(This message was edited by tuozzo on 10-06-25 @ 2:22 pm EDT)

Hey Everybody!



It's me, 💙 Carly: Joan Watson . I'm discussing plot today. In particular, the climax - the where is your story going component. Oct. 6 (Monday) had you establishing the Ordinary world and then the inciting incident. Today (Tuesday) we are taking the next steps - heading for the climax.

The prep calendar states:

Oct. 7: - Plot: Climax (Where is the story going?) ▼
Where is your story going? Describe the climax, the point at which everything changes and the tension of the primary conflict is finally resolved. Use the 'What If' brainstorming exercise to create a list of possibilities, remembering to consider the growth of / change in your main character(s) as a result of this event. The climax can be as hidden and seemingly tiny as that moment when your character finally makes that decision they've been dreading or avoiding for fifteen chapters, or it can be as huge and obvious as an exploding planet. Sometimes, the climax is a little hard to pin down. Was it the moment Ender won his game? Or was it the moment he realized the moving images on his screen were not a simulation, not the game he thought it was, and that he had just personally wiped out an entire alien race?

Check out:

Consider those stakes:
External - life or death kind of things
Internal - emotional things like love and / or self respect
Philosophical - Community over Individual; Value systems

I really enjoyed watching the Star Wars part of the video to get a better picture of where things needed to go. It's not a formula, but it makes sense. All three help to set up the story and move it forward to completion.

Your character will move to feeling like they have totally failed, before things turn around. What kind of bad stuff can you hurl at your character. The 'What if' brainstorming technique can help generate these ideas. The nice part of prep is that you can play with the scenarios, but are not locked into anything.

Remember you only need to work on this 15 minutes before adding to your log. Be careful not to go over the 72 hour rule... it can sneak up faster than you realize.

I tend to be a planster... I plan a little, then write, then return to planning and more 'what if' brainstorming when my story starts to blur. It helps to clarify my path.

Munchomonster- Octoprep you are more than welcome to chime in and add to this topic.

Feel free to ask questions. I will assist as best I can or direct you to others who know more than me.

Carly