Mistakes Are the Plot

    Creating a plot from scratch is challenging. The traditional method is to focus on the structure, such as the three-act play, the heroic journey, Freytag’s pyramid, or the twist. One could also intentionally create a situation that is loaded with drama, intrigue, or obstacles for the characters to overcome. An author could even withhold information or details to add mystery.

    While those are important, I focus on mistakes. Before I continue, I need to define the term “mistake” within the context of this article. A mistake is something that a character does while knowing there could be consequences.

    An example would be riding a bicycle without a helmet. In real life, such events occur all the time without incident, but on rare occasions, a crash occurs, and the injuries are far worse than they could have been. The appeal to the reader is that we have all pushed our luck and faced the consequences.

    Mistakes have a sneaky appeal. We do all kinds of things we know we shouldn’t be doing. Yet, seeing somebody else commit a mistake sticks in the back of a reader’s mind. “Hmm, Bob did not wear a helmet. I wonder why?”

    What if the collision had not taken place? IE, the character did not put on their helmet and had a pleasant ride? The result would not be exciting, but it did keep the reader interested, and that’s the point.

  Now, wait, other things can happen on a bike ride. Bob could meet another rider, find $100, or get chased by a mountain lion. None of this has anything to do with the helmet. (PS, if you know a bike trail with $100 bills sprinkled around, please let me know.) The thing is, Bob does not learn a lesson from a pleasant ride or by not making a mistake.

    What about foreshadowing? Is this not the same thing? This is a related term, but foreshadowing implies impending doom. For example, riding a bike on an icy road can only end in a broken leg. Meaning, it would read out of place if the rider did not crash. Riding without a helmet is a managed risk, and the win comes from the freedom of the wind blowing against the character’s head.

    Mistakes are an excellent character-building (growth) tool. “Bob, I told you so. Next time, wear a helmet.” A reader can visualize themselves making that same mistake and getting yelled at, which further pulls them into the story. Then, as the rider recovers, the reader relates to the healing process, which pulls them in even further. This growth is a great plot tool because I like to leave my character in a better place than on the first page. I think readers really relate to this.

    Mistakes come in all sizes with all kinds of consequences. Even a simple mistake, like a character forgetting another character’s name, can be a good hook. Such events make the character seem real. (They are human.) On the other hand, a flawless character is not relatable or fun. Superman flying through the air to lift a building? Pass.

    I built a big part of my second book based on a single mistake. During an FBI investigation, the agent mistakenly believed a telephone directory was a list of FBI moles. This led to a major subplot and pushed the main plot forward. And boy, did the agent look dumbfounded when they realized their error. Good hook. 

   Some examples of mistakes are misidentification, not thinking something through, missing when someone is obviously tricking you, and not doing any research.

    A bad mistake makes the character look stupid. Even a villain must be above board. The reason is that readers are sophisticated, meaning that they like quality entertainment. By making my character stupid, I am treating my reader the same way, which is a formula for disaster. Plus, there are ethical concerns (bad reviews), such as casting a negative spin on a character who happens to be of a specific gender, race, or creed.

    My main advice in this area is to avoid obvious mistakes. “It’s dark out, let’s see if we can find Bob. Hey, where is my flashlight? Oops.” This reads like a children’s book.

   As a final thought, let’s examine a mistake in two famous movies. In Star Wars, Princess Leia explains, “They let us go; they are tracking us.” This mistake nearly led to the destruction of the resistance, but what a comeback! In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones did not estimate the weight correctly and was nearly crushed by a boulder, but what an epic scene to mitigate the mistake.

   The whole point of a mistake is to react, learn, and grow, which is the definition of a plot. In life, we learn more from our mistakes than from our successes. So, I have learned that the best plots have the best mistakes. Does this article have a fantastic mistake? Umm, I hope not.

    You’re the best -Bill

    February 28, 2026

    Hey, book lovers, I published five. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burning political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    Pushed to the Edge of Existence. Just when Kim, Gabe, and Emma’s lives start returning to normal, a mysterious government organization orders them to use their telepathic abilities, and then they travel to an alien planet. 

    These books are available in softcover and in eBook format.

Snippets.

(Things I’ve written for my O.Cs)

A voice on the T. V says, “Are you tired of the same old Boring religion your parents are teaching you?”

“Yeah…” Some bored kids also on the screen whine.

“Then you ought to consider joining up with, "The Church of Jimmy!

The Church of Jimmy is newer! (Newer!) Bigger! (Bigger!) Edgier! (Edgier!) More hands on! (Hands on!)

