Plotting and Climax (yes, that climax)

I love the blog round-ups that Alyson sometimes does. I'm only rounding up one today, but I thought I’d comment on one blog that really resonated with me.

Check at the latest post over at Murderati. The post has been getting a lot of play and discussion on some loops, so today when I finally got some free time, I checked it out. Robert Gregory Browne compares the three act structure to love-making. (Wait! Don’t click over there yet. Read my blog first!)

I like his analogy. He says:

We're often reminded in how-to books that the typical story is broken
into three acts:
Set-up, Confrontation, and Resolution. Sounds pretty cold and uncaring, doesn't it? Not to mention dull.

But what if we were to beat the lovemaking analogy into the ground
and refer to the three acts in this way:
Seduction, Foreplay, and Climax.

Ok. Is that a good analogy or what?

Seduction: What he says boils down to – seduce your readers with a character they wouldn’t mind getting into bed with and who carries an air of mystery.

Foreplay: I have problems with my middle, but somehow thinking of act two as foreplay, well, that does put a whole new spin on things. I don’t particularly like writing act two, but I love foreplay. If I think of the middle as foreplay, then suddenly it becomes the good stuff. Oh, yeah, I’m there.

Climax: In order to even get the reader here, doesn’t the seduction and foreplay have to be pretty damn good? Yeah. And then your climax (love the double meaning) is the ultimate experience, the one that will get your lover, er, reader, back again.

Ok – I love this analogy. Since I write romance, it’s easy to sit down and think about seduction, foreplay, and of course, climax.

If I think about it this way, it makes plotting sound more fun. I’m not really a plotter. I can now admit that.

And, it’s not just books.

I laugh when my friends call me anal and organized. How can they look at my desk and say that? I’ve tried to figure out why people perceive me this way for years. I literally can’t file anything and find it again. At my day job, I work with a woman whose gift is filing – really, I’m serious. Can I say “life saver”? She doesn’t like the creative aspect of what we do so much – well maybe she does, but the ideas roar through my head, whereas hers enter at a more reasonable pace.

I guess it should be no surprise that plotting is a thorn in my side. I think that friends call me anal because I have a need to have things go right. I don’t always need a plan for that. My organization occurs in my head. It did in school. It does at work. I’m pretty flexible as far as seeing what’s working and not working and intuitively making adjustments. I’m learning to do that as a writer, but part of me still feels like I’m not as good as others because I can’t do the plot-it-all-out thing.

I’ve always said I have mad scientist organization. I see something I think will work better, I just turn down that path. It works for me in the day job and at home. It worked when I was a student (3 college degrees ought to be proof).

On vacations I want to know where I’m going, how to get there, generally, so if I take a wrong turn I can still find my way. However, I don’t want every minute of every day planned. That really zaps the fun for me. It’s one reason I get so tired when I vacation with my mom and sister-in-law. They don’t leave any room for discovery. I’m sure I drive them crazy, too, with my, Ooh, looks and wondering offs.

Where am I going with this meandering tale?

To seduction, foreplay, and climax, of course.

I think I can plot this way. It will work like this:

How will I seduce my readers and my characters? The goal will be to get them to the point where “yes” looks very good and “no” not so swell. It seems the first turning point ought to be where the reader and characters say, “Yep, I’m going down this road because, damn, I’m more than just a little turned on and compelled.”

Then, looking at the middle as foreplay will really help. How do I tease them just a little more? How do I draw them in? Can I make them beg?

Finally. Yeah, that’s it. Damn, they’re finally there and it’s every bit as good as they thought it would be. Climax.

Yep, this panster can plot that.

Macy