Why is it so hard to think of plot for fiction? Does plot come easily to some people?

Question

Whenever I try to get my creative juices flowing I just find coming up with an engaging plot difficult. Is it just me?

Answer 1

I think it helps if you take some things from reality (like your personal life events and relationships) and translate them into your fiction writing. I get stuck all the time too, but just last night the solution for a particular (rather pivotal) scene "came to me," because I've been thinking about it so much.

Answer 2

I usually have tons of ideas for starting stories, and i end up writing a whole lot of beginings that way. I absolutely love the start of a story, come up with a pretty decent middle and end, and then just drop it before i even get halfway. Its pretty dissapointing, but since i have so many ideas i cant stick with anything. Looks like i have the opposite problem than you!  

Answer 3

No, definitely not. Sometimes I start with a setting, or something that's happened to me or a friend. I wrote an A+ story that I based on my friend's parents' divorce, and a story I really liked after by teach was being a... witch. I've written quite a few things about things that make me mad, hehe.

Don't worry, it always takes time.

Good luck!

Adele

Answer 4

Nope. Not at all.

For me, I come up with a plot I like at first. And then I can't figure out the details, I can't come up with a middle (which is mostly the case- I call them my "fillingless pies," and they are quite sad...), I think it's too cliche, the plot if I can give it a middle is too complicated for me to even write (I'm not experienced at all), etc.

But what I've found is that writing down plot ideas helps, anyway. Especially when you look back on the idea x amount of weeks later. You can usually think of new ideas to go along with the original and flesh it out better when it's fresher in your mind instead of thinking about it too much. It's happened with me, and I'm really amazed at how well it works. I was actually going through this notebook of ideas I have, and I found something from this January (I date everything I write and draw ...and read) and I got all these ideas for it. I could start writing it now, if I wanted. I mean, you wouldn't have to wait that long, it's an idea and a notebook I forgot about XD

Another thing I do is whenever I'm in the mood and inspired, I write. I don't force anything out, I just write until I can't anymore, and then I leave it alone. And then if you were to come back to that piece of writing, same as old ideas, you'd get your chance to flesh out the idea.

But it's definitely not just you. I hope I helped :) And good luck with your writing... every writing needs it, hah.

Answer 5

All of my general premises just come to me and then I sort of fill in the blanks until I get it right. I do it one scene at a time. I have to experiment a lot- hold the characters' conversations in my head and write them out.

Decide what should happen one thing at a time. I don't know if other people get the whole exposition/rising action/climax etc stuff all at once. I certainly don't. So take it one step at a time. What is one thing you can see your characters doing? Write it out. Even if you change it later or delete it entirely. That will help you get to the next thing.

Don't overthink. focus on just writing and it will start flowing. Good luck.  

Answer 6

Ideas and plots are easy.  It's what you do with them that's the hard part.  To start with, there's a limited number of story types, so all you have to do is pick one and put your own twist on it.  French author Georges Polti once compiled a list of the thirty-six dramatic situations that every story falls under, and even that number was generous considering how stingy some literary critics have been.

We used to play this game in class called "What comes next?"  You just pick a couple of characters and stick them in a situation.  Start with an action and then keep asking 'what comes next'?  Ex:

George is in a floristry shop trying to buy some flowers to make up with his girlfriend.  WCN?  He tries to buy some roses, but he doesn't have enough money.  WCN?  He tries to bargain with the clerk.  WCN?  The clerk won't budge, and George starts arguing.  WCN?  His girlfriend walks by and hears him yelling.  WCN?  She comes in and starts calling him cheap.  WCN?  George leaves the store angry and dejected.  WCN?  The clerk gives the girl a free flower.  George just can't win.

When you're writing something you're more invested in, you should already know some things about the characters, so that gives you an advantage over just playing the game.  If we know George is afraid of confrontation or impulsive or something, maybe he does something desperate like goes out and sells his watch.  In any case, it opens up more focused plotlines.

Answer 7

because fiction is made up, while reality, is, well, real, hence the word reality.

get it? lol

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