Basic plot techniques, How do you write your stories? Options

[Sparrowsmith]

Okay, so this section still has that fresh 'newly opened' smell, so lets get the ball rolling.

I'm basically thinking we get some beginner's tips out for writing. Anything you guys like to use when writing. These can be professional, or just little quirks you've picked up that work.
I'm basically gonna start off with an easy one: Loops.

I was taught these at a writing class a while back, though they might have other names elsewhere. A loop is essentially a question that you ask early in the story, then answer later. They are open plot lines that you are going to close when the time comes. Loops can be short, long, or even reversed (more on this later.) The most important loops are your opening and closing loops (these are often the same). The opening loop is your inciting incident. The event that puts all the others in motion.

Let's take a classic game plot, Final Fantasy VII. In the opening, Cloud and Avalanche jump off of a train and begin attacking guards. We don't know who these characters are, or what they're doing. Theses are our two loops. The first one gets answered in the first few minutes. The second one takes a little longer to develop, but once we know why they're there (to destroy the reactor) we're now wondering WHY they want to destroy the reactor, WHY have they brought Cloud on board, WHAT is a SOLDIER, WHY did Cloud get a headache as they approached the reactor.

The inciting incident (jumping off the train, attacking the guards) gives us enough questions to establish ALL of this. So what can we learn from this? Keep lots of loops open at once. They don't have to be open for very long (they can be as simple as 'who is that' or 'where did that character go') but they are what keep people interested.

This brings us to the next important point regarding loops. Make sure you close them! The popular TV show Lost had a dedicated fanbase because it KEPT OPENING LOOPS. We never had a clue what was going on, and it kept our interest peaked. But eventually the show got too spread out, and a lot of the loops weren't closed. The show still ended well, but it certainly didn't answer everything, and this annoyed a lot of fans.

So close your loops Especially if they're important.

I said I'd come back to reversed loops. Now, I'm not actually sure if these are even a real thing, but it's what I call them
A reversed loop, according to the dictionary of Sparrow, is a question that gets answered before the question gets asked. Sort of.
In the film Primer (VERY COMPLICATED) Abe's(?) wife mentions that she can hear bumping in the attic. Abe says this is just some birds (or rats....). It seems very unimportant. Later in the film, after the two protagonists invent time travel, it is revealed Abe has come back from a different timeline, and that the sound in the attic is actually the real Abe from this timeline.
So to recap:
*sounds in the attic*
"Where is the Abe from this timeline?"

The question came after the answer.

So without further adieu, let's hear any techniques you use when writing.

[Lato]

Wow my advice wont sound nearly as professional as that but ok ill give it a try lol.

I am by no means a pro at writing, when I start written I just get a binder and start writing, no matter how I am feeling or thinking I make sure I write at least one paragraph that makes sense to me, a part of the story, doesnt matter what part, then I just put it away until im ready to do it again. I do this cause I burn out like crazy so I try and use a system.

[thatbennyguy]

Wow my advice wont sound nearly as professional as that but ok ill give it a try lol.

That was very good advice, don't doubt yourself. As for Sparrow, the whole thing about loops was very eye-opening. I think I knew that concept unofficially, but in the back of my subconscious. Now that you bring it to the forefront, it makes a lot of sense thinking of it as "loops", with an input question and an output answer. But does this mean that as soon as the answer is revealed, another question will be asked? And then once that question is answered, another question will be asked? I'm just suggesting this based on the nature of the "loop" allegory, but could you please clarify that for me?

My tip: start with the overarching theme. Whether it be a coming-of-age story (most JRPGs), or a romance (Romancing Walker, FFIX), or a tale about bravery in the face of defeat (V&V, Resident Evil), or just a general moody tone about bitterness and depression (Wither, Catherine). Then build upon that iteratively, placing blocks on that structure like Lego, and if that piece doesn't fit there, then put it here, or if this piece doesn't fit here, then put it there, and so on. You can do this until you've got a basic structure for your story. I find this works for me.