And with over 5000 stores, bars, restaurants, arcades, and countless activities, why wouldn’t you sign up with us??” Shouts the spokesman.

“Wow!” The no longer bored children exclaim in response.

“Kids! Aren’t you sick and tired of being touched by your creepy, old pastors??” He asks next.

“Ugh… yeah.” Whines a small child with an elderly priest rubbing their lower back.

“Well, at The Church of Jimmy, we can assure you that all of our priests are young, and Hot!” The spokesman promises.

An announcement then plays. “thechurchofjimmyisnotliableforanyonewhoissexuallyabused,assaulted,harassed,orgroomedwhileunderthechurch'scare. allmemberswillberequiredtosignnondisclosureagreementsbeforesigningup.”

“Finally! A church that’s right for our family!” Shouts a happy, middle aged couple, hugging each other and their toddler close, while their other child, one between the ages of ten and fourteen in a heavy coating of makeup and a loosely buttoned shirt hugs one of the attractive pastors tight with a big, fawning grin on their face in the background.

We turn to Lucius and Adam, sitting in a waiting room outside of a portal.

“So, what do you say? Easy mode?” Asks Lucius.

Adam sighs in response, but nods his head, going along with his idea. “Yeah. Okay. It’s not gonna get much easier than this.

I just don’t see why we have to do this at all, though.”

Lucius laughs, holding a finger up to Adam. “Up! Up-bup, bup! You of all people should know that! Because not too long ago, You didn’t have to do any of this at all! I never asked you to come down here! But since you just decided to make yourself right at home, I guess you Have to now.

So just, buckle up. Tell yourself you’re doing the right thing, and get over it.”

ALT

Author’s note: (These are some of the characters I daydream about the most. What I just shared was an entire scenario that I had written up for them in my digital journal. I’m not the best at categorizing my ideas, sitting down to write before I forget. But I have put down a handful of thoughts just like this. If anyone is interested in seeing more, let me know. But if you’d rather not hear about it. I can just write for myself.)

Large Gatherings

Let’s suppose you’re writing a complex scene … say, a large gathering such as an office Christmas party at a very large firm. You have the character list you’ve been working with plus some outsiders such as spouses and possibly minor characters. It would be easy to have considerably more than 50 people at such an event but let’s say between major and minor characters you can count 30. Now the number of possible interactions would be 870 which is far too much to handle. You’ll need a few specific ones to advance your plot but will want a few to establish the scene and set the mood. One way to proceed is to list everyone and then use a random number generator - I use Excel’s RANDBETWEEN - to select a couple of people at random and then decide how they might interact. I’ve found this technique works well and makes the large number of possible interactions manageable while keeping the story from seeming contrived.

If your story has a slow middle, try this:

Add a reveal
Raise a question
Increase the stakes
Expose a secret
Give the character a hard choice

Middle chapters don’t need explosions.
They need momentum.

Reading Vita Nostra is like this: this is so weird → it just got weirder → random love confession → somehow it got even more confusing → another love confession → she is a verb???

Everything is Cliché

    I never understood the word cliché. It is supposed to identify an overused plot device or expression. A notable example is the love triangle, which occurs when two people are romantically involved with a third. Another is the overused phrase, “You are the weakest link.”

    When a person says “cliché,” they are voicing disapproval. Meaning, “Think next time before writing a love triangle plot.” Try not to say, “You are the weakest link.” Yet I have a disconnect.

    Humans have been writing, speaking, and telling stories for thousands of years. During this time, we have explored every possible plot device and phrase. So, there is no choice; plots and phrases must be reused. After all, how many types of romance can there be? Enemies to lovers, pretending to be in love, friends to lovers, characters forced together, unrequited love, forbidden love, stranded somewhere, or a secret relationship.

     In my meager dating experience, I have been in a love triangle three times. Therefore (in my mind), this kind of plot device is fair game because I know it is real. (Side note: No, two women have never desired me at the same time. At least to my knowledge:)

    Why not spice the story up? One lover is from “the bad part of town.” This also happened to me once. How about a kidnapped lover? Fortunately, that tragic dating experience has not happened.

    Okay, now I have something. Based on my experience, this kind of plot is not cliché. So, we’re good. Right? Remember the Trojan Horse? That story was all about getting the girl back. So yes, this plot has been around the block.

    I argue that a writer must make a fundamental choice when forming their plot. If they choose to write a romance, a love triangle is a valid option. However, critics would say, “That plot has been done to death. How cliché! Bad writer! Shame on you!”

