This Tip Makes Plotting Your Novel Way Easier

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Plotting a novel can be a struggle, but I recently came across a tip from Trey Parker and Matt Stone that makes it really simple.
Whether you're in the early stages of planning or plotting your novel, or you've already written it and you want to patch some gaps, this tip could really help.
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[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

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[@lpsloveroflight3020]

A bit of advice, or a quote in this case, that really spoke to me was "You can't edit a blank page". I find it to be motivating and it helps fight off perfectionism and aids me in telling the story and getting it out of my head. Great video! The production and editing is brilliant, love the lighting in the room.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

That’s definitely a good piece of advice. The fight against perfectionism never seems to end but you’re right, this is a good way to mitigate it. Thanks for the kind words on the video! I find all that production value stuff really fun to do ☺️

[@Saphia_]

This is quite possibly the best writing advice I've ever heard. Another that spoke to me was something along the lines of "don't edit, rewrite". Why? Because while editing, you may be persuaded into keeping something that doesn't work just because you've already written it and thus maybe, are attached to it (like I usually am). But if you rewrite, you have to write it all either way so why not make some changes that suit the story better? Not to mention, you have the original copy too so you haven't lost the parts you were attached to either.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I'd never heard that one before, thanks for sharing it! I hadn't thought of it in that way, but you're right. That sounds like a good way to fix parts of the book that are imperfect that you just can't spot for whatever reason.

[@Saphia_]

​@@KierenWestwoodWriting Indeed!

[@virginialmills]

This REALLY spoke to me! I'm a Literature Nut who is starting out as a new novelist and am struggling on stringing plot points/beats together effectively. This is an easy tip to remember - "Therefore/But because". Someone very learned once told me, once you have a THEREFORE, always ask, "What's it there for?" to make certain you and your readers are understanding the significance of that passage. I believe it can also be applied easily to this concept as well. Once you have the THEREFORE, ask yourself if What/Why it's there is crystal clear. If it's not to you, it certainly will not be to your readers. Between these two techniques: I am finding it easier to connect the dots. THANKS!🙃

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

That's a good mantra to remember!

[@tylerriggs95]

You can definitely get away with some “and then” once or twice in a story, but only if readers are already invested.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Yeah I think you're right there. If you've already built up goodwill with a compelling story, the reader might not mind one or two 'and then's' in the grand scheme.

[@beanfeld]

This is a very helpful channel for writing advice and your voice and accent are calming. I feel my blood pressure go down when you talk. 😊

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

You know, I used to take calls a lot in my day job, and customers used to tell me the same thing :)

[@ADSmallAuthor]

I agree it is explained simply and it makes a lot of sense.

[@shenawilson4775]

This is so extremely super useful. Thank you KW and South Park dudes. - In Scrivener, have set up a new metadata column called 'therefore / but because'. Jotting 'answers' for each scene into modifiable text boxes. Squeezing out the fluff; sharpening motivation/results. If I can't fill the box, something has to go or be changed... -- Hey! why didn't I think of that? ;))

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Sounds like a good system for organising this stuff. That's half the battle I find. And in some cases I'm sure there's not always a need to be exact about it, but keeping momentum up in general by checking your 'therefores' is a good idea I think. It's definitely helped me!

[@chakishajohnson6921]

This information is WONDERDUL! As a writer deep in the trenches of writing, I sincerely thank you so much for sharing this!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I hope that’s a typo! 😂 thank you though, I’m really glad it could help.

[@BrittanyPutzer]

Great video. Thank you. I look forward to some examples ❤ in later videos. It sounds like you may have lost some sleep over it. But you've got this 👊

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Oh good point, I do usually do examples…😕 I’ll have to make a follow up video after I’ve done a bit more evaluating!

[@taylorcouz526]

Cohesiveness at its finest 🙂‍↕️

[@tracypattin3746]

Great advice. I'm going through my novel now.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

So far I’ve found it kind of hard going but it’s definitely worth it! Hopefully yours needs less work than mine! ☺️

[@laurabesley7095]

This is such great (and simple) advice!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thanks Laura! It probably seems super obvious to those already familiar with the concept, but it only just landed with me 😂

[@laurabesley7095]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting Same!

