thewritinggrindstone

[thewritinggrindstone]

ok, because i just saw a terrible take, i feel compelled to say that there is no "fic market" to "oversaturate" in fandom. good gravy.

[thewritinggrindstone]

Hi! Newbie writing who loves writing, I just wanted advice for how to write a character who is emotionally numb and distant and how they can overcome it?

Or who to write numbness in general?

Writing Detached Characters: A Guide to Emotional Numbness

Welcome to the latest instalment in my series on ‘how to write different emotions’. Contrary to the series title, today’s blog will be covering how to write a lack of emotion, or rather, emotional numbness. This is an area many writers covering PTSD, depression, or closed-off characters might be interested in. Thank you anon for the request, and I hope this blog helps you with your writing! 

Understanding the Motive for Emotional Numbness

Emotional numbness can stem from various sources and they all influence a character's behaviour differently. Understanding the root cause of their numbness is crucial to portraying them authentically. 

Trauma-Induced Numbness: Characters closed off due to trauma may appear more disconnected and guarded. Their numbness is a defence mechanism to avoid reliving painful experiences.

Chronic Stress: Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to emotional exhaustion and numbness. These characters might show signs of burnout and a lack of enthusiasm for activities they once enjoyed.

Depression: Characters dealing with depression may exhibit numbness as a symptom. They might struggle with feelings of hopelessness and an inability to experience pleasure.

Each motive ties directly into the character's behaviour, so it’s a good idea to research how numbness varies based on the cause.

How to Showcase Emotional Numbness in Your Writing

When crafting an emotionally numb character, subtlety is key. Here are some ways to show their numbness through various aspects of writing:

Body Language

Closed-off Posture: Crossed arms, avoiding eye contact, slumped shoulders.

Minimal Gestures: Limited use of hand movements, lack of expressive body language.

Tense Muscles: Frequently clenched jaw or fists, indicating suppressed emotions.

Lack of Physical Contact: Avoids hugs, handshakes, or any form of touch.

Facial Expressions

Blank Stare: Eyes that seem to look through people rather than at them.

Neutral Expressions: Rarely smiles or frowns, maintaining a consistently neutral face.

Delayed Reactions: Slow to show any reaction to surprising or emotional events.

Flat Affect: Consistent lack of facial movement or expression regardless of the situation.

Note: remember to not take this too far! This isn’t to say your character doesn’t feel anything at all and will never react to anything but more so that their reactions will be very muted. Yes, they can get happy/surprised, etc. but they won’t have wide grins or loud exclamations of shock. 

Appearance

Plain Wardrobe: Clothes that are simple, unassuming, and devoid of vibrant colours; preferences for baggy/shapeless clothing. 

Neglect of Personal Grooming: Messy hair, unshaven, or generally unkempt appearance.

Monochrome Outfits: Preference for neutral, muted colours like grey, black, and white.

Practical Over Fashionable: Chooses functionality over style, reflecting a lack of interest in appearance.

Dialogue Cues

Monotone Speech: Flat, emotionless tone without inflection.

Brief Responses: Short, to-the-point answers with minimal elaboration.

Avoidance of Personal Topics: Steers conversations away from personal or emotional subjects.

Lack of Expressive Language: Uses simple, direct language without metaphors or descriptive flourishes.

Adjectives and Verbs

Descriptive Words: Detached, apathetic, vacant, stoic, unfeeling, indifferent, withdrawn, impassive, numb, aloof.

Action Words: Avoids, withdraws, dismisses, isolates, ignores, neglects, shuns, evades, suppresses, restrains.

Emotionally Neutral Verbs: Walks, talks, looks, sits (instead of strides, argues, gazes, lounges) listens, observes, reacts, replies, continues.

Subdued Descriptors: Plain, muted, dull, flat, colourless, bland, lifeless, monotonous, reserved, restrained.

Overcoming Emotional Numbness

Since there are several reasons why someone might be emotionally numb, each cause has different ways to overcome it. Here are a few common approaches:

Therapeutic Intervention: Therapy or counselling can help characters address underlying trauma or mental health issues. Techniques like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) are often effective.

Supportive Relationships: Developing a trusting relationship with a friend, family member, or romantic partner can provide the emotional support needed to open up. This would be a better option for a character who has developed numbness due to past relationships and needs to ‘heal’. 

Personal Growth and Self-Discovery: Characters may embark on a journey of self-discovery, engaging in activities or experiences that help them reconnect with their emotions. It would be fun to see a numb character do this with a love interest or close friend. Maybe they’re ‘forced’ to go to an amusement park and the other characters are shocked to see them whoop/yell on one of the rides. 

