How not to write a plot

Plot; the storyline, the main idea, the scheme. Plot is the most important part of your fan fiction. It sets the action of your story and gives your characters a goal to follow; and though thinking of a plot might seem easy many things can go wrong when dealing with one. Okay, Ocha, give us your ideal for a plot.

Ocha: “Okay, I want to write a story where this guy fall in loves with a princess, but the princess is also a thief who gets capture by aliens. So the guy have to travel all the across the world in search for an

scientist who can build him a big enough ship to get to the aliens planet so he can save the princess.”

That sounds like a very interesting story, Ocha, but I'm afraid theres something wrong with it.

Ocha: What?

It has to much plot. Theres so much action going on in the story that readers might get confused on what is exactly going on. Good way to see if you have too much plot for a story is too see if you can divide your original plot into main ideas. Give it a try.

Ocha: “Okay.”

Ocha: “Guy falls in love with a princess. Princess whose a thief. Princess who gets captured by aliens. Guy travels the world in search for a scientist.”

Ocha: “Woah, that is a lot!”

Exactly, but there are ways to combine these ideals into one. Have you ever though about having a guy fall in love with a princess who gets captured by alien, so in order to get her back he searches for a scientist to build a spaceship big enough to travel to aliens planet, only when he get there he finds out that the only reason the alien kidnapped the princess was because she stole something from them long ago. You see. Though I didn't do much the storyline is much more easier to follow now.

Another way not to write a plot is to not have a enough series of cause and effect. The basic of a plot is for one event to lead to another. Lets take a classic love story for example:

Cause: Hendrik and Madeline has been friends since childhood and share the same interest in things. Effect: Hendrik falls in love with Madeline. Cause: Hendrik tries to express his feelings to Madeline. Effect: Madeline realizes her feeling for Hendrik.

You see how one cause and effect opens up a door for another one. Cause and effects make plots more easier to write. If we didn't have them well have plenty of stories like this.

Hendrik love Madeline and Madeline loves Hendrik.

Story like these aren't worth writing.

Also don't forget the important part of a plot is it structure, which most of you should have learned by now if your in high school or college.
Ocha: “Exposition - introduction of the main characters and setting, Rising Action - one (or more) characters in crisis, Climax - point of highest emotion; turning point , Falling Action - resolution of character’s crisis , and denouement - “untying of plot treads”; resolution.”

- Updated 12/29/07

How not to get reviews



Every fan fic writer loves reviews. They give them the ambition to start a story or finish another. So asking for reviews on a story is pretty common in the fan fiction world, but even the simplest thing of requesting for some feedback can go wrong.

Satoh: “Okay, I just finished my first chapter for a story, but I'm afraid I won't get a lot of reviews. What if I told my readers they have to give me 10 reviews if they want me to write another chapter.”

Maybe this would be a good way to get 10 flames, but as for reviews, no. DO NOT EVER THREATEN YOUR READERS. I can not stress this enough. Like I said before holding your readers for ransom is a perfect way to get flame. Saying “I won't finished a chapter unless I get this much amount of reviews.” makes you seem arrogant and unpleasant. If you write something even remotely like this readers probably won't even care if you finish the story never mind a chapter.

Satoh: “Well, how do I get reviews then?”

Well, obviously writing a good fan fiction.

Satoh: “...”

But all jokes aside a simply “I need some motivation to write this story so please give me some feedback.” or you can be funny when asking for reviews, “Every time you don't read & review God kills a kitten.”

Another thing you should avoid is referring to your readers as b**ches, f**gots, n**gars, or any other cursed word. Though you might thinks its funny or cute to use these words to refer to your readers, your audience might think otherwise. Word like these can easily offend your fans and might even get you banned. I understand that some people use these words jokily because to them they have no real meaning, but the despite the little nursing rhyme 'words do hurt' so think before typing.

-updated 12/30/07