Tag: Ideas for writing plots

Plot Prompt for Memorial Day

Plot prompt for Memorial Day

Sometimes, a story comes to me just a moment or two after I find a picture. That’s the case with this plot prompt for Memorial Day. Since my prompts always post on Monday, I wanted to tie this month’s theme of plot to Memorial Day. I looked at several photos on Pixabay, but this one quickly ignited a story idea. If it does the same for you, put your inspiration in the comments. Here’s mine:

*****

Although I’d ridden in the Memorial Day Parade with Keith to honor his brother, missing in action in Operation Desert Storm, for more than twenty years now, it never got old. I was older, and the backseat on the Keith’s Harley wasn’t as comfortable as it used to be. But I loved helping him remember Kyle.

I waved at friends as we rolled by the courthouse.

The motorcycle took a sudden jerk, and I clutched at Keith to hang.

Instead of steering back into the slow line for the parade, Keith turned toward an alley. He motioned parade watchers to get out of his way, then pulled into it, and parked.

“What’s wrong?” Taking off my helmet, I couldn’t imagine what had made my husband pull out of the parade.

He climbed off the bike, trembling. I climbed off too and took his hand.

He passed a shaky hand over his white mustache. “I saw him. I just saw Kyle in the crowd.” His deep voice was only a strangled whisper.

“B-b-but that’s–“

“And he hadn’t aged any.” His stunned eyes bored into mine. “He looked like he did when he left for Desert Storm.”

“You must have seen someone who just looks like Kyle.”

“Like his clone?” Keith moved his gaze to the pavement of the alley, shaking his head.

I tightened my grip on his hand, pulling him back toward Main Street. “Show me the guy.”

*****

For more prompts for writing about plots, click here.

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What’s the Plot Point?

What's the plot point?

What’s the plot point you can develop from this photo? You take it anyway you want–humorous, scary, poignant, suspenseful. In the comments, tell me your inspiration. Here’s mine.

*****

Somehow the woods look deader in March than in the fall. Maybe because all the fall color has been washed away in the winter snows. And with the overcast skies threatening spring snow or sleet, the woods appear even deader, if that’s a thing, on the day of the spring equinox.

Hitching the straps of the backpack, I head down the trail. Grandma said The Man with the White Umbrella can always be found on this trail on this day, when the boundary between the two worlds is equal and easy to pass from one to the other.

There he is, up ahead, his white umbrella startling against the lifeless browns and grays.

I break into a jog, my loaded backpack bumping my spine.

I have to reach him. Before he disappears for another six months.

*****

For more prompts for plot ideas, click here.

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Writing Fun with Plots

Writing fun with plots

How do you have writing fun with plots? Check out my suggestions below.

Fun Ideas for Plots

  • Play with the rules of a genre. What if the couple doesn’t end up together at the end of the romcom? What if the mystery isn’t solved?
  • Place your characters in a different genre. For example, if you’ve written fantasy stories, take the same characters and write about them in a contemporary, realistic story.
  • Underdog story. I love underdog stories. Create the under-est dog story you can think of, stacking the odds against your MC as high as you can.
  • Ridiculous quest. Create a quest with a ridiculous objective and then see how many absurd obstacles you can place in the characters’ path.

Fun Ideas for Plots within Your WIP

These ideas are to inspire you when you are working on a story that you can’t take a break from but would still like to have some fun while working on it.

  • Your MC loses something critically important.
  • The least likely character helps your MC somehow.
  • Your main character’s (MC) closest friend betrays him or her (I know that’s not fun for your MC, but betrayal is a powerful plot twist and can be fun for the writer)
  • Make your MC more vulnerable.
  • Your MC sees another character in a new light.
  • A hidden piece of family history is revealed. I’ve had fun with this one because my mysteries are built around my MC’s immediate and extended family.
  • Turn a plot point upside down. For example, my amateur sleuth gets a critical clue from cranky Old Man Whitaker. What if I have him lie to her? Or she gets the clue from her friend instead. What if her friend lies to her? Another example is your MC’s goal in the story. What if he or she achieves it in the middle of the story and it doesn’t accomplish what the MC thought it would?

For more ideas for writing plots, click here.

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Examine Your Settings for Plot Points

examine your settings for plot points

When building your plot, be sure to examine your settings for plot points. Or if you are stuck at a certain point in your story, analyze your setting to see if it can provide inspiration.

Take a look at the photo above. What aspects of this setting could help you develop plot points? It’s dark, so bad guys may be able to move more easily and attack your hero. The darkness can also heighten a surprise–meeting someone new or bumping into an old acquaintance. The main character can stumble over something new, like a mysterious shop or stray dog that follows him. The night and the narrow streets can confuse your main character, if she doesn’t know this part of the city well. She could get lost while looking for a pet and asks for help from the wrong stranger. Or the right one, depending upon what kind of story you’re telling.

For more writing prompts for setting, click here.

Now it’s your turn. Examine this setting for plot points and let me know how you’re inspired.

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Plots Points for NaNoWriMo

Plot points for NaNoWriMo

Need plot points for NaNoWriMo? Now that NaNoWriMo is more than half over, you may be running out of inspiration, especially when it comes to plot. For me, keeping a plot fresh is the hardest part of writing. Below are some suggestions to reignite inspiration as you head toward your goal for NaNoWriMo.

Let settings suggest plots twists.

A chase in a blizzard is different from a chase in torrential downpour. Shadowing someone in New York City is different from shadowing someone at a county fair. When you delve deep into a setting, the unique qualities of it will suggest plot points.

Let characters’ personalities suggest plot twists.

Do you have a character who doesn’t bother to filter her comments? Let that habit kick off a plot twist. An introverted character who keeps a secret could serve a similar purpose.

Fight stereotypes

If you have a cheerleader, make her a nice one. How would that change your plot? Turn your main character’s best friend–the quirky one with all the best lines– into an antagonist. Give your teen MC one parent who actually understands him. Fighting stereotypes can freshen your writing and produce potential plot points.

Have the main character lose something critical or gain something unexpected.

In my novel, A Shadow on the Snow, my teen detective Rae Riley is an amateur photographer. Shortly before her mother died, she gave Rae a camera. The camera is stolen during the story. That theft added so much to the plot.

Still need plot points for NaNoWriMo? Click here for more inspiration.

What do you do when you need fresh ideas for plot?

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