Resources for Understanding and Overcoming Emotional Numbness

Here are some valuable resources to help you better understand and write about emotional numbness:

Books:

The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk

Waking the Tiger by Peter A. Levine

Research Papers:

Emotional Numbness in PTSD

Emotional Numbness Research Papers Directory

More:

Scholarly Resources on Emotional Numbness 

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Quillology with Haya Sameer; a blog dedicated to writing and publishing tips for authors! While you’re at it, don’t forget to head over to my TikTok and Instagram profiles @hayatheauthor to learn more about my WIP and writing journey! 

[thewritinggrindstone]

If it doesn’t impact the rest of the story, you didn’t raise the stakes

              I recently went back to a chapter at the midpoint of my novel and changed a huge detail of it because I thought it didn’t raise the stakes enough as it was. Because of this change, I had to go through every single scene and chapter beyond that point and edit it to fit in and make sense. It was annoying, but that’s how I knew I achieved what I wanted to.

              Raised stakes change everything about a story.

              If your characters can continue on as they were, then you didn’t really raise the stakes at all. This heightened pressure or danger has to be heightened enough that their lives as they know them are different now.

              Consider this: at the midpoint, you introduce a mutated form of a monster your characters have been facing that’s more deadly and intelligent than its predecessor. It’s a super scary scene, but after that, your characters go back to their safe house to talk over how best to kill it.

              Suddenly, this new monster doesn’t feel as much of a threat. It’s just another element of the same threat they’ve already been facing.

              To properly use this element as a way to raise the stakes, it should take away something the characters rely on—safety, allies, powers, etc. Something they can’t get back, and don’t get back for the rest of the story. They now have to adapt to new circumstances, and things will never be as easy for them again.

              So maybe instead, they flee to their safe house only to discover that it’s no longer safe—the monster is smart enough to get through their hidden entrance and corner them. Now they’re stuck out in the open, taking turns keeping watch and slowly deteriorating to sleeplessness and stress.

              That’s a delicious steak.

[thewritinggrindstone]

It's Worth It

As someone who has been stuck in the drafting stages for a long time, I get it. The slog gets tough. You take ages to rewrite something, only to realize the changes you've made contradict what needs to come later. Many hours have been wasted staring at walls, trying to get things to work.

But it will work. You will reach a point where everything makes sense. You will find a way to let go of great words that no longer have a place in your story, because you will be be able to replace them with better ones. You will end up with a better story that you will be proud of.

Keep going.

[thewritinggrindstone]

one of my favorite things to do in limited perspective is write sentences about the things someone doesn't do. he doesn't open his eyes. he doesn't reach out. i LOVE sentences like that. if it's describing the narrator, it's a reflection of their desires, something they're holding themselves back from. there's a tension between urge and action. it makes you ask why they wanted or felt compelled to do that, and also why they ultimately didn't. and if it's describing someone else, it tells you about the narrator's expectations. how they perceive that other person or their relationship. what they thought the other person was going to do, or thought the other person should have done, but failed to. negative action sentences are everything.

[thewritinggrindstone]

“characters in fic are too good at identifying scents” is officially an “his eyes did not literally darken” level of complaint to me now like it’s about the drama it’s about the romance it’s about atmosphere it’s about taking you to a heightened version of reality!!! please suspend your disbelief at least enough for vibes-based sensory descriptions it will be So Worth It i promise

[thewritinggrindstone]

Friendly reminder to not punish yourself for creating. 

[thewritinggrindstone]

Writing Notes: Revision Strategies

When the time comes for revision, it can cause stress for writers of every level.

After all, it can be hard to delete or change words you spent hours writing.

To help reduce this stress, the following lists a few revision strategies.

READ IT ALOUD

Although it can be awkward at first, reading your work aloud can be one of the best revision strategies.

1. Catching Typos

When reading silently, your brain might skip over or correct small errors because it makes educated guesses about what the words are trying to say.

However, reading aloud forces you to slow down and see what is actually written.

2. Identifying Sentences That Flow Awkwardly

If you have ever read an incredibly long sentence in someone’s work, you know that it can be hard to follow the person’s train of thought.

These sentences are hard to catch in your own writing, but reading aloud will make them almost impossible to miss.

It is natural to take a breath in between sentences, so if you find yourself out of breath while reading aloud a single sentence, or having difficulty following the main idea/s of a sentence, the sentence likely needs to be revised.

