Quick Writing Lesson: Plot (Spoilers for Last Night at the Telegraph Club!) (Patreon)

I'm amazed by all your compelling thoughts on character arcs! Now it's time to dive into plot! My example for this lesson will be the YA romance Last Night at the Telegraph Club by Malinda Lo. (I apologize for using such a recent example, but it fits this assignment like a glove.)

This is a historical romance, set in Chinatown circa 1954. It follows a teenage Chinese-American girl, Lily Hu, as she discovers the nighttime scene of a lesbian bar called the Telegraph Club, her own sexuality, and her love for her classmate, Kathleen Miller.

The novel has several subplots- Lily and her family navigating racism, Lily's struggling to come out to her family, her friendship with an adult lesbian couple, conflict with her controlling friend Shirley, Lily's dream to be an astronaut and her relationship with her aunt- but the main plot follows the basic structure we discuss in our optional discussion assignment, Book Group: Plot:

Two people meet- Lily gets to know her classmate, Kath, and Kath invites her to the Telegraph Club where she learns more about queer culture.

They get together- Lily eventually accepts her feeling for Kath and they start a relationship.

They are driven apart- Lily is separated from Kath when the Telegraph Club is raided by the police and Kath is arrested. Lily is sent to live with her aunt.

They reunite- Lily is able to meet up with Kath sometime later, and they resume their relationship.

There are several barriers Lily and Kath struggle with here, including the homophobia of the era they live in, Lily's struggle to navigate her own sexual orientation, and eventually, physical separation. They overcome each barrier by supporting each other and being true to themselves.

So that's an example of what you might talk about when discussing plot for your book club discussion. Please note that you won't be separated into groups for his discussion, this is more like a coffee-house style discussion where you can drop in if you choose.

Now let's discuss your Plot Outline, continuing to use Last Night at the Telegraph Club as an example. There are a lot of different ways to outline your plot, from the traditional three act structure to more in-depth outlines. [Here I discuss class resources, but for all you pateons, I'll link to Nanowrimo's plot outlines here.] One thing I find useful when outlining plot not included with these resources are Beth Revis' handouts where she gives her own twist on the three-act structure, turning it into a more detailed four-act structure. You can find them here.

Revis follows this structure in her plotting- The opening (which establishes the normal word the main character inhabits and what is wrong with that world- leading to a moment of change (or inciting incident) where the main character decides to solve that problem), Turning Point 1: Everything is Different (The stakes are raised, complications ensue), Turning Point 2: The Darkest Moment (there is a sacrifice or loss; note that this sacrifice/loss doesn't have to be permanent and it can be small and personal- it can be a character being separated from someone, making a hard choice, or letting something go) and then the closing/resolution (there is resilience in the face of the loss, the character grapples with their problem and either wins or loses, then the character must live in their new world, having changed).

This template may seem oriented to fantasy stories, but it works quite well for romance too, as I'll demonstrate. Let's outline Last Night at the Telegraph Club using that structure.

Opening:

Problem: What is Lily like and what's wrong with her world? Lily is a rather withdrawn young girl who is having romantic feelings towards other women she can't talk to others about and doesn't fully understand. She feels alone.

Moment of Change: What makes Lily tackle the problem? Lily is invited to the Telegraph Club by her friend Kath, where she bonds with her and learns more about being a lesbian. What's holding Lily back? She can't be honest with her family and friends about what she's doing for fear of homophobic retaliation.

Turning Point 1:

Complications:  How does Lily struggle with these changes? Lily faces backlash from her friend Shirley for being friends with Kath (who is rumored to be gay). She also doesn't quite understand her feelings for Kath and struggles with hiding her activities from her family. Who helps her? Kath (her love interest) supports her and an adult queer couple mentors her.

Point of No Return:  Lily accepts her feelings and enters a romantic relationship with Kath. There is no going back now.

Turning Point 2: Darkest Moment

Danger: The club is raided. Lily escapes but is separated from Kath.

Sacrifice: Kath has been arrested. Lily and her friend Shirley end their friendship over Shirley's homophobia. Lily comes out to her mother, who refuses to accept it. Lily runs away from home.

Closing

Resilience: Lily stays with her mentors and tries to reach out to Kath despite the danger. Her aunt eventually comes to pick her up. This leads to Lily's "final battle": Lily's mother tries to get her to say she made a mistake. Lily refuses and she is sent to live with her aunt, who offers her support. She holds on to her love for Kath.

Resolution: A year later, Lily reunites with Kath. They affirm their love for each other.

So there's an example of one of the many basic structures you can employ for your plot outline. It also easy to point out which steps coincide with Lily's character arc. In the opening, Lily starts out not having much confidence in herself or knowledge about her orientation. Her turning point is her point of no return- when she accepts herself enough to start a romance with Kath. Her end point coincides with the closing- she's now a confident young woman who's willing to defy her family and society to be true to herself and her love for Kath.

[The rest is all assignment stuff so no snappy closer, sorry!]