[@nikkinewbie6014]

There is a story structure that I recently came across that advocates starting at the end of a draft or outline and tracing backwards through each scene for the cause and effect relationship. You might discover a “hole” but you fix it and keep going until all the connected scenes form the spine of your story. What you’re talking about sounds a lot like that approach only there is no explicit instruction to start at the end of your story. The causality checkbox is one of many on my “patented” scene cards. 😂😂. I’m still learning craft and leaning on keeping my references handy until I internalize many of the concepts - so my scene cards are ridiculously involved. 😂. I plan to “vet” all my scenes on several points. Each scene must pass all the criteria before i sign off on writing it; so there will be no need for me to go back and check for causality - thanks to my neurosis. I will create a scene list with short descriptions and ideally I should be able to tell myself my story by reading them in the best order for them. Then I’ll write the scenes. But I’m glad I watched your video because I’ve never heard the concept put this way. It’s funny how the exact right words can fully illuminate a concept that you understood “for the most part”. It’s a good feeling when it clicks all the way. Thanks for this! By the way, do you use a set story structure to write your projects? If so, which one? I’m looking for one that will assist with pacing because my first wip ever will be a romantic thriller. Thrillers move fast. I’m actually making a hybrid of several structures that speak to me. I’m finding there’s a lot of overlap between the structures anyway. Okay sorry so long!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I actually don't use a particular structure, no. This has been a problem for me before, but with the book I'm editing now I've used the tip in this video to ensure each chapter runs into the next. On top of that I've tried to add hooks at both the beginning and end of each chapter. Making a hybrid of whatever structures look useful to you sounds like a great idea to be honest! It'd be like having a bespoke story structure you could rely on. I like that idea!

[@nikkinewbie6014]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting Hey thanks for your response. I’m making it up as I go along and just trying to establish my process. Whatever works for the individual right? Have a good one!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Absolutely! Couldn’t agree more ☺️

[@JoeyPaulOnline]

I like this advice, simple but effective and good to be thinking about!

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

It is simple isn’t it, but one of those many creative/writing things that aren’t simple until you hear it said ☺️

[@franwiedenhoeft798]

Love your stories, would love a flash or micro with this in mind.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

That's a good idea! Flash could be possible I think, though usually my flashes are kind of plotless so I'd have to do things differently. Would definitely be a test for me 🙂

[@randallwright1973]

I have had stories stuck in my head for years and years, and whenever I get them out, I realize how poorly it's written. I get to the point in reading it again that even -I- don't care about what's happening. And I don't know how to fix it without an editor, which I will NEVER be able to afford. But also, when re-reading, I realize how much better the story could be. So I start rewriting to fix that aspect, and I'm STILL not happy with how it's written. If I could figure out how to write better, I think I'd be able to get through stories more. But how do you fix the one thing that cannot be taught?

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Sounds to me like you might be looking at it a little backwards. When you say 'If I could figure out how to write better, I think I'd be able to get through stories more.' - The better writing comes from writing more. The issue here (or so it sounds like to me) isn't with your writing quality, it's that you're self-assessing too much. It's not possible to get good at something without being bad (though I'm sure you're better than you think) at it first. It's a necessary step and it's actually hugely valuable. When you're new and making your first attempts, you're really finding out what you like and don't like, what your preferences are and where your natural strengths and weaknesses lie. There's a lot of discovery, but not a lot of consistency and that's fine. My advice would be to try to enjoy the process of attempting it for now. Enjoy being creative and learning, without being worried about your progress or your skill level. That stuff WILL come, if you write more. Start by being kinder to yourself! Allow yourself some time to learn and you'll start getting better, but it has to be that way around I think. Instead of having a goal of 'I want to write a great story' change it to 'I want to finish this story, no matter what', then do it again and again, and before you know it, you'll start to surprise yourself. You can do it.

[@wordfullyyours]

Very well put together.

[@Bretherton2865]

DBC Pierre has some good advice in his book Release The Bats. Would love to hear your thoughts on that.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thanks for the recommendation! Always looking to learn more about plotting etc.