[X-M-O]

Here's a little bit of advice regarding story plots:

- Always have a purpose for each plot. In reality accidents happen and people understand that, however people don't want to read about how you were lazy as a writer and some character accidentally happened upon something that either created a new plot or drastically affected an existing plot.
- If you don't know the reason your characters do certain things (or that your story is going in a particular direction), then your reader will either be lost or simply realise that you have no idea what you are writing.
- If a plot idea comes to mind, but doesn't really fit all that well with the story you are writing, then don't force it into the story. Save your splendid idea for another story instead.
- Let your characters define themselves and let your plot define itself; don't "spoon-feed" your reader every bit of information. Use subtleties to describe certain things that you want them to know, or use other tactics to explain a plot's background/history without making yourself sound like a history teacher/professor.
- Avoid heavily relying on clichés, but don't avoid clichés completely. Whilst it isn't good to base your story plots entirely on cliché ideas, you are inevitably going to decide that a particular cliché works well in your story plot; use it when you feel it is right, but don't overuse or completely rely on cliché story plots. (Rephrasing/Repeating: clichés aren't your friend, but they aren't your enemy either. Use them where necessary, just don't rely on them entirely.)
- Read your plot idea to someone you know cares about what you're writing, and if they get bored then you might want to change something. (If you have a mum, read the idea to her. Chances are that if your mum gets bored listening to you, then it's probably not going to be interesting to someone who by nature really doesn't care who you are or what you've written. Your writing has to prove itself to them, not the other way around.)

There are lots of story plot ideas and structures out there; find those types that work best in your mind and for your story, and use them. With practice, you will become better at it and eventually have your own style as you begin to master your writing skills.

[Jonnie19]

Plan. Plan. Plan. Plan
If you don't plan then you always end up running away with yourself, and get caught on a tangent. although in some respects isn't such a bad idea, but when it comes to Narratives you can always go that little bit far off into a tangent, and what was a story about a girl who loved cottage cheese could be a story about a Girl who ran away to a cottage with a cow. (okay slightly far-fetched but you get my drift)

Be Patient.
Do not whatever you do rush. Take your time, don't procrastinate obviously otherwise it'd never get done, but remember that Rome wasn't built in a day. Harry Potter wasn't created in a month. A good narrative takes time and patience.

For now that is all I can think of I'll add more when I think of them

[Sparrowsmith]

Wow my advice wont sound nearly as professional as that but ok ill give it a try lol.

That was very good advice, don't doubt yourself. As for Sparrow, the whole thing about loops was very eye-opening. I think I knew that concept unofficially, but in the back of my subconscious. Now that you bring it to the forefront, it makes a lot of sense thinking of it as "loops", with an input question and an output answer. But does this mean that as soon as the answer is revealed, another question will be asked? And then once that question is answered, another question will be asked? I'm just suggesting this based on the nature of the "loop" allegory, but could you please clarify that for me?

Sorry about that
The idea is to always have a handful of loops open. It doesn't really matter when these close, and you don't HAVE to open loops when others close, but you should always try to open loops by using other loops.
In Romeo and Juliet, the main loop is "will they end up together?" and this is closed towards the very end without opening any more loops, but it isn't the last loop to close (we still see the resolution of the houses after the couple die).

So you can open loops whenever you want, just be sure to close them eventually. A good example is a mystery, where clues are revealed constantly, and all get answered in the end.
That's another important part of storytelling. Closing multiple loops at once, if done well, leads to some spectacular moments in a story. In the film The Prestige, a lot is left hanging at 'the end' and then in the final scene EVERYTHING gets explained. All the loops close in one spectacular motion "how is he alive?" "how is HE alive?" "What's behind those curtains?" "Who is x?" "What does the machine do?" "How was that trick done?" etc etc etc
Those kind of multiple-loop closes, if done well, can make a good story brilliant.

But to answer your question, there is absolutely no requirement on when to open or close loops. Just that most should be closed by the end, and that you should always have a few open at once, even if the audience doesn't know that those loops are there.

[amerk]

I agree with the idea behind loops, which is primarily why I enjoyed Xenogears a lot more than I did Final Fantasy VII. Even though Xenogears was indicated as being part 5 of a bigger series, I went away from that game satisfied that most (if not all) of my questions were answered. And considering that game had probably as many twists as an season of X-files, that was a tall order to fulfill.

And I definitely agree to the process of planning. Usually I create an outline of sorts for how my game will go. It's crude, very shoddy and full of crappy mistakes, but it serves as a road map for me for when I design the actual game.

And the one thing I will stress is to proofread. There is nothing more annoying that to find a decently mapped and balanced game, only to be turned off because the story is full of horrible writing mistakes that would make any fourth grader worth their grade cringe. I'm not a grammar nazi, per se, and even I make mistakes, but those mistakes should be few and far between. It's not an easy task, but I play test my game several times just to see how dialogue will flow and to ensure it's done correctly.

[Sparrowsmith]

I think you just brought up another topic of conversation: Twists.