    This makes sense, but I still don’t fully understand. A cliché is a sarcastic putdown because it identifies the obvious in a negative light. “The sky is blue. How cliché.” Of course, the sky is blue! What other color can it be?

    Should I take a step back and embrace the word? I just read a book where the principal character loses his memory and is a spy. Bourne Identity rip-off? I guess, but it was still a good book.

    Should I ignore the word when I encounter it? Should I ask people to stop using the word? My answer is that when I encounter the word, it is a turnoff. Meaning, I do not respect the source, but I certainly will not ask others to adopt my option.

    What is the alternative? Think up a plot, then search the internet to see if it has been done before. If it exists, keep modifying it until it is 100% original. “A ballerina falls in love with an elephant, and they are married on Mount Everest by Ronald Reagan’s ghost.” I guarantee that plot is original, but who would want to read that muck? That is cliché bedrock and why many stories share a common theme.

    Hmm, I bet some astute readers are thinking, “Sounds like somebody called your work cliché.” Dang, you caught that?

    I went to great lengths to develop plots that were distinct from other stories. This is because I wanted to be unique, give readers something new, and not borrow from preexisting stories. My first book, Interviewing Immortality, is about a writer who is forced to pen a biography of a 500-year-old woman. Multiple reviews compared my book to Stephen King’s Misery and called it cliché. My second book, Pushed to the Edge of Survival, is about two people surviving a cruise ship disaster, and later in the book, it is revealed that aliens were responsible. An editor I used only once left many nasty comments, one of which was, “Using aliens as a plot tool is cliché.” My third book, Cable Ties, is a classic spy novel. Instead of using a James Bond-like character, I used multiple small characters, which mirrored how government organizations typically solve these situations. Still, one review had a single sentence. “Another cliché spy story.” Ouch.

    So yes, I am jaded. But not for the harshness, but for the “What are you talking about?” aspect. My alarm clock goes off in the morning, and I wake up. How cliché!!! No, it’s how things work. And books work by borrowing ideas. That’s life.

    Plus, I enjoy repetitive entertainment. An action movie where the hero shoots the bad guy? Sounds like a blast. Get it? A pun. A romantic scene where two people are kissing, and a third person bursts through the door. “Sally, I love you!” Sign me up for that. A spy novel where the hero saves the world? Sure. A dystopian story? Love it. In fact, I am working on an upcoming dystopian plot. Hey, guess what? In my story, the future is awful. I bet you did not see that coming.

   So, what is the best cliché ending to this article? How about, “I hope you have a good day.”

    You’re the best -Bill

    November 08, 2025

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

    Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.

Premise vs Plot: Which Should You Write First?

The Problem Every Writer Faces

You have a brilliant story idea burning in your mind, but where do you actually start?

Every writer has been there, sitting with an exciting concept, knowing there’s a great story somewhere inside it, but feeling paralyzed by the question: Should I develop the premise first, or jump straight into plotting?

This confusion isn’t just beginner’s anxiety. Even…

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How long does it take to write a novel?

This is a tale of two novels.
One I started five years ago and is still a work in progress. It’s set in the 90s around the gay scene of Sydney’s Oxford Street. Eight drafts have been written, but after it failed to spark interest, I had it assessed. I found the State Library research I had done, browsing the gay street press of that decade, worked well in shaping the novel because the assessor…

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THE ESCAPE OF LADY AIGLE

It took me a long time to develop The Escape of Lady Aigle’s plot. Often when I’m writing, individual scenes will anchor in my head, and then I work around them. And one of the earliest scenes to anchor for Eola was the heroine Charmian being at a fancy party, there being a sudden fight (note Charmian’s grabbed a sword from somewhere), and her being comically but effectively carried out by her bodyguard Wuxle, fighting as he goes. So for a long time, while I might not exactly know who all the characters would be and what would happen to them, I had this plot point to focus things around and give the story some sense of realness.

It never shows up in the finished book.

It did evolve into a scene that does happen in the book, but the tone is entirely different and Wuxle himself is never there. While I don’t regret cutting it because it no longer fit the story, I will say that even though it never happens, Wuxle totally would have gone running through a fancy party, fighting with his lady on his shoulders. He also, in his fancy outfit, would probably still have a leaf somewhere in his hair.

I feel stupid because I just thought of something from am earlier ask.

I mention a plot element where people could gain back their color vision. I’m not particularly sure what to call the soulmate phenomenon yet, but that’s not important for this post.

