We always start with a plot

Writing a book can be a daunting task. It is certainly something that can take longer than expected and turn out differently from what was initially intended. To control these risks, we always work from a plot, and all new projects begin with creating the plot.

Short scenes, one after the other

A lot has been written about plots, and there is much debate about what goes into crafting the perfect plot. For us, it doesn’t have to be complicated. A plot is simply your book, broken down into individual scenes. Each scene is ideally short, a thousand words or so, and always performs a function. If you break a story down into a number of short, simple scenes, even the most ambitious of novels becomes easier to handle and progress through.

Every scene moves the story forward

Every scene serves the plot. They are pieces of the puzzle that fit together neatly. If your scenes are well-chosen, and if they make sense and are enjoyable to read, then your book will make sense and will be enjoyable to read.

Current methodology

Currently, our method of creating a plot is quite simple.

• We divide a story into a set number of scenes.

• All scenes have a target length.

• All scenes are numbered and given a brief title.

• The action of the scene is described in bullet point format. Only the things that happen are described, not what they mean or why they are happening.

• The bullet points are written in the present tense.