The Next lesson in the course was about shaping ideas into
plots. I realize I have at times started a story with things other than plots
and then had a hard time getting the story to come together or even making it
into a story.
Examples might be a character trait that would sharply
define a character such as a kid who in every scene he enters tells a joke. It definitely
defines the character but it doesn’t go anywhere. I am actually giving this
trait to a character in the new story I’m working on.
Another example would be a pivotal event. I actually had in
my head the idea of the unicorn whose horn was cut off for many years before a
plot to explain how this happened and the consequences of the event came
together to form Henry on Fire.
So for my new story the plot as it is currently understood
by me is:
When Frank goes to his neighbor’s door he is met by a man
half his neighbor’s age. The man won’t answer Frank’s questions and shuts the
door in his face. Frank is convinced the neighbor is being held against his
will, but when the cops come its Frank who is in trouble.