Wednesday, January 4, 2023

Jessica Ellicott on the Mysteries of Plotting


LUCY BURDETTE: You may remember during my last "what you're writing" post that I mentioned how much easier plotting seemed to go after retaining Jessie Ellicott aka Crockett to help me brainstorm. I promised I'd try to get her here to explain her method, and hurray, she's here today! Carry on Jessie...please share your magic!

JESSICA ELLICOTT:  I know not all writers share my enthusiasm, but I adore plotting novels. I like it so much that a few years ago I began to work with other writers on plotting theirs too. I love coaching people who are stuck, either at the beginning of a novel or even part-way through and seeing their eyes light up as the ideas start flowing. 



The strategy I use with clients is really very simple. I believe that one of the reasons plotting can feel so painful and frustrating is that it is impossible to simultaneously generate ideas and also to sort out where the idea belongs in the story. Trying to do so feels like being stuck in a traffic jam with no hope in sight. It’s far more enjoyable to brainstorm a number of scenes that will be in a story first and then go about the business of slotting them into their proper places later. 

Usually, the client and I will meet via Zoom. I ask them to come to the meeting with any information they know, or think they know about the story they wish to tell. I ask them about the projected length of the manuscript and also for the average word count they naturally tend to write per scene.  If they wish to do so they email some thoughts to me ahead of time so that we can launch in straightaway. 

I have a large glass board mounted to a wall in my office and I use it to scrawl some notes during as the client answers some basic questions about the story, like the setting, the time period and any characters they know will appear in it. If it is a crime novel I ask if they have any thoughts about the circumstances around that. If they are writing a mystery series I will ask about the murder method, victim and perpetrator that appeared in the previous book.

Once we have a few bits of information to work with I pull out a pen 
and a stack of sticky notes and we begin to look at the notes on the board as potential scenes. If there is a murder, there needs to be a scene where the victim is introduced. So, I write “Victim Introduced” on a sticky note and place it on the glass wall at random. If there is a victim there has to be a perpetrator, and that character must also be introduced. I write “Murderer Introduced” on another sticky note and place it on the wall well away from the first one.

We repeat the process of adding small idea chunks that are parts of different scenes to the wall and I make certain at this stage to resist the urge to make any of it neat and tidy. I have generally found that the less organized it looks, the more at ease the clients tend to be. Before long, there is a satisfying number of sticky notes available to work with.

At some point the flow of ideas will taper to a trickle, and I know that it is time to switch tasks. This is where my earlier question about word count comes in. Based on the project length and the word count per scene it is easy to approximate the number of scenes necessary to tell the story. There is an underlying architecture to stories, and it is possible to use that framework to begin sorting the scenes into place. Many writers, either consciously or unconsciously, employ three act structure or the hero or heroine’s journey to craft their work. That strategy works a treat for arranging the chaos of scenes jotted on the notes.

As we place the character introduction scenes, clue dropping scenes, etc., I leave gaps for other ideas to appear. They may not arrive immediately, but eventually they always do. And since the gaps are present throughout the storyline feeling stuck is less likely to occur. There is no need to know what happens in a gap back in act one before a gap is filled in scene three. Creative brains seem to like to hop all over the place when generating ideas and a non-linear approach leans into that preference.

The process is easy to tailor to individual writers and even to different projects for the same writer. Some people like to plot the entire novel before they begin to write. Others like to swing back and forth between plotting forward a bit and then writing the scenes they know will be in the story. It isn’t even necessary to write the scenes in order and some people I have worked with discover they prefer to work on whatever feels interesting to them when they open the manuscript.

Many clients find that they like using the technique on their own after we have done a session or two together. Others prefer to have someone to bounce their ideas off and to ask thought-provoking questions. Either way, as long as they are happily able to make progress on their projects, I am tickled pink! After all, there is nothing better than new books to read, is there? Questions and comments welcome!




Agatha award nominee Jessica Ellicott loves fountain pens, red convertibles and throwing parties. She lives in northern New England where she obsessively knits wool socks and enthusiastically speaks Portuguese with a shocking disregard for the rules of grammar. She indulges her passion for historical fiction and all things British by writing the Beryl and Edwina Mysteries and the WPC Billie Harkness Mysteries.

Jessica’s books have received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly as well as one from Library Journal. Her first novel won the Daphne du Maurier award for mystery.



