Too Much of a Good Thing: Over Plotting Your Novel

By Janice Hardy, @Janice_Hardy

This week's Refresher Friday takes another look at a common problem--over plotting your novel. 

Often it’s hard to come up with a single plot, but there are writers out there who can spin a tale like they have an unlimited supply. Trouble is, too many plots can spoil a story, and knowing where the line is between complex and complicated can be hard to spot. How do you know when you have a layered story and when you have too much plot?

What’s Going On in the Story? 

When I first started writing, I subscribed to “the more the merrier” philosophy. Lots of characters, lots of point of views, lots of plots and subplots. Naturally, I ended up with a mess. It was impossible to tell what the story was about or who my protagonist was. So much was going on you couldn’t tell what was going on.

Eventually, I made it through this all-too-common phase and figured out that less really can be more.

How Much Plot Is Necessary? 

The golden question, but there’s no easy answer. Complexity of plot varies by genre and market, and what works for a middle grade mystery won’t fly for a political thriller. It’s a good idea to study your genre and market and see what’s typical for those types of books. Use that as a guideline for how much plot works for that type of story.

Basic rule of thumb, you’ll need:

• A core conflict
• An internal conflict

Beyond that, it all depends on the type of story. It’s not uncommon to see a “bigger picture” type plot that frames the story and gives the main plot something to work within, plus a few subplots to better show off those two or three main points. You can do a lot with a little if resolving those basic conflicts takes work.

Also, not every genre will have a strong, character-arc driving internal conflict. Thrillers and procedurals don't always have protagonists that grown and change, and there's little internal conflict about what they're doing.

(Here's more on whether or not your novel needs a character arc)

Red Flags for Over Plotting

Too Many People 

You most often see too much plot in multiple point of view novels. This structure lends itself to each POV character having a story and plot of their own, and those plots often have several subplots as well. You might be over plotting if:

• Each POV character's problem requires its own resolution
• Each POV character has subplots of their own that are not connected to the core conflict
• Each POV character’s problem is unique and not connected or loosely connected to the core conflict.
• You can’t say which POV character is your protagonist. 

(Here's more on figuring out who your protagonist is)

Same Event, Different Character, Different Problem 

Having different characters take different things away from an event is good, but be wary when it starts to feel like different books about a similar subject. You might be over plotting if:

• One event causes several storylines that go in separate directions, while at the same time bring nothing new to the core conflict of the novel
• The event triggers issues or problems unrelated to each other
• Each problem has enough meat on it to become a full book on its own

(Here's ore on working with multiple point of view characters)

Showing All Sides, But Still Needing More 

Layers are good, but adding plots to show another side or perspective because you feel the reader just "won’t get it if you don’t" should make you pause. Your instincts are in the right place – you know you need more to make the story work – but you’re looking wider, not deeper, and adding things that likely only explore the idea. Are you:

• Focusing only on the premise aspect of the story and ignoring the characters and their problems?
• Adding characters whose sole job it is to get one point across?
• Getting caught up in really cool backstory for one (or more) of your secondary characters or antagonist and feeling they deserve their own character arc?
• Trying to tell everyone’s story?
• Pulling your protagonist in so many directions you lose narrative drive because it’s hard to tell what the story is about anymore?

(Here are eight signs you might be over plotting your novel)

You Can’t Say What it’s About 

Try writing a query blurb. It doesn’t have to be good, but you should be able to say in one or two paragraphs what the book is about. If you can’t, or you find yourself going into multiple paragraphs to explain multiple aspects, you might have too much plot going on.

• Do you need a paragraph per major character to say what the book is about?
• Is it impossible to say what the ending is, or what constitutes a win for the protagonist?
• Can you pinpoint a core conflict?
• Can you pinpoint the inciting event?
• Can you write a query at all?

(Here's more on how query letters can help diagnose problems in your novel)

Getting Your Plot Back Under Control 

If you’ve over plotted, never fear, you can get it back on track. Simply figure out what the story is really about and what plots serve that story. Ask yourself:

• Who is your protagonist?
• What is their problem?
• What do they need to do to solve that problem?
• What internal struggles are they facing that connect to this problem or need?
• Who is your antagonist?
• What do they want?
• How is that conflicting with what your protagonist wants?
• What existing plots are critical to resolving the protagonist’s goal?
• What characters are critical?
• What’s your overall theme?

If a plot doesn’t connect to your protagonist and your core conflict in some way, save it for another book. It’s fine for subplots to weave in and out a little, or for other characters to share the spotlight, and for multiple things to be going on, but everything should serving the story and drive it toward the same resolution. That resolution may mean something different for every character, but each one will still work within the framework of that story.

Over plotting usually occurs when you lose sight of what the story is about--a person with a problem. Put the attention back on that and you’ll find your way.

Have you ever over plotted a novel? 

For more help on plotting or writing a novel check out my Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure.

Go step-by-step through plotting and writing a novel. Learn how to find and develop ideas, brainstorm stories from that first spark of inspiration, develop the right characters, setting, plots and subplots, as well as teach you how to identify where your novel fits in the market, and if your idea has what it takes to be a series.

With clear and easy-to-understand examples, Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure offers ten self-guided workshops with more than 100 different exercises to help you craft a solid novel. Learn how to:

• Create compelling characters readers will love
• Choose the right point of view for your story
• Determine the conflicts that will drive your plot (and hook readers!)
• Find the best writing process for your writing style
• Create a solid plot from the spark of your idea

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure also helps you develop the critical elements for submitting and selling your novel once it’s finished. You’ll find exercises on how to:

• Craft your one-sentence pitch
• Create your summary hook blurb
• Develop a solid working synopsis And so much more!

Plotting Your Novel: Ideas and Structure is an easy-to-follow guide to writing your novel or fixing a novel that isn’t quite working. 

Available in paperback and ebook formats.

Janice Hardy is the award-winning author of the teen fantasy trilogy The Healing Wars, including The Shifter, Blue Fire, and Darkfall from Balzer+Bray/Harper Collins. The Shifter, was chosen for the 2014 list of "Ten Books All Young Georgians Should Read" from the Georgia Center for the Book.

She also writes the Grace Harper urban fantasy series for adults under the name, J.T. Hardy.

When she's not writing novels, she's teaching other writers how to improve their craft. She's the founder of Fiction University and has written multiple books on writing.

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