The Plot Machine:

The Current World:

In what dynamic way do you want to welcome your readers into the world that your characters are experiencing? Consider this as the front stage for introducing a world and a scenario of your characters current status quo.

The Major Dramatic Query:

With every story, you need to have both a visible plot query and a spiritual or emotional, inner motivation query that directly relates to your premise. These can be large or small, but something needs to occurs to pose a question or a problem to the characters. This is where status quo begins to change.

A Choice is Made:

Be it subtle or dramatic, your characters have to react to the major dramatic query. They either take an action (one that is most likely incorrect, at first) or choose to ignore it entirely and do their own thing. Either way, the wheels of change begin to move due to this important choice.

A Status Quo Attempt:

The character’s choice was not met with their desired consequence or their own internal uneasiness has compelled them to try and keep everything the same for the sake of self or sanity. Fortunately and unfortunately the one constant remains, in that nothing in this world can be forced to remain the same.

The Slide of Consequence:

A large shift in the character’s current situation takes place that is a direct result of the character’s choices. Everything is suddenly changing and no one can do anything to prevent it from happening.

A Taste of the Dark:

The characters are suddenly catapulted into the darkness, whether this particular darkness is personal demons or a taste of the worst adventures to come, is unknown to them.

A Cause Larger Than Oneself:

The character is drawn away from the taste of the dark and it’s distractions by something larger than themselves. Perhaps it’s another character or thing that needs help, or perhaps they glimpse the larger picture and their possible destiny inside it. Either way, this cause needs to be larger than life itself.

A Diligent Attempt:

This is when the characters are making earnest attempts to move beyond their current situation. However, at this point, they lack three things required to move forward. First, they lack tangible skills, tools and abilities. Secondly, they lack the internal ability to grow and change. Lastly, the situation itself is preventing them from moving forward.

The Dizzy Backwards:

Due to the lack of tangible skills, tools and abilities, the lack of an internal ability to grow and change and the current ever worsening status of the situation, the characters find themselves in an uphill battle that starts to slide backwards, growing into an even direr scenario.

The Drop Shaft:

The characters chose to continue to attempt to pursue status quo and try to hold their current situation together, as best they can. However, the world, the situation and/or other characters have different plans for them. This is when the characters are suddenly tossed into A Forceful Diversion of the Path.

A Forceful Diversion of the Path:

This is when an event, or even a series of events occur and this event or events forces the characters to diverge from their desired path, whether the new path is right or wrong, good or bad, they have no choice but to proceed forward.

A Dark Corridor:

The characters are presented with an opportunity to enter the dark side. This could be a tangible dark, such as crimes or great immoral acts, or a psychological dark such as deep internal conflicts. Either way, something tempts them down this path, and for now, the dark wins.

Some Underworld Games:

Everything is upside down. Depending on your genre, the characters are either at their lowest point, or they’ve submitted to temptation and are dancing with the devil. Either way, they’re on the wrong side and this part is all about the ups and downs of playing a very dangerous game.

Going Towards the Light:

This is when the characters attempts to make an effort to quit the underworld and the dangerous games in order to attempt to choose a better, more helpful path forward.

The Dark Lures On:

The character chose to walk adjacent to the light, but not directly into it. They continue on in the underworld where they’re tempted to take it to an even deeper and darker level where new and even worse opportunities are set to present themselves.

The Fan Blades:

The characters get sucked into the secondary plot or other complications and it has caused their perspectives to completely change. The Underworld has now either lost its appeal or the characters are now being drawn elsewhere by a much stronger force.

A Glimmer of Light:

This is where a small peek at a more hopeful world finally presents itself, and it’s entirely possible, that this time, it’s not just another false peak for the characters to egress.

Going Upwards:

There’s definitely a more vibrant place ahead, one that is almost the antithesis of the underworld that the characters have been lurking in up until now and this is the time where you tease both the characters and the readers with a taste of it as the characters tentatively follow this new steep, unsure path.

The House of Allure:

The characters have now elevated to a place where they’re no longer slogging or stuck, but are now in a place of vibrancy, even though none of the journey thus far has been easy. No matter the genre, this is the part of the book where the characters feel most alive and if you’ve done it right, so will the readers.

The Seeking Stairs:

After a lengthy stay in the house of allure and the many adventures contained within, the characters begin to realize there’s more to come, as new paths emerge. They’ve been having a lot of fun thus far, but now it’s time to find out where this particular new path goes.

As the Secondary Plot Intensifies:

Whether it’s romance or a secondary action plot, the character’s immersion into it is stronger than ever and this of course will bring new complications and consequences.

The Complications Factory:

This is where the secondary plot will now come crashing into the primary plot. This is also where the characters are facing even more conflicts, challenges, complications and consequences than ever before and this is also where every choice that they make will be crucial.

The Pit of Power Loss:

This is where everything comes to a crushing and crashing halt for the characters. All is dark here and it feels like that there are no more options to be had… except there are…

A Monumental Leap:

From the pit of power loss, the characters felt like they had no more feasible options available to them, then they realize that options do still exist. A jump of faith, if you will… They must now take a massive action, make an impossible choice or try something absolutely crazy with catastrophic odds in order to finally move forward.

The Tentative Road:

The character’s monumental leap has opened all of the doors and options that were until now previously unseen and unavailable. However, they’re still walking a very unstable path and the characters must tentatively move forward in order to see what lies ahead, despite any still existing trepidations.

The House of Clarity:

The answers were here all along, but only now can the characters see what has been clouded all this time. Perhaps they see the truth within other characters. Perhaps it’s the consequences of all of their actions up until this moment. Either way, something valuable that they’ve all persistently ignored or a more subtle internal shift has occurred and now they must navigate the newest path before them.

A Drop Chute:

The characters newfound clarity regarding the situation sends the characters through a rush of internal and external growth and change. They’re blasted with memories of the past, but with a fresh comprehensibility and they’re sucked into the velocity of this growth and change occurring in their present world.

The New Frontier:

Welcome the characters into the new world. With newfound clarity and confidence the characters now have the confidence to march forth into this new, unfamiliar territory. There are still many challenges, but the characters have been forever changed and both their actions and feelings reflect it.

The Final Race:

This is where the characters race to conquer all of the remaining challenges and conflicts before them, utilizing all of their new tangible skills, tools and abilities, their new growth and change, clarity and confidence.

Visions of the New World:

The end game is here and all of the loose ends are going to be tied up now. This is where the characters journey has finally been brought full circle, containing many references to the beginning of their initial journey into adventure. Old things resurface into the new light, and all of the still pressing questions are answered. However, the characters have been forever changed by all of the events that have occurred up until now. The most important question to answer here now is, how is life different for all of them now and what are their current desires compared to the desires they held when they first started this epic journey into adventure.

Some Future Glimpses:

If your current book is going to be a part of a series, this is your golden opportunity to drop some alluring stepping stones into the ensuing books. However, if your book is a standalone, this is where you’ll offer a glimpse into what the future may look like for the characters after the completion of their journey into adventure. It can be subtle and mysterious or it can be simply a satisfying look forward. It can also raise more questions or alter the perceived reality of the book. Lastly, it can leave the reader in charge of its overall interpretation or off a comfortingly firm ending. The choice is ultimately yours.