65 comments:

  1. This is a very interesting process, Jessica, and I can see how helpful it would be as writers [or project planners, perhaps?] create their stories. I'm wondering if there is some part of the process that seems most difficult for your clients to grasp?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Joan! I can imagine that this approach would work with all sorts of creative projects, including those faced by project managers. The process seems to be easy enough for people to understand; the trick seems to be believing that planning like this can work for those who have had frustrating experiences with plotting and planning in the past.

      Delete
  2. Hi, Jess! What a great method for structuring a story. I'm going to have to haul out my wip and see if that hot mess can be rescued!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Karen! I am sure that your WIP can be saved!

      Delete
  3. Jessica, I am completely fascinated by this plotting process. What a treat it would be to watch you actually do this with someone. Of course, I know that's not possible, but it still would be so interesting. I may adapt this to writing my reviews. I have started writing parts of a review out of order sometimes, and I can find myself deciding that a part of it belongs somewhere else in the review. But, I can imagine that your method to get the stories moving is such a help to those who have been too often trained in school to follow a rigid method of writing. Do you have clients who can't relax into this writing out of order? And when is your next Billie Harkness out?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Kathy! I have done this process with a client in front of groups in the past and it does seem to help the observers as well as the writer whose work is the focus. I can imagine it would work well for any sort of writing project, including reviews. Some clients do take longer to get into the flow of tis method, but I haven't had one yet who didn't lean into it fairly quickly. Writers love to imagine stories and this just gives them a different way to do it so generally they are eager to give it a go! And, of course, the writers I work with are self-selected so they have already decided they want to try a new approach.

      Delete
    2. Kathy, I invited my two writing group pals to be part of my first session--they loved it. Plus, both of them know my series and had lots of good ideas.

      Delete
    3. Jessica, that makes sense, that the writers you work with are already primed to try something new. Lucy, I would have loved to be listening in to that session, just as a silent presence. Oh, okay, I don't know if I've ever been able to keep silent.

      Delete
  4. This sounds like a great plotting method to me. Congrats on getting it to work for you and your clients as well. And I can see where the brainstorming with someone else would be helpful as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Mark! I think having someone else to bounce ideas off of and to help prompt questions can be very helpful.

      Delete
  5. I love this approach! I'm a panster at heart, but this method of plotting seems to allow some wiggle room. Thanks for getting her to share it. I'm curious about how Jessica came to learn Portuguese. My husband and I are struggling to learn this beautiful language.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. (She'll tell you, but a Brazilian husband has something to do with it...)

      Delete
    2. Thanks, so much, Elizabeth! I love hearing positive feedback from self-identified pantsers! The wiggle room is the key I think. Creativity needs breathing space! As to the Portuguese, I began picking it up many years ago when I met my husband. As Edith has already revealed, he is Brazilian, and when we met spoke almost no English. At the time I had a decent fluency in French and would mentally translate what he said into French and then into English in order to understand him. We used a dictionary, a lot of hand signals, and abundant patience to have our early conversations. As a result, my Portuguese is rich on vocabulary, darned decent in terms of accent and abysmal as far as grammar! Thanks for asking and good luck with your own determination to learn the language. It is beautiful!

      Delete
    3. Elizabeth, I'm very much a pantser (or, as I prefer, and organic plotter) but Jessica's method was very helpful to me in getting over the anxiety I would experience in sitting down every day and wondering where I was going.

      Delete
  6. I'm so glad your coaching business is taking off, Jessie! I remember seeing your method in action at our Wicked Authors retreat a few years ago, and I know you've really helped a couple of our blogmates.

    I plot a very rough (and short) sketch of a book before I begin, and then figure it out as I go, often walking laps in my office or talking out loud to myself on my long outdoors walks.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Edith. I enjoyed that demonstration at the retreat!

      Delete
  7. JESSIE: Thanks for sharing your plotting process that you use to help your clients. It's great that your method works for both avid plotters and those who need just a bit of plotting help to move forward. I'm wondering for you, does the plotting process work the same for the Beryl/Edwina and Billie Harkness books?

    I'm looking forward to reading Lucy's newest book as well as yours!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was my pleasure, Grace! And what an intriguing question! The process for plotting each of my novels is the same as far as the sort of scattershot nature of the way the ideas flow out of order and how I arrange them. What changes is how quickly the ideas flow from project to project. I have had more practice with Beryl and Edwina so that can make the plot development move more quickly.

      Delete
  8. Jessica, that is fascinating! Your approach is so reasonable, imaginative, structured but flexible, it could make a person believe that he/she could write a story! Thank you for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ha, Judy, what a fun way to describe her method!

