StoryGodmother Newsletter #31 - Plot isn't as important as you think
Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve managed to get a newsletter together. The last few months have been flat out working on a debut adult novel (out in 7 weeks! You can check it out here: The Players - Act 1: All the World's a Stage) alongside a middle-grade novel, plus writing a feature film and a producing a short film. If you’d like to keep up to date with my writing work, please do sign up to my other newsletter "Amy Sparkes Readers" which gives you sneak-peeks, bonus material, giveaways and news.
RESOURCES
Why Plot Isn't As Important As You Think It Is
Plot isn’t that important. Bold statement and yes, it’s an oversimplification and plot does matter, but let me explain. It’s because in most stories, plot serves character, and not the other way around. We all want to have an interesting, page-turning story and good plotting is absolutely part of that. HOWEVER, it isn’t usually the plot itself which hooks the reader – it’s the way the plot AFFECTS the character, and therefore in turn AFFECTS the reader. This is why engaging with characters and caring about them is so crucially important. Once we care about the character (set up and established beautifully in act one), plot works in two different ways:
- How the plot affects the character’s wants (their short-term or long-term goals).
- How the plot affects the character’s needs (their development).
For example, we might find it brilliant that there’s a bit in the book with a maze which is full of zombies trying to catch the character. But just a maze full of zombies isn’t going to be exciting in itself for long.
Throw in the character’s short term goals:
Their short-term goal might be they want to escape the zombies so they don’t die. Well, hopefully by now we care about the character so we don’t want them to die. This will involve an emotional connection with your character. A good plot point will affect the character, and make them feel something – fear, hope, anger, whatever. The plot point works and we know how to utilise it to the maximum effect, but a list of short-term goals won't keep us happy for long.
Throw in the character’s long-term goals:
They need to get to the centre of the maze because that’s where the key is to open a door to another ‘level’ so they can rescue their sister. The plot point really works because the long-term goal usually has some huge emotional meaning to the character – if not, why the heck are they going through with this story and not giving up and going home?
Throw in the character’s need:
They never believe they are capable or empowered. And the maze is whispering this lie as the zombies come for them – whispering that they will never be strong enough to fight the zombies, because they have never been strong enough to change anything that is held them back in life. This takes the story deeper. It is an opportunity for this character to face their personal flaw and tackle it head on. How successful they are will likely depend on how far you are into the story. Will they succeed? Or will the whispers prove true? Either outcome will make the character feel something. The plot point really, REALLY works now.
But, if you pare it right back, what matters here? Is it that they face a maze full of zombies? Or is it that the character has a chance to get the key to help them on their way to rescue their sister (and succeed or fail); and that they have a chance to prove themselves capable (and succeed or fail)? You don’t need a maze or zombies for that. It could be a cave and ghosts. It could be a tunnel and fire blazing towards them. This moment can now be almost anything (wisely chosen) which fits in nicely with your world and your story so far. Pare it back again – maybe they don’t even need a key to the door. Maybe there’s no key and no door. It just needs to be a way of getting the character one step closer to their long-term goal. A lot of what actually happens can be changed; it’s replaceable. Why? Because most of the time that’s not actually what we care about. We care about the character’s experiences, how they learn, how they feel, how they grow.
Imagine if we had a maze full of zombies. Then we have the cave and the ghosts. Then we have the tunnel and the blazing fire rushing towards them. If through all this list of events, your character remains unchanged, then they are just in a hamster wheel – just doing the next, and the next, and the next. Even if that satisfies the character’s short-term and long-term needs, even something which seems dramatically exciting is going to get boring, even if it escalates somehow. Readers want to see internal movement, internal change that means something, not just the character doing something dramatic over and over again. Why?
Because it isn’t usually the plot itself which hooks the reader – it’s the way the plot AFFECTS the character, and therefore in turn AFFECTS the reader.
Plot serves character – their short-term goals, their long-term goals but most importantly, their needs.
CHARACTER CORNER
Happy Pride Month!
To celebrate, I’m going to talk about writing LGBTQ+ side characters in your fiction. But the first thing to do here is direct you to a friend of mine, Drew Hubbard, who helped me with a sensitivity read of The Players Act 1: All the World's a Stage, which includes LGBTQ+ main characters. Drew produces a fantastic and free monthly newsletter here: Write better lgbtq+ characters with Pride Reads which I can heartily recommend. It will help give you confidence in creating authentic, effective LGBTQ+ characters.