SHARE YOUR WORK

It can be unnerving to ask others to read your work, but the payoff is more than worth it.

1. Another Reader Can Offer A New Perspective

It is easy to miss small details in your own work, especially when you have been looking at the same document for a long time.

Furthermore, because you are an expert on your own topic, you may not notice whether your essay effectively lays the groundwork necessary for those unfamiliar with the topic.

Ask a friend, family member, or a writing consultant to read your draft and offer feedback.

Moreover, telling your readers what to focus on ensures they pay special attention to the elements you want to revise.

2. Edit for Grammar Last

Even a grammatically-sound paper can fall flat if the content does not meet a reader’s expectations.

Your top priority during revision should be to make sure that you have made your point/s clearly.

Save the editing of punctuation and grammar until after you finish revising a draft.

3. Manage Your Stress

If you get a lot of feedback on what to revise, make and prioritize a list of the comments.

After taking the time to digest everything, focus on each individual item on your list.

Cross off items as you complete them so that you have a physical representation of the work you have finished.

TAKE TIME AWAY

Leave yourself enough room in your schedule to take time away from your completed rough draft; time away from your writing is an important part of revision.

1. Recharging Throughout the Process

It is taxing to begin revision immediately after finishing a draft and can discourage writers.

Giving yourself a break between writing and revising allows you to rest and recharge, so when you revise, you have more energy to spend on the process.

2. Refreshing Your Perspective

Taking a break allows you to distance yourself from your work so that you can read through it more objectively.

This fresh perspective allows you to see what might need clarification, refined organization, elaboration, or other revision work.

3. Coming Back from a Break

Instead of immediately jumping into sentence-level revisions during your first read-through of a draft, focus on reading your writing from start to finish at least once without interruptions.

This enables you to see how well your writing flows, catch any repetition, and determine whether anything might be missing.

[thewritinggrindstone]

i just saw a tiktok (<- cursed cursed site) that started out good, talking about how "show don't tell" is something you should keep in mind. It used the example of "instead of saying 'she opened the door', try 'her shaking hand twisted the doorknob, letting out a loud creak'".

And, yeah, if you're trying to convey the hesitance, fear, and eventual sucking-it-up that seems to be going on in the scene, that's great.

But.

The tiktok ended with, "see? Showing is ALWAYS better." And I just...

Friends & enemies, that's how you end up with that insufferable always-showing always-active YA writing style that does not know when to just shut up and say "she opened the door".

Because, yeah, I'll say it. Sometimes "she opened the door" IS better. Sometimes, the act of opening the door is literally just announcing a setting change, and you don't need to focus on it.

Show don't tell is about conveying important or relevant information, not about literally everything you're writing. You're allowed to say "she opened the door" & similar, and in fact, I encourage it in many scenarios.

[thewritinggrindstone]

My Experience With Digital-First Royalty-Only Publishing (Part 1)

Disclaimer: this is just my experience and my not reflect everyone's experience with this story of publishing.

The Concept:

The are two major distinct components of this sort of publishing: that it's digital first and royalty only. Digital first means that their primary business model is based in selling ebooks rather than physical boks. They don't sell in brick-and-mortar stores, but for my publisher, at least, you can buy physical copies of the books, which are made to order. Royalty only means that authors aren't paid an advance for the book. Instead, all of their payment is directly from royalties, which they start getting paid immediately (as opposed to needing to earn the advance before you get paid any royalties). Generally, these royalties are higher than for traditional publishers.

This is considered indie publishing, as opposed to traditional publishing through one of the Big Five (Penguin Random House, Hachette, HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Macmillan). I have basically only seen this for romance publishers, though there may be others that I haven't seen.

This is not vanity publishing--I don't pay my publisher, they pay me.

My Publishing Story:

In 2023, I wrote 10k words of a new story in three days, mostly on my phone. After a bit of random internet hunting, I decided to send it in to the publisher with a series plan for another three short pieces (10-15k words) that would together make one full story. A couple months later, they responded and asked if I would make it a full novel and also write another two in the same series. I agreed.

In April 2024, the book was released.

The Submission Process:

A number of digital first romance publishers (including those that give advances, like Harlequin) accept both agented and unagented submissions. That means that you don't need to already have an agent to submit to them, as opposed to most more traditional publishing companies, which only accept agented submissions.

Pro: lower barrier to entry, you get to avoid the querying process

Con: you have to advocate for yourself

Every publisher has a different submission process and different guidelines--some have broad word/topic guidelines and anything within that is fair game, some have specific calls for stories (e.g., we want stories of 30-80k words about billionaires), some have specific imprints or subgenres with different guidelines (e.g., historical romance for 50-80k words, fantasy romance for 60-100k words).