A plot twist is a sudden change in direction for the plot. It usually turns the whole plot upside down, or at least one side-story or loop. The most iconic one of our generation is: "No, I am your father." from Star Wars. But there is a lot more to plot twists than a sudden reveal of information, the plot twist should be:
A - Relevant to the overall context of the story or target character.
B - Should be consistent or supported by previous parts of the story.
C - Should strive to be original, or at least hard to guess.

I would write more but my laptop seems to be breaking.... again.

[Kaust]

Here are a couple of established ways to perform a plot twist (I'm no writer, but I recognise these techniques in just about all media);
-Chekhov's Gun- When this performed well it is simply beautiful storytelling. Its when you subtly mention a plot device early on, something seemingly without purpose and only mentioned in passing, only for it later to be the game clincher. Its a very economical method of storytelling (reusing existing elements for resolutions rather than constantly adding new ones), but also appears flamboyant as it suggests everything has a purpose. If this is done poorly however, then its relevance to the text is immediately obvious and the reader is constantly looking for its purpose, ultimately picking up on, and ruining, the twist.
-Deus Ex Machina- means something roughly like 'act of God', and is basically inexplicable resolutions (the sea about to turn over the boat suddenly calming, lightning striking the antagonist, etc). I actually consider this a bit of a copout in a lot of instances unless the text is questioning the nature or existence of a deity, but if you've wrote yourself into a hole this could be a nice pseudo-profound lifesaver.

[zacheatscrackers]

I normally just introduce the basics of the story and then get into the juicy stuff afterwards, like characters/settings/other crap.

What I love to do, however, is create REALLY surprising plot twists, often humorous, when the person least expects it. It makes even the simplest of plots interesting.

[KD648]

I have to say that the most important thing to me, when I start writing, is that I hit all of the major story "beats". If you're really into writing, read Blake Snyder's "save the cat", but if you're not I'll outline it as briefly as I can. Basically, it argues that all good stories follow the exact same formula. I didn't believe it either, but when you think about it, the formula just happens to be versatile enough to do pretty much anything, it just covers what the audience should be "feeling" at any given moment.

1: Opening: the first image that the audience sees should have some grander meaning than just "this is where it starts", even if it's just a cut to something before the story starts. It shows either the way things currently are, and more often than not, why they need to change.
2: Theme stated: the "theme" of the story is either revealed or explained in some subtle manner, generally to the main character. A hint of foreshadowing that the audience can enjoy on a second read or playthrough.
3: Catalyst: something happens that kick-starts the character into action, forcing them to progress on this journey. Since we're talking about star wars, in episode four, the catalyist is when Luke's aunt and uncle are killed. Also, for the sake of clarity, I'm going to use the example used in "Save the Cat" Legally Blonde. In Legally blonde, the catalyist is when Elle is dumped by her boyfriend.
4: Debate: The main character isn't quite sure if they can, or will, go on this journey and solve the problem presented by the catalyst. The character is progressing slowly, but hasn't fully committed. Can Luke really fight the empire with nothing but "the force"? Is Elle actually smart enough to get into Harvard?
5: Move into act 2: the character commits, and fully progresses into the adventure, generally involving a change of location or some kind of physical change in his environment. In star wars, this is when Luke and Han Solo finally get off tattoine (spelling?) and into space. In Legally Blonde, Elle is accepted into Harvard.
6: Fun and Games: This is where the story delivers and the most "fun" part of the game is. In Star Wars, it's sneaking around the death star. In legally blonde, it's Elle's first few days at harvard. The character is a fish out of water, and the fun comes from watching them try to adapt. This is the section people tend to remember most fondly of the story.
7: The "B" story starts: The main character begins forming a relationship with another character in the story, giving us a break from the action of the "main" story. This can be romantic, but doesn't have to be. In Star Wars, it's Luke and Han Solo's friendship. In Legally Blonde, it's Elle and her manicurist Paulette.
8: Midpoint: A false "high" or "low" in the story right at the center. In Star Wars it's escaping the death star/the death of obi-wan, and in Legally Blonde it's when Elle gets put on the case. The character thinks they have won, or thinks they have lost, but the audience knows it's not over yet.
9: Bad Guys Close In: Pretty much what it says. Tension rises as the bad guys get stronger and the hero steadily loses ground. In star wars, it's returning to the weakened rebel base after being attacked by Tie-fighters (again, spelling?) and in Legally Blonde it's Elle having proof of her client's innocence, but being unable to use it and losing the trust of her co-workers. This is where the writer does his best to build conflict.
10: All is Lost: A crushing blow to the hero, from which they (seemingly) cannot recover. In Star Wars it's when Han Solo leaves, and in Legally Blonde it's when Elle is hit on by her boss.
11: Dark Night: Where we see the hero, defeated. In star wars, it's Luke's final conversation with Han, and in Legally Blonde it's where Elle tells Emmett she's leaving. This is the scene where we see the hero's reaction to the All is Lost moment, and we can understand how hard it is for them to overcome. The lowest point of the story.
12: Move into Act 3: But, it's clearly not over yet (again). The main character learns an important lesson or otherwise becomes stronger (generally with the help of the character from the B story), and returns to the world of act 2, in charge. In Star Wars, it's the battle at the Death star (luke is going into space again, but this time he knows what he's doing), and in Legally Blonde it's Elle's return to the courthouse in her bright pink suit. The hero has recovered from their crushing defeat at the All is Lost moment, and is ready for the final showdown with the bad guys.
13: Climax: The final showdown. Pretty self explanitory, but the most climactic scene of the movie. In Star Wars it's the race down the tunnel, and in Legally Blonde it's Elle confronting the real murderer.
14: Resolution: A chance for the audience to relax slightly and to show what happens to the characters after the climax. It's here we are rewarded for the hero's bravery. In Star Wars it's watching all of Luke's friends cheer and congratulate him as he lands, and in Legally Blonde it's watching Elle reject her idiot ex-boyfriend.
15: Final Image: Generally connected to the opening image in some way, it's the final shot of the story where we get to see how much our character has grown. In star wars it's the last scene where the awards are given to Luke and Han, proving Luke is no longer just a country boy, and in Legally Blonde it's seeing Elle graduate, proving she is no longer just a ditzy blonde.

