When I begin a short story or a novel I like to have a firm idea of the plot in my mind. Once my imagination is pre-loaded I flesh out characters and work through various outcomes. I do best when I have the rough draft of six major scenes. If I do not know some key things going into a story I usually fail to connect enough to finish it.

I wrote a post about plotting about this time last year. 

What’s in a Plotline

• Main Character
• 2nd Character
• Setting, Situation
• Theme 
• Character Action

Each of these items combine to make a plot line. Add some dialog and poof… 

I am going to borrow a Randomly Generated Plot Line and paste it below. Please feel free to work on this prompt and drop it in a reply box on our blog page. . 

• A man in his early forties, who can be quite imaginative.
• A man in his early thirties, who is very manipulative.
• The story begins at a camp-site.
• Someone takes the law into their own hands.
• It’s a story about sacrifice.
• Your character takes control of the situation.