Talked to a librarian in Austin who said plot is just 'fancy choreography for emotions'

She was helping a kid pick out a fantasy novel and dropped that line while I was shelving returns, and now I can't look at any story structure the same way, has anyone else had a total stranger reframe their whole writing process with one random comment?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_black3d ago

My writing process is basically me throwing emotional confetti at the wall and calling it a plot, so this librarian really called me out. I once spent three hours crafting what I thought was a killer chapter twist, only to realize I just had my main character forget her keys for the fifth time. That line about choreography makes so much sense though - I've been treating my characters like they're doing the macarena while I'm trying to get them to do a waltz. Now I'm just picturing my rough drafts as someone tripping over their own feet during a slow dance, and honestly that's more accurate.

the_xena3d ago

Huh, funny thing is that key forgetting thing might actually work. I had a character who kept losing her phone and it turned into this whole subplot about her ex stalking her through it. Sometimes the dumbest details are just plot threads you haven't pulled yet.

thomas2753d ago

Nah, sometimes tripping's more interesting than a perfect waltz.