The Plot Forge blog
Mental WorkspaceWhy your mind needs a clear work table, how writing multiplies it, and where a plot grid fits when a story gets too big to hold in your head.How to Catch Continuity Errors Before Your Editor DoesA practical way to find continuity snags in a long manuscript: track what each scene depends on, then check cause and effect on one grid.Setup and Payoff: Keep Track of What You Promised the ReaderEvery setup is a promise. Here is how to track setups and payoffs across a whole manuscript so nothing you planted is left unpaid.Chronological vs. Narrative Order: Plan Flashbacks Without Losing the TimelineThe order you tell a story and the order it happens are two different lists. Learn to track both so flashbacks and reveals stay consistent.What Is a Plot Grid, and Why Novelists Use OneA plot grid lays out your story as columns and rows so you can see every storyline and scene at once. Here is how it works and when it helps.How to Outline a Mystery Novel: Clues, Red Herrings and the RevealA mystery works because the reader can follow the clues. Here is a practical way to outline the crime, the clues, the red herrings and the reveal.How to Track Multiple Storylines and Points of View in a NovelSeveral plots or points of view make a novel richer and harder to manage. Here is how to keep every storyline visible without losing the thread.Plot Forge is a plot grid for novelists, with live checks for paradoxes and unpaid setups.
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