Generally they also request a summary, an equivalent of a query letter, and sometimes also some verion of a series plan.

The Contract:

Probably my biggest issue with working with this publisher was the contract. After a bunch of back and forth after they sent me the contract, they told me that they don't negotiate their contracts with unagented authors.

This is a sort of nuts line to draw, and to be totally honest I almost decided not to publish with them because of it. It would be totally reasonable for you to not publish with anyone who has that policy.

Ultimately, I decided to still publish with them for three reasons: 1) I did a lot of internet sleuthing and couldn't find anyone talking about issues with working with the publisher any time in the last decade, 2) I was comfortable enough with the contract terms to agree to them, and 3) the book is a niche enough subgenre that there's basically no chance I would get it published elsewhere.

If it was a different book or I was in a different stage in my career, I might have made a different decision.

Editing:

The editing I received was primarily copyediting rather than developmental editing. There was a little bit of developmental editing, but the vast majority was copyediting. I'm not so arrogant as to think that that's because my writing is just so perfect that it didn't need developmental editing.

There were ~3 rounds of editing that I went through with my editor. She would make a combination of edits in track changes and comments, and i would either accept, reject, or change. There were some things I rejected because they were intentional stylistic choices, and there were some things I accepted even if I didn't love them because they were part of the publisher's style guide. Everything else was a negotiation.

Overall, I didn't give in to something that I hated, and I don't think my writing suffered for the editing. There are choices that I wouldn't have made, but that doesn't necessarily mean that I'm right.

Part 2 will include marketing, payment, and my path forward in publishing

[thewritinggrindstone]

maybe your fanfic doesn’t have to change someone’s life maybe it can just brighten someone’s day for a bit

[thewritinggrindstone]

Scope and pacing are not concrete and immutable. Not everything you write has to have the same level of detail, nor always be a 100k novel.

It's completely possible to tell the story of a romance that blooms over months or years in a 1000 words of short, snapshot scenes-- as long as you show the important scenes.

This is especially true in fanfiction where the set up is done for you, but can, in the right circumstances, be achieved in original fiction just as well.

Sometimes you don't need to write the whole novel. Sometimes you can just boil the story you want to tell down to its impactful, punchy essence. (and then it doesn't take a year to write.)

[thewritinggrindstone]

Don't abandon your writing

It’s pretty common to lose love for a project at some point during the writing process. If that happens, it’s always okay to step away.

But (and this is the important part), don’t quit! Take a break, give yourself a breather, but always remember to come back. Your story deserves to be told.

[thewritinggrindstone]

Writing & Structuring Multiple Plotlines (with Visuals)

Writing multiple plotlines can sound difficult and daunting. How can you keep the storylines straight? And relevant to each other? How do you handle all the moving pieces and subplots? 

One of your biggest helps for writing such a story is understanding how to structure it, which is what this article is all about. And it may be a relief to hear that you've likely already written with multiple plotlines . . . now you are probably just adding more than you are used to . . . 

The 6 Types of Plotlines

Most stories have at least three types of plotlines, and there are six different types in total.

External--this is the character's outer journey. The character has a concrete goal, encounters an external antagonist, and struggles with the conflict to get the goal.

Internal--this is the character's inner journey. The character has an abstract want, and in pursuing that, completes a character arc. The antagonist is the self.

Relationship--this is a relationship journey. The character either aims to draw close to or increase distance from another person (or maintain the relationship as is). The antagonistic force is what is upsetting that. How it is resolved completes a relationship arc.

Society/World--this is an external journey with collectives. A group is in conflict with another group, or the world itself. For example, in Star Wars, the Rebel Alliance is in conflict with the Galactic Empire.

Influence Character--Other than the protagonist, there is usually a key, influential character. In this plotline, we are often viewing this character's journey (more or less) from the outside. While I continue to debate whether or not to call this a plotline type, I usually leave it in, because Dramatica considers it its own thing.

Undercurrent--This is a plotline that happens "under" the story the audience sees, such as a passive mystery. It usually touches the surface several times before fully surfacing at the end, changing the context of prior incidences. It may touch and influence other plotlines throughout, but we don’t have a clear understanding of it until later. Because of the nature of the undercurrent plotline, it should be added as a fourth or fifth (or sixth) type of plotline–it won’t give the writer enough to work with as a third type.

You can learn more about these types here.

Now, for a story to have dimension, you need at least three different types. Without that, the story will likely feel flat. 