      Delete
    2. Aww, thanks, Judy! I love to hear that you found it encouraging!

      Delete
  9. I've been (mostly) off the internet for a week, so what a treat to come back to! I'm starting my new historical, THE SECRETS WE KEEP, and I'll be using a little of this as I go.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'd love to hear if it works for you, Liz! Good luck with your WIP!

      Delete
  10. Jessie, when you arrive this morning, do tell us when your next book is coming and what it's about!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for asking, Lucy! Murder on the Home Front- A WPC Billie Harkness Mystery releases on May 2, 2023. It follows my intrepid sleuth as se investigates a murder committed in an air raid shelter in WWII England.

      Delete
  11. Brilliant stuff! Just loved it and will refer to it next time I'm stuck. Which will be in a couple days, LOL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Barbara! I hope it helps!

      Delete
  12. This is fascinating and so helpful. I'm going to adapt your method, Jessie, for the short story I'm (desperately) trying to write. I keep getting stuck, but now feel liberated to hop around and plan the scenes rather than the whole story in a linear fashion. Thank you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am delighted to hear you think it useful! Hopping about seems to really loosen things up for my clients, and for me!

      Delete
  13. Hank Phillippi RyanJanuary 4, 2023 at 8:36 AM

    This is so wonderful! And so wise! Even just reading this blog post is giving me ideas… Thank you! I am at the horrible part for a pantser, where I have to figure out what happens and I only have 15 days until deadline. Yikes. You are an inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for your kind words, Hank! I hear from pantsers on deadline quite often as panic sets in! Figuring out what happens when you don't have a clue is shudder inducing! Wishing you all the best luck!

      Delete
    2. Hank Phillippi RyanJanuary 4, 2023 at 9:46 PM

      Thank you! And that's fascinating, actually. Yes, there's the fish or cut bait moment, certainly. I just start making lists of what could possibly happen. And every time, EVERY TIME, I think "I should have done this sooner." It's such a balance, and we are all different, and our brains are different.

      Delete
  14. What a great process--both structure and flexibility--sounds like a very helpful way to procede.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Gillian! It seems to be a good mix for a lot of writers!

      Delete
  15. Fascinating! Lots of great advice here ! Jessica thx for sharing …

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much, Hallie! It is a pleasure to be here!

      Delete
  16. Jessica, I've got the sticky notes staring at me on my desk. I'm going to use your method to deconstruct a manuscript and put it back together. I'll be looking for your Billie Harkness mysteries, I'm already a fan of Beryl and Edwina.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am delighted to hear that you plan to give it a try! With sticky notes already on your desk, you are partway there! Good luck and thanks for your kind words about my novels!

      Delete
  17. From Celia:- Hi Jess, lovely to see you again. Our mutual friend speaks so highly of the PostIt process. Such an original use. I think you know I’m a retired PO, though I’m not sure one ever retires from organization. Back in the day of complex planner / calendars, a company (I think it was 3M), did some research on how people planned their work etc and found desks covered in PostIt notes. A planner was designed and marketed specifically using stickies in all the areas. I didn’t have one as I was on a different planner program. But I reviewed the planner in case it would be of use to clients. The planner failed but I always felt the concept had merit. You have discovered a unique way to help writers clear their blocks and hopefully save time in writing etc making me a very happy bookworm. Congratulations! Now completely off topic. Do you love Colin Firth and his Portuguese attempt in Live Actually? I do. Thanks so much.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Celia! How lovely to hear from you! I can imagine that one never would retire from organizing and more than one really does from writing! I would love to take a look at a planner that used sticky notes! It looks like I have some internet searching to conduct! As to the Colin Firth question, yes, I do love that part of Love, Actually! I watch it at least once a year and always think of my early attempts to communicate with my beloved husband. It really went remarkably the same way as the attempts between those two characters! I love that he is also an English speaking mystery writer!

      Delete
    2. I love those scenes in LA! We watched it again this year and the question came up, which couple would you prefer to be a part of. For me, it was either these two or the prime minister!

      Delete
    3. From Celia: so sorry to be so late, busy day! Jess if you find that planner please let me know. I’m not sure I still have my planner as i am totally committed to my iPhone! But it was called Time Design, and I think I trained with Dave Allen who wrote a couple of TM books.
      Roberta, wow who do I want to be with in LA, thinks hard. Difficult to say No to Colin Firth, but Grant, no thank me, however cute. Perhaps I could have Emma as a bestie, that would do.