Again, the book is awesome, so if you do a lot of reading I suggest you buy it right away. It's mostly about screenwriting, but it applies to pretty much any commercial storytelling. ANYWAY, these beats are the tool that's the most important to me whenever I write a new story.

[Magical_RuNE_Kni...]

My technique is only the best in the world-- : 2

... Seeking out the help of others, >:2 haha.
I used to do a lot of research and practice, but I've never been too hot at writing. I like it and I can write great documents apparently, but when it comes to making a story... Ugh, I'm so bad, I really think ur born w/ some of it.

Sometimes it's a lot easier to just seek the advice of others. I get my sister to fix my horrid story, and I get to fix her horrid mapping. Kinda funny actually, since her writing is great but her mapping is a black hole... And my writing is a black hole but my mappings apparently great. Lol
I guess it's just natural abilities sometimes. But the sooner ur willing to see what needs improvement, the sooner u will improve.

[m4uesviecr]

I think two of the most important techniques in writing are pacing/sequencing, and researching.

Pacing: Take your time with your stories. Make sure things happen when they are supposed to, and give it time! Nothing drives me nuts more than a game that introduces the main character's past for 5 seconds, and then abruptly switches to the main character, now 20, breaking into a big name facility. Or a young prince from a kingdom talking to his father one second, then having to go outside and ward off 50 random intruders. Make sure that the key points of your story coincide with one another, and don't be afraid to take your time getting to the meat of the game. I have yet to play a game that took too long to get to the point of the story.

Researching: One way to help write a highly effective plot is to do research, gaining ideas and avenues of construction from the past. Everything that you think of is influenced and is inadvertently related to something else. So why not gain ideas from myths, legends, or even facts. Another is to use the information available to you (Google is a life saver) to help build a plausible and effective plot, especially if you are utilizing historical events. Not to mention that it could also help tie loose ends to a story and/or plot.

This post has been edited by m4uesviecr: Jun 30 2012, 07:01 PM

[Jens of Zanicuud]

-Chekhov's Gun- When this performed well it is simply beautiful storytelling. Its when you subtly mention a plot device early on, something seemingly without purpose and only mentioned in passing, only for it later to be the game clincher. Its a very economical method of storytelling (reusing existing elements for resolutions rather than constantly adding new ones), but also appears flamboyant as it suggests everything has a purpose. If this is done poorly however, then its relevance to the text is immediately obvious and the reader is constantly looking for its purpose, ultimately picking up on, and ruining, the twist.

I think two of the most important techniques in writing are pacing/sequencing, and researching.

Pacing: Take your time with your stories. Make sure things happen when they are supposed to, and give it time! Nothing drives me nuts more than a game that introduces the main character's past for 5 seconds, and then abruptly switches to the main character, now 20, breaking into a big name facility. Or a young prince from a kingdom talking to his father one second, then having to go outside and ward off 50 random intruders. Make sure that the key points of your story coincide with one another, and don't be afraid to take your time getting to the meat of the game. I have yet to play a game that took too long to get to the point of the story.