I'm not saying a story has never been successfully done with only two types (or one type), but it's less likely to work and be satisfying (and it will probably be short (or otherwise, repetitious)). Usually, we want at least three different types, and once we have that, we can add more if we want--more of the same types or other types.

By far, the most common combination for the three dominating plotlines, are external, internal, and relationship, with the protagonist being the lead of all three. But that's not the only option. You could have an external, relationship, and society/world plotline (like Indiana Jones does), or an external, internal, and society/world. And you could even split the three dominating between cast members, which you might would do in an ensemble (like The Umbrella Academy).

Commonly, the external and internal plotlines weave together to make what others call the "A Story."

While the relationship plotline makes up what they call the "B Story"--though technically the B Story doesn't have to be a relationship. (Just some writing community jargon to be aware of.)

From there, other plotlines are usually more minor ("C Story," "D Story," "E Story" . . . I think you get the idea).

Sets of Plotlines: Storylines

You may also have sets of plotlines, which, for the duration of this article, I'm going to refer to as "storylines." This is when it can be helpful to look at the plotlines in relation to character.

For example, in the film adaptations of The Lord of the Rings (cause they made some changes from the books), Frodo has his own set of external, internal, and relationship plotlines, but so does Aragorn, with his journey to be king and be with Arwen.

Frodo has a storyline. And Aragorn has a storyline. These are the two dominating storylines.

The Fellowship also breaks down into more. Merry and Pippin have their own external, internal, and relationship journeys (though to a lesser degree), and so does Gimli. Eowyn, Arwen, and Smeagol are other notable characters who get their own storylines, though again to a lesser degree. 

In The Lord of the Rings, all of the storylines ultimately connect into a bigger society plotline, where Sauron and his forces are the antagonistic collective. This is fairly common. However, I want to also acknowledge that you can have storylines that don't do that (which I'll touch on below).

I also want to acknowledge that one plotline can essentially be shared between different characters. Frodo and Sam share the same external journey. However, Sam doesn't share Frodo's internal journey. 

If this makes your head spin, I wouldn't stress about it too much, as it will likely come together for you as you move forward, but I did want to mention these points.

Lengths of Plotlines: Throughlines & Subplots

In addition to all that, there are also different lengths of plotlines. I've categorized these as "throughlines" and "subplots" (though not everyone may define these the way I have).

Throughlines are plotlines that run from the beginning (Act I) to the end (Act III). The protagonist's external and internal plotlines are almost always throughlines. The protagonist has an internal want that he tries to fulfill through external goals, this makes up the main plot. The story ends when his want has been satisfied, or changed, or abandoned (and specifically how that happens and which outcome it is, will depend on the character arc). 

In The Hunger Games, Katniss wants to save others and survive. This shows up in her volunteering to take Prim's place and her goal to win the Games. When she's successful, the story ends, and both the external and internal plotlines, which started in Act I, are completed in Act III (. . . until they are put in jeopardy again in the sequel).

Throughlines run from beginning to end

"Subplots" is a term I hesitate to use, because it does mean different things to different people, but I don't have another term for what I need so . . . in this post, when I say "subplot," I'm referring to a plotline that doesn't run through the whole story. It may begin in the middle (Act II) and run to the end (Act III), or it may begin in Act I, and end in Act I, or begin in Act II and end in Act II. Basically, it's a plotline that runs through one or two acts, or on occasion, maybe even less than an act, but it doesn't run from beginning to end.

Some others use "subplot" to mean any minor plotline, whether or not it runs through the whole story . . . I did play around with making up a different term for what I need, but they just sounded weird to me.

An example of a subplot (according to this article) would be a relationship plotline that starts in Act II and ends in Act III, such as Joe and 22 in Pixar's Soul. They meet each other in the middle and complete their relationship journey at the end.

Subplots run through one or two acts

Check: Is Your Plotline a PLOT line?

At this point, I feel it's important to take a pit stop and have you check that your plotlines are indeed plot lines. Just because you have external things happening from beginning to end, or a relationship that gets showcased through two acts, or societies that are standoffish to each other, doesn't mean you have a plot for those things.

In order for it to be a plot, it needs at minimum these four things:

- An objective (a want/goal)

- An antagonist (something in the way of, or rather, opposing that objective)

- Conflict (these forces actually clash in a struggle)

- Consequences (the outcome of the conflict matters because it changes the future)

If it doesn't have those, it may be interesting for a time, but it's not really a plot.

Do yourself a huge favor and put those things in place. It will save you massive headaches and rewrites later.

