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#atozchallenge : P is for #Plot #fiction #writing #quotes

 Theme: Quotes from Authors and Bookish People about Writing

 Third week into the AZ challenge and I’m cruising along on auto-pilot– so many blogs, such little time! I really need to make time to visit back and comment on everyone who has stopped by both my blogs. *No pressure, whew!*

Today on Amlokiblogs we’re talking Plot (I may have lost my plot, life-wise, but that’s no reason to stop plotting fiction now, is it?)

Plot is a literary term defined as the events that make up a
story, particularly as they relate to one another in a pattern, in a
sequence, through cause and effect, how the reader views the story, or
simply by coincidence.
~Wikipedia

I let my characters dictate my plot in my short stories and that has landed me in hot water with my novel WIP. I can’t help it– I get stuck if I start thinking of plot and character separately– let’s hope I can bring myself out of the corner I’ve painted myself into.

Here are some stalwarts of fiction talking about Plot:

“Introduce your main characters and themes in the first third of your
novel. If you are writing a plot-driven genre novel make sure all your
major themes/plot elements are introduced in the first third, which you
can call the introduction. Develop your themes and characters in your
second third, the development. Resolve your themes, mysteries and so on
in the final third, the resolution.”
— Michael Moorcock

“All fiction is about people, unless it’s about rabbits pretending to be people. It’s all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through time and changes taking place, and that’s what we call ‘the plot’.” –Margaret Atwood

“Once a novel gets going and I know it is viable, I don’t
then worry about plot or themes. These things will come in almost
automatically because the characters are now pulling the story.”
— Chinua Achebe

“Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible.
To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding
of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story
themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.
“– Kurt Vonnegut

~~~~~~~~

Do you worry about the plot of your novel? While reading a novel, do you ever wonder about its plot?

Damyanti Biswas

Damyanti Biswas is the author of You Beneath Your Skin and numerous short stories that have been published in magazines and anthologies in the US, the UK, and Asia. She has been shortlisted for Best Small Fictions and Bath Novel Awards and is co-editor of the Forge Literary Magazine. Her literary crime thriller series, the Blue Mumbai, is represented by Lucienne Diver from The Knight Agency. Both The Blue Bar and The Blue Monsoon were published in 2023.

I appreciate comments, and I always visit back. If you're having trouble commenting, let me know via the contact form, or tweet me up @damyantig !

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