      Delete
  18. Oh, I'm excited, Jess! I am a pantser by nature who has made multiple attempts to be a more organized plotter. This method checks all my boxes! Thank you.

    As an aside. In 1980 the 3-M salesman showed up at my office and gave me a little packet of sticky notes. I remember thanking him quite seriously and wondering what possible use they could have. Fast forward a few years and it's hard to remember life before the post-it!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am so pleased to hear that this may be of help to you! I think of sticky notes as a bit like the internet. It is hard to imagine life without either of them!

      Delete
  19. Hi Jesse! I was able to participate in the session you did with Roberta and found it very helpful. I don't have a big glass wall to post on, but bought the biggest posterboard I could find at walmart and started using that. I don't use it every day but found when I think of a scene I will have to include at some point I jot it on a post it and slap it up there. Thank you for showing us this process!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So lovely to see you here, Chris! I am delighted to hear that you are finding ways to tailor what we discussed during that session to aid your own process! A giant poster board is a great solution and I love to know that you are finding it helpful for corralling ideas as they arrive!

      Delete
    2. Christine, I put my Post-it scenes on the back of one of my office doors. (It's an old house - there are three doors and six windows!)

      Delete
  20. Reading about that process made me think of doing a jig saw puzzle. And the satisfaction that comes when the whole thing is put together!

    I used a similar process, minus the sticky notes, when working on more challenging research projects at a job I had many years ago. I think the sticky notes could have helped.

    DebRo

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is like a satisfying jigsaw! Sticky notes are so ideal for flexible thinking!

      Delete
  21. Hi Jess! I've been looking forward to this post ever since Roberta said you'd be visiting after the first of the year. This is fabulous and so inspiring, especially as I'm in the trying to figure out how on earth all the bits of story ideas are going to fit together. For years I've used a slightly different method, starting with an idea map and then making "storylines" for each major thread. Post-its would be more flexible, however. Hmm, I think we have an old whiteboard in the attic...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Debs, after Jessica showed me the how-to of her method, I started with slapping up Post-it notes of all the story beats in a four act structure (which is the book I'm writing now.) Then I did the Post-its for the scenes I had already envisioned, and as I figured out where they might best fit, I'd replace one story beat with the scene; e.x. "Russ, etc. discover where Kevin has gone" took the place of "Act 1 denoument."

      Since structure is always very important to me, this has been an outlining method I could really use to my benefit. I love its flexibility, since it seems to work for so many different writers' processes.

      Delete
    2. Julia, we are just glad to know that Russ discovers where Kevin has gone:-)

      Delete
    3. I appreciate your enthusiasm, Deborah! The flexibility and ease of the sticky notes makes this method really approachable even when writers are overwhelmed or stuck. I hoe you do have a whiteboard in your attic!

      Delete
    4. Oh, Debs, I so agree: Thank goodness someone knows where Kevin has gone!

      Delete
  22. Deb, even that comment is helpful for me as I am now contemplating a book that is more complex than my series novels. I have worked with Jessie multiple times and it has always been enormously helpful. Even when the ideas and sequence we generate together doesn't exactly pan it, the session always gives me the boost I need.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's Barbara Ross but the way, still anonymous on blogger for some reason.

      Delete
    2. Yay, we'll be eager to hear more about this complicated book Barb!

      Delete
    3. I foresee major brainstorming when I come to Key West next month!!

      Delete
    4. Thanks so much for the endorsement, Barb! It is always a pleasure to noodle with you! And I cannot wait to see what you come up with next!

      Delete
  23. If I were a writer your process would be great for my jumbley mind. But yay! I'm a reader so I only have to worry about when the next book is coming out. When is the next Beryl and Edwina adventure arriving?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay for readers, Pat! The next Beryl and Edwina, Murder at a London Finishing School releases on July 25, 2023. Thanks for asking!

      Delete
  24. Oh, I love talking process with other writers. Thank you so much, Jessie!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It was my pleasure, Jenn! I love chatting about it too!

      Delete
  25. You are the best, Jessie and have helped me so much. From Beer to Eternity became a much better book after our plotting session. Because of you, sometimes I can plot on my own, but I've been thinking I need to reach out and get your help again.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Aww, thanks so much, Sherry! Get in touch anytime and we will set something up! I'd love to chat with you about your latest project!

      Delete