The Secret of Variation (Part II)

In my last post, we looked at a global view of the secret of variation, applying it to the entire story. In this post, I'd like to zoom in on plot and structure. Bestselling authors squeeze as much out of the secret of variation as they can because they know it matters to readers, editors, publishers and agents.


Perhaps no one has ever told you how important this advanced writing technique was to your success as a writer. I don't want to be one of those people. I want you to know the methods that can blast your career to the next level. Don't underestimate the power of variation to drastically change the response of readers (both editors and future fans) to your fiction.


Let's get on with it. How do you apply variation to your plot?


Plot has more definitions than the dictionary. For our purposes, plot will mean the events in your story. Simple as that. Maybe you call it structure, a scene list, or what happens in your book.


Whatever you name it, plot will make or break your story. A good plot can overcome almost any other flaw in your writing. A bad plot will sink your novel faster than a cement boot.


What makes a bestselling plot? While I don't have the space here to give the low down all the techniques bestselling authors use to craft mesmerizing plots time and time again, I can reveal one of those secret tactics. You guessed it. Variation.


What does it mean to vary plot?


For one, it means that your story isn't crammed with similar scenes. That's why writing out your scenes on a piece of paper or on a computer can be helpful. It allows you to get a grasp of your story at a glance. Are there fifteen interrogations in your novel? Are they all in a police "interview" room?


When you catch yourself writing scenes that look and feel the same, beware. Almost everyone who reads your novel will be annoyed and put off. They may not be able to tell you why they stopped reading and opted to catch up on American Idol. But they will stop.


And when a reader stops reading, it's like a movie patron walking out of the theater.


It's bad luck for the writer.


Let's get a bit more specific. Variation as applied to plot means to consciously write scenes that differ from all the other scenes in your story. Sure, sometimes you write similar scenes on purpose, to highlight familiar places, theme, or to end your story. I get it. Those are not the scenes I'm referring to at the moment.


If you want to be a bestselling author, the fact is that the vast majority of the scenes in your story better be different. Interrogation in a police "interview" room. Interrogation by another character or set of characters during a high-speed chase. Interrogation while skydiving. Interrogation by means of torture. You get the drift. Make your scenes differ in setting, scope, character, etc, even if the basic concept of the scene remains the same.


However, if you can swing it, make even the type of scenes vary from others. Knock out some of those interrogation scenes. Or, at the least, place them at intervals throughout the story, broken by other scenes (car chase, gun fight, romance, etc).


How do you replace the same kind of scenes? Using the interrogation example, let's look at how a writer might apply variation to plot.


Say the first draft of the story includes ten interrogation scenes. The writer wants to replace some of those scenes with other scenes so that future readers don't give up on the story and go play Wii. How does he do it?


Here's one method:


1. Examine the scene.
2. Write down the purpose of the scene (the character's goal).
3. Brainstorm other ways the character might reach the goal.
4. Write the new scene.


Here's how the writer of the interrogation story might work through the four steps above.

1. The writer examines the interrogation scene.
2. The writer writes down that the purpose of the scene is for his main character to get a certain piece of information crucial to the storyline.
3. The writer brainstorms other ways, beside interrogation, that the character could get the information. He comes up with several: Hack a computer, snoop through someone's house, tail someone in a car, etc.
4. The writer decides on the best replacement scene and writes it.
   

That's variation as applied to plot. Best of writing luck!