iI’m back from the span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_0″SCBWI/span 2011 Winter Conference and it was so inspiring. I’ll start telling you about it on Thursday so stay tuned!/idivibr //i/divdivLast Thursday, I told you about how a href=”http://ghenetwrites.blogspot.com/2011/01/writers-digest-conference-2011-recap.html”Donald span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_1″Maass/span’ session on “Putting Fire in Your Fiction”/a resonated with me. Author a href=”http://web.mac.com/jamesscottbell/Site/Welcome.html”James Scott Bell/a’s session on building the perfect plot was equally helpful and informative. When I saw the name of his session, I knew I had to attend. I mean–who doesn’t want their plot to be perfect?/divdivbr //divdivBell spent the majority of the session explaining what he calls the LOCK System. LOCK is short for Lead, Objective, Confrontation and Knockout./divdivbr //divdivbspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”LEAD/span/bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;” /span/divdivThis stands for your main character. It’s important for your reader to be invested in your protagonist. To do so you must create trouble. Putting your protagonist in jeopardy right away will give your readers a reason to worry about him/her. If s/he’s in “happy land” for too long, readers won’t want to turn the page. Some examples of trouble are:/divdivullibHardship/b: something difficult s/he needs to deal with (ex. death of a loved one)/lilibInner Conflict:/b dealing with conflicting inner voices (ex. whether or not to tell someone about a friend in trouble)/lilibVulnerability:/b the character is in actual danger (ex. someone is after him/her)/li/uldivBy putting your protagonist in danger from the first chapter, the reader is encouraged to read on and find out if everything turns out okay./divdivbr //divdivAnother technique you can use to make your characters likable is to have them do something that shows their concern for another person’s well being. Bell described the “Pet the Dog”/”Save the Cat” method frequently used in screenwriting, which is when your hero is in a vulnerable position but decides to save/help/care for someone else anyway. /div/divdivbr //divdivbspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”OBJECTIVE/span/bspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;” /span/divdivBell told us that “a plot is a record of how a character deals with imminent death.” In this context, death doesn’t necessarily mean actual physical demise. It stands for what’s at stake for your character./divdivbr //divdivThe three kinds of “death” are:/divdivullibPhysical: /bactually dying (ex. Harry Potter being sought after by Lord span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_2″Voldemort/span)/lilibProfessional: /bif your character doesn’t accomplish a task, his/her professional life is over (ex. if a girl doesn’t win a scholarship, she won’t be able to go to college)/lilibPsychological: /blife will not be complete for your character if a goal isn’t met (ex. if a guy doesn’t get the girl of his dreams, his life will suck forever)/li/uldivThere are two types of objectives in fiction: to get something (the girl, an object, revenge, etc.) or to get away from something (a killer, etc.). Figuring out what kind of objective your character has, and then adding the element of “death” will raise the stakes and make your reader that much more invested in your story./div/divdivbr //divdivspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”bCONFRONTATION/b/span/divdivThis stands for your antagonist, or the character with a reason to stop your protagonist from reaching his/her goal. It doesn’t have to be a bad guy, just someone with an opposite agenda. S/he must be stronger than your lead character so the odds are stacked against the span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_3″lead’s/span favor. Invest yourself in your oppositional character. The best villains have some sympathetic qualities. /divdivbr //divdivWith these first three elements in place, you can build your plot. Every scene that you write should relate back to your lead character, his/her objective and the oppositional character standing in his/her way./divdivbr //divdivbspan class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”KNOCKOUT/span/b/divdivThis stands for the final battle, the last chapter in your book. Your character should experience both an inner and outer battle. /divdivullibInner: /bwill your character have the courage to do the right thing? /lilibOuter:/b the last confrontation in your novel. Your character can either win the battle, lose it or sacrifice something. A sacrifice means your character has the ability to gain something at a cost, but decides to let it go for the greater good. /li/ul/divdivYou need to wrap things up in a way that’s satisfying to the reader, but at the same time, unpredictable. /divdivbr //divdivBell then tied the LOCK elements together by explaining the three-act structure of a novel:/divdivullibAct One: /bYour character (span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”LEAD/span) starts out in a happy place but then there’s a disturbance. Something needs to happen to get your character out of his normal world and into trouble. Bell calls it the “first doorway of no return.” This inciting incident should happen no later than 1/5 of the way through your novel./lilibAct Two: /bHere you work with your span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”LEAD/span, span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”OBJECTIVE/span and oppositional character (span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”CONFRONTATION/span). This act is the “death” struggle and should take up half of your novel. Bell called act two “the dark forest” because “death” is overhanging and you don’t know if your character will survive. Your scenes build up to the “second doorway of no return,” which is the discovery/clue/crisis that gets your character into Act Three./lilibAct Three:/b This is your character’s final battle (span class=”Apple-style-span” style=”color:#CC33CC;”KNOCKOUT/span). /li/ul/divdivI’m currently in the middle (or act two) of my span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_4″WIP/span and I found it helpful to figure out how my story fits into Bell’s LOCK system, and then think of it in terms of three acts. Even if you don’t like to outline, you can use this to come up with a foundation for your plot. /divdivbr //divdivIf you’re interested in checking out James Scott Bell’s books on writing, click a href=”http://web.mac.com/jamesscottbell/Site/Writers_Page.html”here/a! He was a fantastic speaker with lots of wisdom. /divdivbr //divdivbHow do you plot? Are you an span class=”blsp-spelling-error” id=”SPELLING_ERROR_5″outliner/span or do you let your story unfold as you write?/b/div