Top Highlights

• The point here is that a strong plot starts with an interesting Lead character. In the best plots, that Lead is compelling, someone we have to watch throughout the course of the novel.
• Solid plots have one and only one dominant objective for the Lead character. This forms the “story question” — will the Lead realize her objective?
• “Once you get a character with a problem, a serious problem, ‘plotting’ is just a fancy name for how he or she tries to get out of the predicament.”
• That’s why it’s critical to develop the sort of imagination that considers several possibilities before deciding which scene to write. You can do this just by pausing, writing a quick list of possibilities, and waiting for something to click.
• After analyzing hundreds of plots, I’ve developed a simple set of foundational principles called the LOCK system. LOCK stands for Lead, Objective, Confrontation, and Knockout.