First of all a round of applause for writing eight novels

I so appreciate the part where you talk about not finishing the story on the first draft. Even when you begin with the end in mind, you don't know your characters well enough until you've been writing them for a bit. There's an organic part of it that has to be accounted for and it can be really discouraging to find that the outline you started with isn't right. Especially if you're trying to share the story chapter by chapter with a group as you write. Hearing you speak on this reaffirms my belief that we have to give ourselves the grace to know that the story itself is going to change along the way. It's not a bad thing. It's just another part of the process.

The most difficult part of plotting a complex story is (at least to me, and I guess for everyone) the logical coherence of all the plot elements. Many good stories ideas with a good potential have been abandoned in their first plotting stage because they didn't pass the Why test. Giving coherence to all the elements of the story is like designing a machine and make it  work flawlessly, no matter how.

"and the serial killer is a clown...because of course." LOL! Absolutely true.

On "the Brain Dump"
For some reason I've found that scrap paper is very helpful. I feel like I don't have to be serious or meaningful with my thoughts. As a bonus, junk mail provides me with an endless supply of scrap paper.

. Here’s a summarized breakdown of her process:

1.Initial Brainstorm: Start with a broad idea and perform a "brain dump" of potential elements, without focusing on details. This low-pressure stage helps shape the concept while avoiding overthinking or shutting down ideas prematurely.

2. Develop a Logline: Create a concise, one-to-two sentence summary of the novel's main character, conflict, antagonist, and stakes. This step helps clarify the story's core.

2. Character Development: Build detailed profiles for the main characters, including their background, motivations, and personality. Even antagonists need fleshed-out motivations to drive the plot. The author emphasizes knowing the characters well before writing.

3. Plot Structure: Begin with five key plot points: the point of entry, inciting incident, midpoint, climax, and resolution. These create the story's backbone and provide a clear framework for progression.

4. Sticky Notes Stage: Use sticky notes to brainstorm scenes and place them on a whiteboard aligned with the story's arc. The goal is to generate ideas quickly and sort them later.

5. Plot Grid: This method, inspired by J.K. Rowling, organizes the story's plot and subplots in a grid format. Each column represents a plot or subplot (e.g., main plot, romance, friendship) and each row represents a chapter. The grid ensures that each subplot has development and resolution.

6. Drafting: The first draft is based on the plot grid but often changes during the process. The author refines the story by alternating between drafting and revising the plot grid, constantly iterating until the final version.

The process emphasizes structure and flexibility, allowing room for discovery while maintaining a clear plan for character development and plot progression.

This is the most comprehensive and understandable video I've seen on plotting. I can see watching it multiple times to really understand each step.

There are no words to describe how incredibly helpful this was. 😊 Thank you!!

This reminds me of how we made adverts or ad campaigns when I started. We were not allowed to disrupt the brainstorming sessions with negative (or positive) remarks but had to wait until all had had their say and got all those juicy ideas on the board. Then we did a secondary brainstorming session with associated words for each idea. Then we started to go off on any idea presented to find the one that we all agreed on (with the AD - Art Director having the most weight in deciding). What this taught me was to not cramp the creative process and rather have a secondary session to edit, the same as I do when I write. I write first, then later, when I am done, I edit. Sometimes I wait until I have done a chapter, and sometimes a complete story.

I'm a YouTube writing process, writing, etc. junkie.  Having consumed hundreds (thousands?) of these, I find myself judgmental  on them.  Wow! I was surprised by your candid and thorough discussion.  A favorite now added to my how to list.  I'm a Subscriber now.  Thank you so much for taking the time to create this reference tool.

My problem has been initial ideas. I have a basic understanding of story structure and whatnot, but listening to you brainstorm has been inspirational for me.  Thank you so much for sharing your process

I am not a plotter, but I am trying to figure it out.  I've found that similar to your process, I like to create a vague outline, draft my novel, then revise my outline as I draft as things change.  I'm still working out my process, but I really love hearing about other author's techniques. Thanks for sharing.

The distinction that I noticed between a Thriller and Horror novel, is that Thrillers are almost always realistic and deal with serial killers or homicides. While a horror novel is usually supernatural or deals with a phobia.
Being afraid of a circus is a phobia. Not everyone will view circuses as scary, but if there is a legitimate reason to be afraid of a specific circus, then even those that aren't afraid of circuses will fear this one.
Perhaps the horror only happens at a specific time, day, month, or season according to legend. Certain conditions need to be met and the protagonist is dared to meet those conditions. Which is a trope of horror novels but it's something that triggers fond memories of previous stories that started the same way, and becomes exciting for nostalgia's sake. It is better if the story doesn't end the same way as the trope usually does, or goes in a different direction than expected, peaking the reader's curiosity on where the story is going rather than being predictable and boring.

I am a natural pantser, but I have been wanting to learn this method to write a pilot, which is quite complex. I am going to give your method a try today. Thank you for sharing your insight. 🌺😃🌺

8 books is amazing! Congratulations! I just started using Plottr on my new book and it's been super helpful. It lets you set up index cards on multiple timelines, take extensive notes on them, and move them around.

A short story that I wrote end up becoming my first manuscript. I had a friend tell me that read the short story you know he thought it would turn into a great novel, and I just started typing. It wasn’t until I got maybe a third of the way through that manuscript I actually started to outline things and do more world development, character development, plot details. Then I had to go back through read what I had what I had already already written and then start making changes. That’s how I do a lot of my writing is just whatever comes in my head. It sucks but at the same time it’s amazing because I don’t know exactly where that story will go.

As a non-author non-writer kind of person who also has tended to read non-fiction throughout my life, I think this process of writing fiction is like sorcery because it's so challenging for me to think like this. I am grateful there are authors in the world who think in stories :) In the past year I have become way more interested in reading stories.

By far, this video about story plotting is the best I've seen. It presents a clear seven-step method for writing a novel, which I intend to use. Thank you so much!

Well done! Showing the process real time.

What I remind people who are resistant to any plotting at all is that whatever you preplan is only a path that offers guidance to what MIGHT happen. That plot will change as you go. And plotting can be as loose or as tight and detailed as you want it to be.

Good points, Ms. Strawberry. I have published two books, as well as many short stories, drafted several more, and now realize I always start writing too soon. I need to follow your advice and work more on developing a solid plot grid before adding text to each scene. Thank you.