[@copester1204]

Great video. This tip is similar to one of Pixar's 6 rules of storytelling: Once upon a time there was ___. Every day, ___. One day ___. Because of that, ___. Because of that, ___. Until finally ___.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thank you! I've heard about Pixar's rules in passing before, I'll have to do some more research on them. Have you found them useful?

[@copester1204]

They're like all other rules - you use what's good and ignore what isn't (until you grow enough to realize they're good too).

[@litabrooker7872]

Excellent advice. Thank you.

[@informalliteraryexperiments]

Hello Kieren, Awesome video, I've watched the first 3 minutes and I love it. I will be coming back to this, to rewatch a few times because plot is definitely something that I need practice in. I'm cool with everything else but yeah, plot requires a little bit of study. Whenever I watch the "Back to the Future" trilogy, I'm amazed at how I get sucked in and how well constructed the plot is threaded together. Thank you for making good content that is well presented! Regards, Damien

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thanks Damien! Plot can be a sticking point for me too. This approach has definitely helped me with my writing.

[@informalliteraryexperiments]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting Thanks for replying. I'm curious, do you have a favourite book/movie that you are impressed with because the plot is so intricate and well pieced together? I've already mentioned BTTF but another movie/book that astonishes me is "Wonder Boys" (Chabon). I've seen the movie many times as it is very entertaining (rollercoaster plot, funny characters, etc). I'm going to go out and look for a copy of the novel, and by reading and studying it a bit, maybe I'll learn something about structure.

[@jillfortune1790]

Great advice 👍. Interestingly enough this is not a habit i have got into, plenty other bad habits though 😂

[@chrisdurham5875]

Hi Kieren, thanks for posting this. As you do with other videos are you able to provide some before and after examples? TIA, Chris

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I'll try and touch on this subject again soon with some examples!

[@someknave]

I don't think that that were saying that Everything has to be causal. The "buts" are important, the things that come out of left field and blindside us. But those buts should feel like they are pushing against the events that preceded them. Not just "and then an unexpected thing happened".

[@MC-main]

Hi Kieran, would love to here your thoughts on "The Marshall Plan for Novel Writing: Everything You Need to Know-From Plot to Published --- by Evan Marshall" . I know there was an accompanying software called NovelCreator 5.0. I think that software is now defunct. I also came across these other old software programs: Storyweaver , Dramatica Pro and The Writers Cafe if you would want to do a future video on these. I currently just use a plain Markdown editor to keep it simple, but i am open to other types of software. Thanks!

[@ravensthatflywiththenightm7319]

Subscribed.

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

Thank you!

[@BlushAxolotls]

I'm lost and confused with the and then, and therefore. First time im hearing this.

[@jamesbrock7908]

Examples might help? I returned from the store and then I went to the fast food restaurant. I returned from the store, too tired to clean up and cook dinner, therefore I went out to the fast food restaurant. "And then" is just random events that just so happened to occured one after the other. No sense of connection. "Therefore" and "but then" provides the connections. The first is the expected and natural next event. The second is when some went wrong between the two points, but in a logical way. Expanding the first example.... I was going to the restaurant, but then my car broke down. Therefore, I ate the old car snacks in my car while I waited for the tow truck driver.

[@gregahunt]

good video

[@vjpublisher]

Interesting tip. But don't overdo it, you might be spoon-feeding the readers and that's gonna cause issues in itself.

[@johnterpack3940]

George Martin is king of "and then".

[@KierenWestwoodWriting]

I’ve only read the first GOT book and I was already familiar with the plot from the TV series so I didn’t notice… Maybe that’s why the last book is taking so long, maybe he’s missing some therefores?

[@johnterpack3940]

@@KierenWestwoodWriting I'm basing my view entirely on the show, so it is possible the books do a better job. But I never felt a connection between the scenes over the several seasons I watched. It almost felt like watching the history of James Bond based entirely on the movie prologues. In between the set pieces were the Tarantino-esque conversation scenes. Just a whole lot of "meh".