Including all kinds of representation and diversity in our books reflects the reality of the world around us, and LGBTQ+ characters are no exception. We hear the phrase that ‘every child should see themselves in a book’ and that includes a child’s family set-up. And there are many families which will have queer members, whether this is parents, siblings, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins… You don’t have to write a queer protagonist if you feel it isn’t your story to tell, but look at the other characters that surround your protagonist. What might feel authentic to your story? How can you think and write more inclusively?
It’s also important to note that having LGBTQ+ characters doesn’t necessarily mean you have to make a big deal about it every time. It doesn’t need to be problematic, doesn’t need to be a coming out moment – it can be just perfectly normal, and simply part of that character’s truth. It is just who they happen to be. Their sexuality is just part of what makes them a whole, well-rounded character.
Think about background characters, too. If you’re writing a picture book, think about older characters which surround your protagonist and keep your mind open. Don’t be afraid to highlight to publishers that you would like your book to be inclusive – you can put a little message in the illustration note at the beginning, or on any specific scenes where you would like to draw attention to a certain character. If you’re describing background characters in a scene of a middle-grade novel, think about how you could include hints at representation in the phrases you use.
These may be small differences but they can have a big impact on visibility and representation. And it reflects truth and reality – which is ultimately what our books are meant to do.
WRITING COURSE
I’ve been so busy with my own writing projects that I haven’t had time to run courses lately! I’ve really missed that, so I’m happy to announce there’s an upcoming session! For those of you new to my courses, I try to keep them affordable, accessible and fun. We dive deep into the craft of storytelling to help you focus on specific elements and polish your writing.
WRITING KEY MOMENTS will be running on Tuesday 1st July, 7pm and costs £12 (plus Eventbrite admin fee). The session will be looking at:
- What key moments are
- Why they are important
- The relationship between key moments and readers
- When key moments are most effective
- How to use them in story creation
- Using key moments in plot, character, emotion and theme
- How to use them whether you're plotting or pantsing
The session will be recorded and be available for 7 days after the event.
A DATE FOR YOUR DIARY:
I’m also excited to say I am planning another WRITING MIDDLE GRADE WEEKEND on 11th and 12th October. This is the equivalent of a comprehensive six-week course (but with bonus bits). And I’m hoping that part two – WRITING MIDDLE GRADE: GOING DEEPER – will be available later on in the autumn for people who have completed the first course.
COMPETITIONS
WRITING MAGAZINE CHILDREN'S BOOK PRIZE
A reminder that the submission window for the prize is 1st September - 31st October, so less than three months until it’s open! There will be a Picture Book and a Chapter Book category. More info is available on my website: Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize 2025
I’ll be including some hints and tips for writing great competition entries in the next few newsletters.
COACHING COMPETITION
As usual, I’m pleased to offer another 30-minute coaching competition. For those of you who are new to this, as a thank you for subscribing to the newsletter and to help coaching become accessible to all regardless of means, I offer a FREE 30-minute coaching session (worth £30 – no strings attached) via a lucky draw every newsletter, for anyone who would like to take part
If you would like to enter, please email comps@storygodmother.co.uk with COACHING 8.6.25 in the subject and you will be entered into the draw. All entries must be received by Wednesday 11th June 23:59GMT. I will contact the lucky winner directly, so if you haven’t heard anything, please assume you’ve not won on this occasion, but please do try again next time!
STORY GODMOTHER WRITING COMMUNITY
Do you use Facebook? Great – join the Story Godmother Writing Community on Facebook. It’s a free, private and friendly group, where writers can share encouragement, thoughts or interesting finds. I also share weekly writing tips, and I’m there to answer any questions you have. Come and join us! Story Godmother Writing Community
It’s a private group and a friendly bunch – a safe space for you to grow as a writer. And it’s absolutely free.
If you request to join, please do make sure you answer the membership questions and agree to the group rules.
END NOTES
Thanks for reading! I hope June is a creative and productive month for you!
If you’ve found this newsletter helpful, please do spread the word to other writers you know – the more, the merrier! There are nearly 500 of you subscribers out there, so I'll put on something special when we hit the half-a-K!
With writerly love,
Story Godmother x