Plotting Circles, and why I love them.

Good morning, it’s great to see everyone here. Over the course of my writing career I’ve used many programs and tools to plot. Even though I’m a pantser/plotter, but I always come back to my plotting circle to begin a story.

Everything in the circle is what initial comes to me before I think to write a story. It’s like a movie running in my head. And darn, it always seems to happen just before I drop off to sleep or am about to wake. That’s the reason I keep a note pad and pencil on the nightstand, and a recorder (in case I’m too lazy to come awake.)

What determines if a character whether the protagonist, villain, or secondary character is crucial in a story? It’s what they contribute to move it along. You always need a protagonist, but not a villain if it is a romance. Secondary characters are fun to write because most times they’re the ones causing havoc with the main characters. And it’s a great place to unload your inner demons.

The next circle I use is the full plot circle. This is where everything I can imagine that can happen in the story goes. It doesn’t matter if it’s off the wall, or will never make it into the book, it goes here.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                The most important part of the circle is you can’t go wrong. Plot any way you like. I find the plot circle allows me to see everything right in front of me when I start to write the first three chapters. Yep, I tape it to the wall or lamp in front of my computer and if I get stuck or wonder why I’m putting that into the story, I only need to glance up and say Awww! Now I remember, or no, that doesn’t work anymore. And I might create a new circle as I get a quarter into the book to update and change plot points.

I don’t use the circles to build my characters bios. Those I put on large graph paper and pin to the wall. As I write the novel or novella, I’m constantly checking to make sure I didn’t give Jake Carrington black hair with smoky gray eyes when in all the other books he has reddish brown hair and green eyes.  Lol, I’d never forget Jake, but I might with a repeating secondary character and their stats are as important as the hero’s.

I hope this helped. If you’re interested in checking out Jake Carrington and his band of characters, his second book, All the Hidden Sins releases on July 31^st. If you read it, I’d love to hear back on your thoughts on both the story and the characters.

Enjoy your week, and keep reading. Here’s a quote I love:

“Books are the plane, and the train, and the road. They are the destination, and the journey. They are home.”
― Anna Quindlen, How Reading Changed My Life

Visit my author  page at: Marian Lanouette

Website: Marian’s Website