Basically the idea is that people can gain their color vision back without their soulmate, essentially working their butt off by connecting with other people and themselves at a deeper level.

Which brought to mind one of the potential endings to the story. Basically a friendship or platonic ending if you don’t romance anybody. Each RO almost represents a color in the rainbow. By allowing yourself to bond with all of these quirky characters, you open the possibility of making a fulfilling life without your soulmate. All the ROs soon becoming the family you never had growing up and friends who will stick by you to the end.

When reaching the endgame or maxing out the platonic stat of each RO, you unlock a color. With each color corresponding to a RO. By the end, all of these bonds you made mix and collide with each other to show that same sight you saw in New York all those years ago when you passed by your soulmate for the first and possibly last time. Finally knowing that you are where you’re supposed to be with the people who care about you deeply.

Plot Twist

Try not to be too quick to second guess yourself. If a character suddenly seems to blurt out something unexpected it may be an indication you need to take the story in a new direction. If necessary, sometime in the future you can always edit the scene, and the comment back into the direction you planned, but you may find a bit of an unexpected twist now than then is exactly what you needed.

Random Possibilities

When making an outline, for any given scene, it might help to make a few additions of things which might happen. When you write you can disregard the lot of them if you want, but if you’re stuck, they might come in handy. Because you’re not even the least bit committed to any of them, you can make them as ridiculous as you like and by doing so, give yourself an idea of something you might like.

Still Enjoying My Stories

    I began writing books in 2017 with the lofty goal of sending my cherished creation to many publishers. I felt that one would likely appreciate my hard work and send me a giant check. If they were unimpressed, then I would be satisfied that I tried.

    Unfortunately, I did not even get to start down this path. It turns out that publishers do not accept “unrepresented manuscripts.” First lesson: publishers call books manuscripts. I know that now. Second lesson: to get a publisher to look at my manuscript, I needed to hire a “book representative” (they call books, books) with an inside track with the publisher. The representative would get a percentage of my sales if the publisher liked my book. This process seemed like a big scam, so I decided to self-publish.

    Since I began, I have not had many sales, so what keeps me going? I am the type of person who needs to see something through. Yet, there is something else. I began writing stories of the kind that I liked to read. Now, these stories are so familiar they feel like family members.

    During the endless rounds of self-editing, I get to relive the plot. For example, in my sixth book, the main character must take over the family business. It is stressful, and to cope, she turns to alcohol.

    While I wrote the first draft two years ago, I still look forward to reading the section where she faces her addictions. Will she succeed? While I know the answer, reading the solution still thrills me. It feels like meeting an old friend and learning what they are up to. Like my friends, I want my characters to succeed, and I cannot wait to see what they do next.

    Which do I like better? Reading an existing story or creating a new one? They produce different kinds of joy. Creating a new story is exciting, frustrating, new, and challenging. Reliving an existing one is reassuring, relaxing, and comforting. If you were to twist my arm, I would say that reliving the story provides more satisfaction. I was surprised to discover this; it was not a motivation to be an author.

    What about other authors? I suspect that others are more inspired by money, fame, or positive reviews. While I certainly appreciate those rewards, it will always be the story that keeps me going.

    You’re the best -Bill

    February 08, 2025

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

   Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.

1200 sqft. Plot for sale at Kunnathur village.. Near Padalam junction..

Rs.4,00,000

Writing Effective Endings

Crafting a compelling ending is one of the most crucial elements of storytelling. An effective ending leaves readers satisfied, ties up loose ends, and provides a sense of closure or leaves them pondering long after the story concludes. Whether you’re writing a novel, short story, or memoir, the way you conclude your narrative can significantly impact its reception.

In this blog post, we’ll…

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Nila’s Vesture

Setting

Every so often something simply doesn’t work - I mean outside of me. In this case I was planning a scene to take place in a church basement but the logistics won’t work so I’ll have to move it to a different venue. Next step is to figure out how the necessary characters will get there and arrive at the same time so as to facilitate a proper climax.

Ending

When plotting a story, I find about half way through things start getting complicated. At this point what works for me is to decide on what my climax is going to be and then figure out what the various characters and groups of characters need to do, to get from where they are to where I need them to be both physically and motive wise.

Rattling

I think this afternoon Toronto may have experienced a very small earthquake … that or a poltergeist dropped by to say ‘hi’. In any event some rather delicate Christmas ornaments started rattling for no apparent reason. I mention this because the basic idea of some sort of otherwise undetectable earth tremor, rattling something, might be a useful idea when composing a scene in a plot.