Other than those four things, the next most important element to have in a plotline is plot turns.

Plot Turns

A plot turn is also called a "plot point" or a "turning point," so we have three terms for the same element (don't you love terminology in the writing community?). It turns the direction of the story. The story was going one way, and then information is revealed or an action is taken and the story is now going a new way.

I like to use the metaphor of a railroad to explain it. Simplistically speaking, your protagonist is a train engine pursuing an objective, on a railroad. The tracks lay down a pathway, a trajectory, to get there. A plot turn (or plot point or turning point) is like that train track that switches the direction of the train. The character was on trajectory A, but is now on trajectory B. 

You can learn more about plot points here.

In 3-Act structure, there are four major turning points, one for each quarter of the story. They make up these "climactic" peaks:

Depending on what structural approach you use, they may have different names. We are going to call the first peak "Plot Point 1," the second peak the "midpoint," the third peak "Plot Point 2," and the final peak the "climax."

If you use Save the Cat!, these are known as the following . . . 

Plot Point 1 = "Break into Two"

Midpoint = Midpoint

Plot Point 2 = "All is Lost"

Climax = the high point of "Finale."

If you use The Hero's Journey, these are known as the following . . . 

Plot Point 1 = "Crossing the Threshold"

Midpoint = . . . actually, this peak isn't labeled in The Hero's Journey, so . . . yeah.

Plot Point 2 = "The Ordeal"

Climax = "The Resurrection"

And other approaches flesh this all out differently. But just know this is the most common basic structure--there should be a major plot turn every quarter of the story. 

. . . this is, of course, for the main plotline, but it should also almost always be the case for any throughlines as well.

These major plot points are going to be major scenes. Some in the writing community like to call them "tentpole scenes," because they hold up the story. Everything else is the fabric in between. Everything else works as the falling action or rising action between these tentpoles (simplistically speaking--we could break this all down more, but let's not do that).

Another metaphor that can be helpful (which I hesitate to include, because mixing metaphors is rarely a good idea) is to think of the major plot points as "destinations," and the scenes in between as the "journeys" to those destinations (this is a concept I learned from Dramatica).

From there, we have a few ways to handle plotlines and plot points.

Overlapping Plotlines & Plot Points

It's common to have plotlines and plot points overlap. This is when the "journeys" and "destinations" happen in the same scenes (though their outcomes may be drastically different).

Because the vast majority of stories include the protagonist's internal plotline as well as her external plotline, these two almost always overlap. The character tries to satisfy an abstract want (internal) by pursuing a concrete goal (external). As antagonists challenge the protagonist, how she chooses to respond makes up the internal journey (the character arc). And when a big plot turn happens externally, it's also often a big moment internally because it alters how the character responds (generally speaking).

So, essentially, what happens externally impacts the character internally, and vice versa, almost constantly. (And you normally shouldn't be trying to write an internal journey that has no connection to the external happenings.)

A relationship plotline can also overlap, which usually means the relationship characters are nearly always together, and the major external turns are happening at the same time as the major relationship turns. Meaning, they're at least happening in the same scenes.

Three overlapping plotlines

For example, in The Lord of the Rings, Frodo's external, internal, and relationship plotlines overlap for almost the whole story. Sam is right there with him most of the time. The "journeys" overlap, and often so do the "destinations."

The climax of Frodo's external plotline is also the climax of his internal plotline and relationship plotline. They all happen in the same scene. When Frodo collapses, Sam carries him the rest of the way to Mount Doom--this major moment (known as "The Grand Gesture") is the climax of the relationship plotline, while arriving at Mount Doom to throw the Ring in, is the climax of the external plotline. It's also the climax of the internal plotline, because this is the peak test for Frodo where he must choose whether or not to throw the Ring in, and complete his character arc.

Yes, you could argue that they do happen in a sequence--first the collapse, then the refusal to throw the Ring, then the Ring falling in, thanks to Smeagol. But they happen in nearly the same moment.

It is possible, though, to literally have them happen in the exact same moment. In Revenge of the Sith, the climax of the external, internal, and relationship plotlines all happen in the exact same moment: Anakin refuses to accept loss (internal) as he jumps at Obi-Wan who cuts him down (relationship and external).

It's not necessarily inherently better to have it one way or another, but they can create a different effect.

You can also, in this sense, have storylines that largely overlap.

