I have talked recently about plotting vs pantsing, You can read that here if you would like to know the difference: https://cathybrockman.com/2019/05/10/stuck-in-the-middle-mfrwauthor-plotter-panster/ , but before you can do either you actually need a story idea or at least an inspiration. This is what us authors jokingly refer to as plot bunnies.
These bunnies could come out of nowhere. I always have a notepad and pen in my purse or use the notes on my phone. I have a note for names, I have a note for street, town and cities names, and I have a note for story ideas. When I go on road trips I write down names I see on billboards, street signs, buildings, etc.
Being a character-driven writer, I love people watching and I keep a note where I write descriptions of interesting people and in parenthesis if I think they fit a certain idea. I also have a list of ideas that come to me out of the blue. So I keep a notebook binder I call plot bunnies and in it I put folders, dividers to sort my lists of names, settings, and Ideas, this makes it easy when I get an idea to find my characters, name them, and place them. Then I put that in a folder with the actual story idea, tentative title or story about? if I don’t have a title yet. This way when I am ready to work on a new story I just reach in my plot bunny cage, grab a bunny…oops I mean folder and start the next step… Naming the book and characters, though I really should have an actual plot first…right? I do usually have a tentative idea or plot mostly where I see the story going or what it’s about. the plot unfolds as I go.
I am on vacation at my dads and my cage is bursting at the seams so excuse me while I seperate some of these bunnies before they multiply!
What kind of plots do you like? do you like character based or plot driven stories? whats the difference? Ill talk about that next week.