I completely agree with you. Usually, I follow five steps to write down a plot:

1. What if...
The main idea. I've learned you should not seek for it. It just strikes you as a lightning when you aren't expecting it.
As if writing a music score, you can't program inspiration. You can only help it, reading novels, watching films, travelling by train, looking at the sea during an autumn evening...

2. Set the story
Once the main idea is set, I create the setting. What is the political situation? The world is our world or anything different? Future? Past?
The environment is a main point, since my characters reactions are based on the circumstances they have to deal with.
An accurate environment is helpful, while you haven't any idea on how going on with the plot.
Often, it's the setting itself which helps you writing. (I experimented a lack of ideas while writing Tryadine Effect - Day 3, but I overcame it thanks to the precise description of St. Patrick districts I wrote before...)

3. Characters
A good characterization is mandatory in a good plot. Characters must reveal themselves during the events and, in my opinion, should be not introduced with a long, long flashback on their past. Usually, I let players understand my characters' features by means of events or trivial NPC information and dialogues which seem useless until the end. In the end, players will learn that a large amount of dialogues they had with a NPC hid some information about the characters.
I have a technique in this case. Usually, in my plots, everyone, every NPC knows more about your characters than the player itself, often using phrases like "you perfectly know where this door leads. I can't let you in.".
Obviously, your main character knows what that door is supposed to protect, but you, the player, surely don't.

4. Flux
How many cutscenes between the events? How long should videos last?
These are problems anyone has while writing a convincing plot.
Too many scenes, one after another, and your game will become too dense.
Too many encounters without any sort of explanation and your game will become tasteless.
I usually employ short cutscenes and give player some freedom until the next one, usually sending the player searching for someone or something.
Leave some hint about the story, here and there.
Don't tell the previous history in a long, introduction video.
Just let the player discover the truth, little by little.
This is my way of writing.
I'd like to subdivide the story into chapters and for every chapter set a Chapter Boss worth of its name.
It must be central to the plot, or simply be a surprise boss which has a good reason to attack your party.
It's exactly the same for the last boss.

5. The ending
Never forget this point. The ending is something every RPG player is attached to.
You can write the best plot ever, but if the ending is tasteless, your whole game will be tasteless.
The ending should recollect every hint you have during the game, in dialogues and cutscenes, gathering them and providing a new way of interpreting them. This is the final plot twist. I'd never waste it.
I usually try confusing the player, making him believe something I know is false, without saying it, and then turning the tables during the last cutscene or after the credits.
I really do like this kind of endings (999, The World Ends With You...) and I really do hope I'll be able to write one myself.

This is all I can add to this topic
I hope I've not bored you all.

Jens

This post has been edited by Jens of Zanicuud: Jul 2 2012, 06:36 AM

[Severity]

Too complicated for me to comprehend. Will try to remember everything and use this tips to write a story next time.

[Sparrowsmith]

Too complicated for me to comprehend. Will try to remember everything and use this tips to write a story next time.

Simplest rule in storytelling:
Loops (as I said in the OP), it's my golden rule really. I don't always follow it, but you can spot a flawed plot by its lack of loop control, and it's basically the first thing they teach starting out writers.
Then you've got your character's motivation/peril. There has to be risks for the characters, it's what makes us emotionally invest in them.

[Licentia Per Ori...]

There is some good stuff here. I like to put "keyboard to google doc" whenever I have the time, sadly it's not as often as I would like. You need the headspace for it you know. anyway, I watched the Amazing spiderman the other day. In it there was a scene in an english class and the english teacher said something rather profound, which i thought i would share.

There is a school of thought that says that there are only 10 truly different kinds of story. I believe there is only one "Who am I"

Apart from that I would say make sure every character, even the small ones, have a selfish motive, that is sealed up.
Thats not to say that they are selfish, but why are they in themselves doing what they are doing?
An acronym the security services use when trying to turn someone is M.I.C.E
Money, Ideology, Coercion, Ego

Most people do the things they do because of all of them (think about yourself and the things you do day to day). However in some specific moments, certain motives will play stronger roles while some will play no role at all.
Understand that motivation is something that changes, as the world around your characters changes, so too does their motivation.

Understanding and cleverly communicating these often subtle changes will give your characters and thus the world they create a greater level of depth, realism and thus believability. Whenever I am asked to look at some ones work my feed back is usually the same. lot's of "why?".

An understanding of motivations, is required in order to pull off a good plot twist / change in direction.
A large change to the world, or a large change to a characters motivation can be hard to sell, and often an immersion breaker.
However a small change to the world, and a subtle shift in a characters motivation, which leads to that character now taking a completely different direction. That works.