So today I'm going to organize my thoughts by focusing on the basics.

After doing some research online last night I made some interesting discoveries. Now, so far I'm up to the 16th chapter of my book, and up until about chapter 13 I knew what direction I wanted to go, but now as my husband and I began our usual ordeal of bouncing ideas off each other, I realized (after my research), that we were subconsciously following the "rules" of "The Hero's Journey".

Now, I knew from the beginning that my story plot was more along the lines of "The Hero's Journey", but I didn't actually sit down and make my an outline based off that plot structure itself, I wanted everything to flow naturally, so that I wouldn't feel hindered in my writing. And after chapter 13, it became more of a "Ohh, ok that' sounds cool. Sooo that's what I have stuck in my head, ok we'll lets go with it." kind of thing. And then I pretty much just sat down and started writing what I felt I wanted to write. But, low and behold I come to find out that I've actually been following the plot structure without even trying to after all.

So, for Step 1 Pick Your Plot Structure.

Now for those of you who are beginners like me, and are interested in learning the different plot structures there are out there before writing, let me recommend a book that actually helped me get started.

The book is called "20 Master Plots and how to build them" by Ronald B. Tobias. I've actually gone ahead and listed the book in the amazon window to the lower right of your screen in this article, so feel free to click on it and take a look at it if you want.

In the beginning I knew I wanted to write a story, but I wasn't exactly sure what type. I knew I didn't want a romance, or a murder mystery, no, for me it was more about adventure, heroes, magic, and mythology etc. But for the audience of this digital blog, it might be something different.

Ronald B. Tobias goes as far as to list all the 20 different types of plot structures there are, and yes there are exactly some more. But, I found this to be a very helpful start because once you know what you want to write in your head it's much easier to figure out what type of plot structure you'll want to follow, or in my case... you'll eventually be following lol!

1. Quest a.k.a. The Hero's Journey
   
2. Adventure
3. Pursuit
4. Rescue
5. Escape
6. Revenge
7. The Riddle
8. Rivalry
9. Underdog
10. Temptation
11. Metamorphosis
12. Transformation
13. Maturation
14. Love
15. Forbidden Love
16. Sacrifice
17. Discovery
18. Wretched Excess
19. & 20. Ascension and Decension
    

Alright, so for my story plot I've decided to go along the lines of "The Hero's Journey". This plot just seems to fit the story in my head much better than the others. And I have to admit, they just seem to make for some of the most awesome movie setups ever! I mean come on, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Star Wars, The Matrix... YUM! Those of just some of my FAVS! Anyways, getting back on track...

Now, I did some research last night. And I have to admit I'm a very anal person, I have to know all the details about something before doing it or I just don't feel 100% confident in my decision (I know retarded right? Go figure.) Anyways, so I looked up exactly what "The Hero's Journey" is all about in further detail.

And low and behold this is where I discovered that I was actually "subconsciously" following the plot structure without actually meaning to.

The Quest Plot or The Hero's Journey, is basically the Protagonist's (Protagonist = Your Hero, or the good guy) searching for a person, place, or something tangible or intangible. The main character is basically in search of something they hope, or they expect to find that will significantly change their life forever.

12 Stages of "The Hero's Journey":

1. The Ordinary World
   
2. The Call to Adventure
   
3. The Refusal of the Call
   
4. Meeting the Mentor
5. Crossing the First Threshold
6. Allies, Test, and Enemies
7. Approaching the Inter-most Cave
8. The Ordeal
9. The Reward or (The Seizing of the Sword)
10. The Road Back (To the Ordinary World)
11. The Resurrection
12. The Return with the Elixir

Now, I've gone ahead and searched the internet for the best "to-the-point" way of how to explain this and better yet understand it for myself. And I happened to come across a video on youtube by Mark Apsolon. It's a very funny, very direct explanation of the terms without all the extra in-depth nonsense no one wants to to read about. So go ahead check it out, I think you'll enjoy it!

Ok, so that's about it for today of Week One. Hopefully I will have the time to make another post this week. If not, audience, keep checking back for new updates.

So, an overview:

1. Decide what you want to write about. (That little story in your head trying to get out on paper.)
   
2. Find for the Plot Structure that best suits your. (You may want to do some research online, so you can better pin point the type of story you want to write.)
   
3. Start drafting out your own outline. (For me it was the 12 steps of "The Quest Plot" or "The Hero's Journey". But don't worry we'll go into further detail in the articles to come.)
   

Now, I've also left a link below to Mark Apsolon's Personal website in case your curious. You might want to check it out and see if there is any other helpful videos that apply to your own situation.

• Introduction - Dear Journal: My Novel in Progress
• Week 1 - Plot: The Hero's Journey
• Week 2 - Comedy Vs. Tragedy: Will it End Happily?
• Week 3 - (Currently In Progress)