Building the right plot!
If you want to write a best seller, you must first consider the theme and setting of the plot you intend to write.
Let’s start with top themes:
What have been the top seller books of all time?
- Futuristic (Da Vinci code)
- Magical (Harry Potter)
- Crime thrillers
- Adventure
- Romance novels
- Biographies
- Science friction
If you want to check up on that info, check this out: https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2012/aug/09/best-selling-books-all-time-fifty-shades-grey-compare
So what does that tell you?
- People are very interested in what the future holds.
- People are fascinated by magic and the unusual far-fetched stuff.
- Also they like to be thrilled and electrified by what they read or when they watch films.
- And enjoy be taken on an experience and adventure of their lives.
- And they love to know there is a happy ever after ending.
- People want to know how the famous made it, so they can do it to.
- And children’s fanciful magical books are also enjoyed by adults!
What runs through all those themes?
- People are fascinated by the unknown.
- Character relationships are based on fairy tales formats.
- How people became famous and rich!
- And everything is based on stirring people’s senses and emotions.
And what is the main ingredient?
Imagination! The author has to have a vivid imagination to write exciting stuff.
The need to be able to think beyond the norm! Think up stuff that no one has ever thought of before. Why? Well, to make it world shattering news. And that means been uniquely different.
Now decide:
What can you write on or about considering all that?
- What have you experienced that you can write on it with ease?
- Could you categorize your experience(s) and what you know into any of the above formats?
- And can you think up mind-blowing stuff with ease? What’s your imagination like?
You know there are ways of stirring up your imagination and think up way-out stuff.
I hope this has got you thinking…
The possibilities of you writing a best seller book begins right here.
Got lots more blogs on writing best seller books…so you can continue to look at the possibilities of you writing that book you have always wanted to write, after all.
So keep following, and find out how easy it can be.
A theme is also more than just a subject; it is a complete idea. A theme takes a stand and puts forth an argument.
Yes, you must know what gentry your theme is. That is, where your type of plot fits in, in an adventure gentry or perhaps a thriller gentry?
Later, we will discuss how to use
arguments' andproblems' to spark off plots.If you want to be a successful author, learn how to avoid clichés in writing on popular themes
We can discuss that topic later in the series. Thanks for reminding us.
Theme is a powerful tool in every writer’s arsenal. It's the statement that you, as the author, make about the topics your book discusses.
It's like when you go shopping. You make up a list of things you want to buy (write about). Like deciding what fashion of clothing and accessories that go with it.
A great post about improving your writing skills. Theme is the idea and approach where you determine purpose of story
Yes, the ultimate purpose for your story to adhere to.
Never thought about it, this is a lot of hard work but you make it much simpler 🙂
Writing a book at first may seem really a tough job ahead of you. But if you it breakdown into logical steps, section by section, it isn't so difficult after all!
Futuristic (Da Vinci code)
Great novel - read it - NOVEL, not HISTORICAL TEXT BOOK. Fun story, completely historically inaccurate.
Fun movie, not as good as the book.
Great EWW as well.
Having read it, what was the deeper secrets (tricks) of how it was written, that you could use perhaps in your own book writing?
Hmm! Science is very useful and very inspiring. I am very impressed by building a good plot.
I think the storyline is the key to success in writing, besides having to master good grammar.
Actually, I really want to see a plot visualization that is able to master the reader's thoughts and feelings. Maybe, next time I can enjoy it from you, @artguru.🙏
Yes, We will cover visualization later. It is a very important key in writing books.
You should know everything about the topic you are about to write, it's pros and cons, what benefit it can give to the reader etc etc.
It is the basis of writing a good blog.
Yes you are right.
Having had some experience of your own, it gives you some idea of the pros and cons that would likely occur in any given situation. If you you don't know how people re-act, you can't visualize the situation, in order to write about it.
The world has changed and it has become very competitive. Very good pieces of stuff are unexposed and unread by many. Every day something goes viral and that may or may not be good enough to be viral and evrytime something undeserving goes viral, something qualitative gets unexposed to the world. All the hard work goes in vain. Someone famous at somepoint may find it and promote it but that's unlikely to happen in most of the cases. So, the most important term I want to add is 'Luck'. Luck must favor you otherwise it's very difficult.
The point of what I'm saying is: Having some idea of what people like to read or watch on TV or films, helps us know what will make our books popular, if we include those things.
And you are right, in today's world, strange things amuse people. Stressing the word `strange'!! Maybe it's what is happening around us and how we react to it. The pressures we are under, etc.
As to LUCK, we have to push the boundaries a little to make it happen. If you don't write anything, your book never gets written or published anyway! Also: the more you try, the more you learn how to do it better!
This reply satisfied me. I've written about something our government as done in order to control rape. I want to view your take in that move made by our government. It's in my profile right there. Thank You!
You did sum up how one can build the right plot in a simplistic manner, plain enough for anyone grasp.
However, I believe, to a great extent, that what qualifies a book as bestseller is how well majority of its audience are able to relate with its theme(s). And I think one who desire to write a bestseller book must this.
Thanks @artguru for sharing this.
Aaah, yes. That's a point! How people relate to what they read.
Yip, people are inclined to put themselves in the shoes of the hero or heroine and how they would react to the circumstances of the plot !