The Corn Syrup Droughts

    There is so much conflict, but it is not supposed to be this way. After all, we set up the United Nations and the Geneva Conventions with dedicated leaders who were charged with mitigating conflict, promoting peace, saving humanity, and ensuring prosperity. Plus, the internet is an astounding invention that brings everybody together. There should be no reason for the present devastation. Yet, some people were not surprised, and they even predicted these horrific conflicts.

    These predictors go by many names: futurists, fortune tellers, fiction writers, palm readers, prophets, psychics, gamblers, oddsmakers, investors, estimators, or spiritualists. How do they make such predictions? They use past and present knowledge to understand what might happen. Their results depend on individual skill, luck, and the topic they are estimating. For example, I have a friend whose only income is horse betting. So, indeed, he accurately predicts the future well enough to make a living.

    The topic I wanted to discuss came from watching the beginning of the movie Ready Player One. The plot is set in a dystopian future where everybody uses The Oasis, an interactive three-dimensional space where anything is possible. The dystopian aspect comes from the predicted reality that such technologies make everybody poor.

    The line stuck in my bonkers mind is: “After the corn syrup droughts, after the bandwidth riots.” This was the event that the screenwriter/author invented to set up a dystopian future. This means that corn syrup ran out at some point, which caused great hardship. Why this particular event?

    Authors and screenwriters develop crazy ideas to show a fantastic, average, or dismal future. In the sixties television show The Jetsons, the father has a flying car. In The Terminator, the world has become a battlefield against intelligent robots. So, a corn syrup drought does not seem like a big stretch. Yet, it is a prediction, meaning that corn syrup could be in short supply in the distant future. If this occurs, the plot of Ready Player One is possible.

    Well, what if it did? The year is 2030 (six years away), and suddenly, bam! No corn syrup. This means we cannot buy candy, pies, soda, or jam. Umm, that does not seem like a big problem. A nuclear war seems like a better starting point for a dystopian plot.

    So, why this particular event? I guess the author/screenwriter wanted us to think, “Hmm, that’s amusing and in line with this kind of plot.” Not too serious, like The Terminator, and not too funny, like The Jetsons. Right in the middle of the entertainment spectrum.

    How likely is a corn syrup drought to occur? I would answer low, but anything is possible. Yet, that is not quite why the line stuck in my bonkers mind. Big surprise! I am noodling a plot for an upcoming book set 100 years from now. It is a dystopian romance between a robot and a human. My concept is that the economy is in ruins, and people blame robots. How do I set this up?

    My first step was taking a high-level view of existing works, including the movie Ready Player One. I got the idea of adapting this line to inspire my plot. “After the fall of Chuck E. Cheese.” Quirky, funny, but not romantic. “After the great election crisis of 2112.” Getting there. “After the last embers of humanity had fallen.” Ooo, wrong direction. “After the last person posted a YouTube video.” Good, keep going. “When robots were finally able to join the union.” A little off, but getting there. “Remember when having a billion dollars meant something?” Closer. Try combing with that YouTube angle. “When YouTube stopped paying their creators and started paying robots.”

    This kind of abstract thinking is precisely what the author/screenwriter did when they created that line. It embodies the perfect balance between reality and silliness.

    What does it all mean? I have developed a quirky plot development tool. Is this something that you could use? That is about as unlikely as a corn syrup drought leading to a dystopian future with an alternate reality three-dimensional computer living space.

    I wrote this article to get myself thinking in the right mindset and bring you along for the ride. Not all topics and techniques for getting ideas must be serious, but keeping our minds open to new ideas, possibilities, and viewpoints is essential. This is how we evolve, grow, learn, overcome obstacles, and tolerate issues. My real goal is to end this with “made you think!”

    You’re the best -Bill

    October 30, 2024

    Hey, book lovers, I published four. Please check them out:

   Interviewing Immortality. A dramatic first-person psychological thriller that weaves a tale of intrigue, suspense, and self-confrontation.

    Pushed to the Edge of Survival. A drama, romance, and science fiction story about two unlikely people surviving a shipwreck and living with the consequences.

    Cable Ties. A slow-burn political thriller that reflects the realities of modern intelligence, law enforcement, department cooperation, and international politics.

    Saving Immortality. Continuing in the first-person psychological thriller genre, James Kimble searches for his former captor to answer his life’s questions.

    These books are available in softcover on Amazon and in eBook format everywhere.