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You are here: Home / 30 DAYS OF WRITING ADVICE / Day 9 – 30 Days of Writing Advice – Nailing Plot in a Character-Driven Novel

Day 9 – 30 Days of Writing Advice – Nailing Plot in a Character-Driven Novel

April 9, 2019 4 Comments

 

DAY 9

This month of daily writing advice will include tidbits, tips, and sometimes tricks. This isn’t a replacement for editing or book coaching, it’s meant as a jumping off point for exploration and thought! I hope it helps! ~Amy

Nailing Plot in Your Character-Driven Novel

Okay, okay, if you ask me (and many others) ALL fiction is character-driven. But if you’re writing women’s fiction or another story that focuses on the who more so than the what — how does an effective plot fit in? How do you insure that something is always happening?

Because this is key.

Just because your characters are busy doesn’t mean something is happening in the story. And you don’t want your protagonist to have things happening around her and to her for pages and pages. Life may be that way, fiction cannot be that way.

Think of this — it’s not so much what happens to your main character but how she REACTS to what happens to her.

And I don’t mean “gasps.” I mean, how does what happens around her spur her to act? Protagonists act. That’s what they do. This goes back to passive vs. active (and you know about that, right?).

In your character-driven novel — your character DRIVES the plot. **headslap**

See you tomorrow!

Amy xo

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Filed Under: 30 DAYS OF WRITING ADVICE

Previous Post: « Day 8 – 30 Days of Writing Advice – Take A Lot Of Notes Then Do It Your Own Way
Next Post: Day 10 – 30 Days of Writing Advice – Writers Must Read »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. liz says

    April 9, 2019 at 8:12 am

    Amy
    I am learning so much from your posts. Thanks a million for helping us all. What a gift!

    Reply
    • Amy Sue Nathan says

      April 9, 2019 at 5:08 pm

      You’re welcome. It’s fun. I’m crazy (because I do not need something else to do) but it is fun. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Mayer Baker says

    April 10, 2019 at 12:42 pm

    Just love the imagery of ‘gasps’ and ‘headslap!’ Makes the message memorable! 🙂

    Reply
    • Amy Sue Nathan says

      April 10, 2019 at 6:45 pm

      🙂

      Reply

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