Sam's storyline also largely overlaps with Frodo's, but he experiences their adventure differently than Frodo. He wants to complete the external goal without Smeagol, while Frodo wants him to be their guide. Sam doesn't really have an internal plot line and doesn't deeply understand or empathize with the temptation of the Ring. The whole time, he wants to be close to Frodo, but sometimes Frodo wants him gone. Same adventure, different impacts, different personal experiences.

You can also have plotlines, plot points, and storylines that don't line up.

Separate Plotlines & Plot Points

It's possible to write a story where the "journeys" and "destinations" don't align and don't happen in the same scenes. In fact, it's common to have parts where they overlap and parts where they are separate.

In contrast to Sam, Aragorn's storyline, especially in the second and third installments, does not overlap with Frodo's, and so none of his plotlines do either (other than they are both involved in the same societal conflict). Aragorn is essentially completely separate. His journeys and destinations happen in completely different scenes. And often, his relationship plotlines and plot points happen in separate scenes from his external ones. The Grand Gesture (which is actually carried out by Arwen) doesn't happen at the same time as Aragorn's climactic battle to save Middle-earth.

But let me give another example. In The Greatest Showman, P. T.'s external plotline is to successfully bring people entertainment (first through the circus and then through Jenny Lind) but his relationship plotline is with Charity, who has little to do with the circus or Jenny. His internal plotline is about seeking acceptance. The final major plot turn with the circus happens when it burns down. The climactic plot point of the internal journey happens when he drinks at a bar and comes to his senses--he doesn't need the world to accept him. The climactic turn of the relationship journey happens when he runs back to Charity to right things. These all happen in separate scenes, in separate moments.

It's technically possible to write a story where the external, relationship, and societal plotlines are all separate. 

It's also possible to write a book where each storyline is completely separate.

Character A has a separate storyline from Character B

The external, relationship, and societal plotlines may be separate

As mentioned already, it's also possible to have some parts that overlap and others parts that are separate. For example, you could have plotlines that share the "journey" but have different "destinations." Or they share the "destinations" but have different journeys.

Or anything in between.

Keeping Separate Lines Relevant

Now, if storylines and/or plotlines are indeed separate for the whole duration of the story, they still need to be somehow linked and relevant to each other--otherwise it doesn't make sense to have them in the same volume.

One way to do this is through theme. So, for example, let's say I have three storylines. Even if these characters never cross paths, their experiences may all relate to the theme of "destiny." One character may be excitedly seeking a fortuneteller to learn her destiny. Another may be trying to prove we create our own destinies. And another may be struggling against an inevitable fate. All different stories, but all connected to the topic of destiny.

More commonly, though, the storylines or plotlines will somehow connect into or influence each other. Frequently this is done through a societal plotline that sort of works as an "umbrella" for the others to fit under (or feed into).

In The Lord of the Rings, everyone is influencing (or being influenced by) the society/world plotline with Sauron. Aragorn's and Frodo's storylines (and arguably nearly everyone else's) feed into successfully defeating Sauron by defeating his forces. In Star Wars, every storyline influences or is influenced by the conflict between the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire.

It's possible, too, that they are all funneling into the main external plotline. In The Umbrella Academy (season one), all of the storylines and plotlines influence (or are influenced by) Five's external plotline of stopping the apocalypse--that is the dominating plotline. It is what glues everything together. Vanya, Cha Cha & Hazel, Diego, the Commission, everything relates to stopping (or not stopping) the apocalypse.

Timing Separate Plot Points, Plotlines, Storylines

A question that often comes up near here is, if you are working with separate plotlines and storylines, how do you know what needs to happen when? 

In story structure, it's common to use percentages as guidelines. Yes, some writers hate percentages, but they are the fastest, easiest way to explain when a key moment should happen in a story, so we'll use them. Frequently these major moments are broken down like this:

Plot Point 1--25%

Midpoint--50%

Plot Point 2--75%

Climax--85 - 100% (I mean, we gotta leave room for some falling action)

But if you are working with separate lines, it can immediately become confusing. Does every plotline and storyline need these plot points? And if so, how do you time them? They can't all hit at the 25% mark.

First, if you are working with throughlines, then pretty much, yes, every plotline and storyline should have these major turns (there is always room for rule breaks, but generally speaking). If they are separate, that means you are creating different moments (scenes) for these.

As for the timing, if each Plot Point 1 happens in a separate scene, they obviously aren't going to all happen at the 25% mark. That's okay. The percentages are guidelines. And there are a couple of ways you can handle this.

