dull and it seems like the story just runs on forever without a real point to it.
Characters
The characters in a story are very important of course. A good writer knows how to develop characters and really show how they act in different situations. A good writer can build a character's personality and build it throughout the story, showing how different events shaped them. There is a lot to take into consideration when writing a character. You want to ask yourself what their role will be in the story. Are they going to be a main character or more of a secondary one? How important are they in this story and will they impact another character too much? A writer tries to develop their characters according to their role in their story. They don't want to put too much personality or detail into someone who pops into a chapter quickly and disappears on the next page. They don't want to give the reader the wrong impression of someone. A lot goes into deciding what each character's role is going to be and their personalities.
Setting
The setting of a story is very important as well. Where do you want your characters to live? Where does you story mainly take place in? If you're going to have an epic battle, where would you want that battle to take place? A writer is able to describe the setting perfectly, not too much description so that the reader isn't sick of description, and not too little either because the reader won't be able to envision the scene. They are also able to put a book in the right setting as well. If your characters are really into... rock climbing, let's say, you probably wouldn't want to put them somewhere where that's not really something you can do because there's a lack of places to do so. Finding the right setting can sometimes be difficult and you have to take a lot into consideration, like the characters' personalities and what they do on a regular basis to name a few.
Resolution
And finally, you have the big wrap up - the resolution. This is where the entire story comes together. Everything that has been going on gets to come to an end and the writer ties it all together with the conclusion. This part can sometimes be the hardest for a writer because they have to have everything coming together without leaving too many questions unanswered. You can tell when a book is going to have a sequel when a lot of questions are left unanswered or a problem is not fixed. The only time when a writer leaves things unfixed is when there is a sequel that will explain it or the writer simply wishes the problem to go unsolved and leave the reader to imagine the rest.
The Hero's Journey
A common theme we see in books is something called the Hero's Journey. It usually starts out with the main character being shown in a place familiar to them. Most often a short backstory is given so you see what has lead up to the beginning of the book. Then, something happens that pushes that character away from their normal lives. The protagonist goes on some sort of adventure to fix this problem with many bumps in the road along the way (usually in the form of subplots). Finally, the problem gets resolved (or, in the case of a sequel, it gets solved for the time being).
Along the way, the character meets many people and finds mentors and friends along with undergoing some transformations that make for a better version of themselves. They come across many challenges along the way, but in the end, the situation resolves itself, leaving the reader feeling as though everything turned out for the better. Usually, a battle is involved in the finishing of a hero's journey.
We see the hero's journey in most books like Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings.
Please head on over to the assignment for this lesson. And, like always, if there are any issues at all, please do not hesitate to contact me!