This is something you've never seen before - and it works every time!
If you're like me, the problem isn't writing. It's coming up with good, complete plots.
That's the step before you actually write, so it's critical.
But it's a huge struggle for many of us.
It definitely was for me! I was once terrible at plotting books.
I took way too long to come up with plots that tended to ramble and didn't make logical sense.
I knew I was a good writer, but my talent was going to waste because the plots I came up with were so bad. We're talking embarrassingly awful.
The most frustrating part was that I had a ton of good little scene ideas. They were constantly popping into my head and sticking there.
But I had trouble going from my starter idea to a compelling story plot.
But thanks to Socrates of all people, I found a SIMPLE solution that I'm willing to share with other people who also struggle with plotting.
You might not know it, but your head is FULL of Sandkorn (explained below).
Don't worry - it's a good thing. I'm going to show you how to turn that into complete book plots.
Think about all those little pieces of scenes or story ideas that end up trapped in your head.
As a former Dane, I call those nagging little grains of story Sandkorn - it's the Danish word for a grain of sand.
You might think of a snappy bit of dialogue or a fantastic plot twist, but that's all you've got.
The idea keeps annoying you just like a grain of sand in an oyster.
As you may know, oysters grow pearls around irritating little sand grains that get stuck inside their shells.
It gets lodged in your head and irritates your brain. You want to help it become a pearl, but the idea won't fit into any of your current stories.
And here's the thing - if the idea got and kept so much of your attention, it needs to be written.
If you can't get the idea out of your head, it will probably interest readers, too.
You're attached to the idea, so you're more likely to keep writing, until you finish the book.
These aren't just any grains of sand. Sandkorn are pearl-worthy.
But it was hard for me to try to shove my Sandkorn into other people's plot setups OR try to come up with a plot only using a piece of an idea.
I figured out a clunky outlining method, but it was missing something.
I was just about at the end of my rope when a random conversation with a friend of mine changed everything.
She told me Socrates pulled thoughts out of his students' heads to help them reason out complex ideas. It slowly dawned on me that this could very well be the solution to my plotting dilemma!
That night I began experimenting with Socrates-inspired plotting. I needed to see if it would actually help me come up with a complete plot that didn't suck.
After some trial-and-error and a few busted attempts, it finally clicked.
Eureka!
I'll never forget how I felt. I sat at my desk for about an hour with a "What's wrong with Britt?" grin on my face. I think my dog was seriously worried about me.
But I'd done it!
I'd come up with a great plot. I mean, it was terrific!
Best of all, I now had the code. I could repeat the process over and over, and every single time I came up with yet another complete plot.
No holes. No character problems. No more need to change everything after writing half a book.
And it works for ANY genre!
No, really. Any genre. I turned a line from Seinfeld into a mystery. I wanted to plot part of a scene from Gone with the Wind, and I accidentally made it Science Fiction.
I can't keep this to myself.
I'm proud of almost everything that I write, but this one is special.
I run plot after plot through this method, and I come up with something completely different - but just as interesting.
Socrates Plotting will also help you develop better characters and a better story!
It shows you where you can use characters in your story. But this guide also shows you how to ask questions that naturally lead you to character motivations that you might not have otherwise considered.
The natural part of this is a big deal!
This method uses logic, so everything in the story - including the characters - makes a lot more sense.
I was shocked when I ran one of my works-in-progress through the questions. I figured out my main character's true motivation. It made me realize that I had him all wrong before applying these questions!
The process practically forces you to figure out a character's real flaw and the internal conflict. It changed my story to the point that I'm surprised I didn't see the unbelievability of my original assumptions about my character.
So, Socrates Plotting is more than just a way to come up with good plots. It can naturally help you come up with:
This is one of those big ideas, and I have to share it with everyone I can reach who struggles with plotting.
