Ideas for Plotting A Novel



by Sashala

 On this guest Friday, Dorothy Ann Skarles writes about how she comes up with ideas for plotting her novels.  She then shares the bare bones of a story called Silent Deceptions that's fermenting in her head.

Welcome Dorothy.

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When I first start plotting a novel, I only write an idea for a beginning and then think of two or three endings that might work. 

After I begin to actually write my story, both the beginning and endings may not stay the same.  It all depends on what my characters do.

The Christmas theme for my story came from an editor who said they acquire Christmas stories because they don’t get many.

I'm hoping this is true.


By Puk Ahoy!


I thought of a beginning for Silent Deceptions because I know two people who are deaf.  But then I wondered where to go next.

Thankfully, "Rosi" wrote a blog comment to my last post, Silent Deceptions/Ideas for a Novel, saying that the word ‘kill’ wasn’t enough for her got the juices flowing.

So I added:

Spencer stopped talking when a waiter came by with a bottle of her father’s favorite French champagne to fill both men’s glasses. Her husband taped the rim of the other man's glass in a toast. "To Tif on her twenty-eighth birthday. A sad and happy occasion."

Tiffany startled as she continued to watch Spencer's lips.

"Trust me, my wife is the one person we don’t have to worry about. She came down with encephalitis last year, and went deaf. She stays by herself and stares out into space most of the time. The only reason she came to this party is to pay respects for her old man’s Christmas party, as arranged in his will."

Tiffany watched the man wearing Santa’s beard nod and give what seemed like a hardy laugh. The Christmas wake decorations with black garlands glittered across the huge living room from one end to the other.

For help in getting writing ideas on characters and scenes, I read a lot of nonfiction. Not only newspapers and books, but all kinds of magazines—Forbes, Marie Claire, Men’s Vogue, Smithsonian, and Beauty Insider, to name just a few.

I plan to give Tiffany a rebel aunt named Vanessa, who wears black lip gloss on her eye lids, and who studied art, which she claims gives her an understanding of color and texture in both makeup and dress.

The scene may go something like this:

Someone touched Tiffany’s shoulder.

"Darling, look at me,  Read my lips."  Vanessa waved to a guest, then gave Tiffany a hug. "Have you told Spencer yet that you’re taking a lip reading class?"


Tiffany noticed the black gloss on her aunt's eye lids and lips and shook her head


"Heavens! Why not?" Vanessa said. "Are you still keeping it as a surprise?"


"Auntie, I..I have to talk to you."


"Oh look, Tiffany."  Vanessa smiled and pointed. "There’s William Harcourt Freemont.  Your father would have been so happy he came. I must go and say hello.  We’ll talk later."  She waved to someone else and then floated off, wearing a Santa’s elf costume designed in exotic Ostrich skin, dyed green, and a black tribal-beaded-cross around her neck.

My question for readers:  Are you still interested in the story?

My question for writers:  How do you plot?

daskarles©2011

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Sounds like Dorothy might have a good thing going here.  What do you think?

Thanks for stopping by,

Margaret