Sunday 2 June 2013

Guest Post - Losing the Plot

Losing the plot 
by R.M.F.Brown

Is plot important? Traditionalists may think so, but James Bond films never had much of a plot, and here we are 23 films later.

And of course, anybody who has ever read a James Joyce book will think plot is something medieval courtiers did in their nine to five jobs!

More to the point though, I would always recommend a rough outline of how a story is going to progress. For example, if your story involves a character who wants revenge on the evil overlord who killed his parents, the outline would be thus:

1) Evil overlord burns village
2) Parents killed
3) Hero escapes
4) Hero travels the land
5) Hero meets Jedi master
6) Hero becomes swordmaster
7)Hero wanders the land again
8) Hero confronts and defeats evil overlord
9) Hero lives happily ever after

Now, we've all read this book a hundred times, or in my case, written it a hundred times. But the most important point is not to get bogged down with detail in your plans. As sure as I have a hole in my backside, a new idea will come to you mid-novel, and you'll be left floundering as to where to put it.

Stay flexible, and don't get hung up on plot. The great authors never did.

R.M.F. Brown is the author of Death to Love



Struggling through the German winter, Inspector Jens Falkenberg is forced to confront his dark past as the webs of intrigue spiral out of control. A leading academic has gone missing, British soldiers are being murdered, and rumours abound of a treasure trove of Nazi gold resurfacing…

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I've reviewed R.M.F. Brown's book 'A Rat's War' which I can recommend, check out the review here:

http://thecultofme.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/book-impressions-rats-war.html

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