{"id":675,"date":"2025-11-11T13:02:59","date_gmt":"2025-11-11T13:02:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/?p=675"},"modified":"2025-11-12T05:13:35","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T05:13:35","slug":"developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel\/","title":{"rendered":"Developing the plot- Tips for plotting a gripping novel"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-676 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BFC-Publications-300x207.png\" alt=\"Developing the plot for Novel\" width=\"350\" height=\"241\" srcset=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BFC-Publications-300x207.png 300w, https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BFC-Publications-1024x706.png 1024w, https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BFC-Publications-768x529.png 768w, https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BFC-Publications-1536x1059.png 1536w, https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/BFC-Publications-2048x1412.png 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 350px) 100vw, 350px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The biggest mistake most new authors make when\u00a0<strong>developing the plot of a novel<\/strong> is neglecting character arcs. Talk to any seasoned author, and he&#8217;ll tell you that the character arc and the plot progress go hand in hand. Simply put, characters drive the plot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Let&#8217;s dig deeper and figure out the best way to\u00a0<strong>develop a plot<\/strong>\u00a0without ignoring character arcs.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #0c2e8a;color:#0c2e8a\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #0c2e8a;color:#0c2e8a\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel\/#Developing_a_Plot_Requires_Homework\" >Developing a Plot\u00a0Requires Homework<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel\/#The_Setting\" >The Setting<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel\/#The_Plot\" >The Plot<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel\/#Outlining_Character_Profiles-_A_Key_Aspect_of_the_Story_Development_Process\" >Outlining Character Profiles- A Key Aspect of the\u00a0Story Development Process<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/developing-the-plot-for-gripping-novel\/#Start_developing_the_plot\" >Start\u00a0developing the plot<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Developing_a_Plot_Requires_Homework\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Developing a Plot<\/strong>\u00a0Requires Homework<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Developing a good plot<\/strong>\u00a0requires research; it is one of the most effective tools for drawing the reader into the book. For instance, you cannot write a readable\u00a0medical drama without a good understanding of medicine and the procedures involved.\u00a0 An extensive understanding of the subject\u00a0will also allow you a stable and authoritative narrative voice, making the story more believable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">So, what should you be researching?<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Setting\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Setting<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">One of the most crucial aspects of fiction writing is the setting or backdrop. It is essentially the time and space in which the story takes\u00a0place. Your novel may have a compelling plot and well-developed characters, but it is incomplete unless the reader is given a sense of place.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"The_Plot\"><\/span><strong><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The Plot<\/span><\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Assuming is\u00a0the worst thing you can do as an author. This blunder can easily be avoided with a little homework. The information you obtained while evaluating the setting is a good starting point. All that remains is for you to piece together these scattered\u00a0pieces of information\u00a0while ensuring that they do not contradict one another.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Outlining_Character_Profiles-_A_Key_Aspect_of_the_Story_Development_Process\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Outlining Character Profiles- A Key Aspect of the\u00a0<strong>Story Development Process<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The best stories are not only about dramatic events; they&#8217;re about people. While a good narrative can help you create intriguing twists and turns, great characters draw readers in by connecting with them.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">The key to good\u00a0<strong>story development\u00a0<\/strong>is writing believable characters, and this you need to get right before you start outlining the plot. Have a rough idea of what your story is about? Outline the personality type of each prominent character in your book, their motivations, quirks, and temperament included. It&#8217;s essential; this determines how they react to situations and makes them more relatable.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Start_developing_the_plot\"><\/span><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Start\u00a0<strong>developing the plot<\/strong><\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Start developing the plot<\/strong>, one chapter at a time. Don&#8217;t worry about wording the story at this stage, and just focus on keeping the plot moving. This is where the character profiles you had previously outlined will come in handy. Why? Because the story progresses based on how every key character reacts to a given situation. An unfavourable reaction or an ill-timed reflex is bound to complicate things for the protagonist and consequently influence the chain of events that are to follow the scenario.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">Pro Tip- Use A4 sheets, a new one for each chapter. The idea is to assign an independent sheet for each chapter. This will allow you the freedom to rearrange the sequence of events at a later stage and finalise a pace that&#8217;s ideal for your story. Additionally, you can add plot twists as you progress deeper into the plot.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\">There you have it, folks-\u00a0<strong>Developing the plot<\/strong>&#8211; Tips for plotting a gripping novel. Let us know what you think about the post by leaving a reply in the comments section. Also, check out our article on\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/a-practical-approach-to-becoming-a-bestselling-author\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Proven Ways to Become a Bestselling Author<\/a>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The biggest mistake most new authors make when\u00a0developing the plot of a novel is neglecting character arcs. Talk to any seasoned author, and he&#8217;ll tell you that..<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":676,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[48,53,59,55,42,54,46,45,57,39,40,47,52,49,62,51,60,61,44,56,43,41,50,58],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=675"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1671,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/675\/revisions\/1671"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=675"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=675"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bfcpublications.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=675"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}