Sequential: You can structure the story so that these happen one after another, like my Greatest Showman example. They don't even have to be directly after each other, but they are close enough. Another example would be in The X-Files: Fight the Future; the relationship midpoint literally can't happen in the same scene as the external plotline's midpoint--it wouldn't make sense. So the writers placed it a bit after the 50% mark, when it was most appropriate.

Stagger the plot points

In Quarters: Dramatica Theory offers a rule of thumb that I have always appreciated. When working with throughlines, you keep things in their appropriate quarters. For example, say we have two external throughlines that are totally separate--separate journeys and separate destinations. One is Character A's and the other is Character B's.

You don't get far into Character A's second quarter before completing Character B's first quarter. You could, theoretically, do all of Character A's first quarter, and then all of Character B's first quarter. But you don't get 37% into Character A's story when you've only gotten 15% into Character B's.

That's for throughlines.

And again, these are just guidelines--I'm not saying all successful stories have handled it in these ways, or that you can't handle it another way. But if you need help organizing things and want a surefire way to keep the structure satisfying, those are some helpful ideas or principles.

What I most commonly see is, the text alternating between the "journeys" (the climbs) and then having them hit the "destinations" (the peaks) sequentially.

Structuring Subplots

Okay, so keeping things in their separate quarters sounds great when you are working with throughlines . . . but what about those plotlines that aren't throughlines? What about, what I'm calling, "subplots"? 

Again, there are a couple of ways you handle them.

Option One: You simply structure the plotline (or storyline) as a one or two-act story. What this means is, it will have fewer major turning points than a throughline. If the plotline starts in Act II and ends in Act III (as often happens in relationship plotlines), then it has three major "peaks" or turns, not four. If it happens only in Act II, then it has two major peaks. If in Act I or Act III, then one.

These major turns can overlap with the throughlines' or be separate. 

Option Two: You "accordion" the plotline. You smoosh the four major turns (and journeys) into a shorter space. This means the subplot's peaks may not align closely with the dominating plotline's peaks, but it usually works out okay. . . . as long as we get rises, peaks, and falls happening. (If you are familiar with the differences between scene, sequence, and act, then in a sense, you are taking the subplot's "acts" and putting them in as sequences.)

There is always room for flexibility, but these two perspectives are consistently helpful for me.

On-Page or Off-Page?

If you have a lot of plotlines, not everything happening in them is going to show up on-page. I mean, you can say that regardless, but it's especially true when you have a lot of plotlines. That would be too much and too long and likely mess up pacing.

Generally speaking, the more important the plotline, the more of it should be on the page (or screen).

One of the things that makes a dominating plotline, a dominating plotline, is that it gets the lion's share of the word count. Frodo's external plotline gets more attention than Eowyn's. If Eowyn had more, it'd likely feel odd and unbalanced (or like she was trying to be the main character).

So, how do you decide which moments the audience needs to witness firsthand?

Well, in any plotline, the most important moments are the plot points. It's usually more important that the plot points are on the page, than the "journeys." After those major plot points, it's the medium-sized plot points that matter most (the inciting incident and pinch points). When you need to, you can fill in the "journeys" by implying what happened or using summary.

But as always, there is room for exceptions.

Basically, though, the less important the plotline, the less of it needs to be on the page, and its best, most important parts to put on the page, are usually its plot points. 

I'm sure there are other ways you can handle multiple plotlines, storylines, and subplots (and I can imagine a few atypical approaches)--this is all theory meant to help (and not hinder) your creative process. But with these principles, you should be well on your way to writing and structuring multiple plotlines.

[thewritinggrindstone]

lowkey guys, remember to write for yourself too. i abandoned my favorite wip of all time for two years because i thought other people wouldn’t like it. that sucked, and i decided to stop caring if other people will think it’s weird and write what i like. it’s made me a lot happier since i’ve accepted that

[thewritinggrindstone]

wait do people read first person stories and think they're the ones in the story???

Saw people talking about not liking first person, which is fair, but their reasoning was like "I would not do that" and I don't understand that mindset.

First person stories are still about a character. A character making their own decisions. First person isn't about you???? At least I thought it wasn't. What am I missing? I've always seen first person as just a more in-depth look into a character's mind and stricter POV. Not as a reader stand-in.

[thewritinggrindstone]

That fic you wrote?

The one about the ship no one else cares about, or the deeply unpopular character, or the extremely unusual AU?

The fic that got no comments or kudos when you posted it?

Months or years from now, that fic might be exactly what someone is looking for in the sea of fics about all the popular characters, ships, and AUs.

Your fic might be the only fic out there that has what someone is looking for. The only fic that scratches the itch that it turns out you and that reader share.

And that's awesome.