Originally, I didn't really have a plan for any of my obstacles or general plot points. When I first began planning my novel, I just wrote down everything that came to me and hoped that it would all come together later on.

Of course, after doing more research, I realized that wasn't going to work out too well. So, I started looking up more information on the three act version of novel plotting and came up with a list of the most important plot points.

And while I didn't have the material for each and every one of them, I was able to come up with new material that bettered my story and I want to help you do the same! So, here's a little bit more information about each of these plot points!
The inciting incident, also known as the point of attack, will occur in the first couple pages of your novel, but often occurs halfway through the first act. The event will be one that opens up future possibilities for your main character. It is used to set up possible tension to come and it's a crucial component used to engage your audience. Mainly because, the main character will need to go through this event, in order to obtain their main objective.
The lock-in can usually be found in sequence two towards the end of act one. The reason this plot point is considered the "Lock-in" is because the protagonist can no longer return to their feeling of normalcy. In fact, backing out is nearly impossible. Whether they're literally locked to something or their back up plan has been ruined, the possibility of getting out is zero to none. Whatever this lock-in may be, it is important to note that it will set up the central predicament for the main character. Not only that, but protagonist can't walk away, due to the stakes, and is instead pushed into a different direction.
The first obstacle has been called many different things: rising action, raising the stakes, the first act break, etc. Personally though, I just call it the first obstacle. In my writing, I use this as a place to not only build off of the tension from the lock-in scene, but also to build up to my midpoint. I like keeping my readers on their toes, especially since I always want to give away too much information. So, obstacles are always a go to in my book! Other authors like to use this as a place to stir in some drama or throw the main character into a new location, but that's not a hard and fast rule that you need to follow.

The 1st culmination, also known as the midpoint, usually occurs halfway through act two and it is either a success or a failure. Whatever it is, it should mirror the end. So, if it's a tragedy, then the 1st culmination should be a failure that will lead to the ultimate failure; and if it's a victorious ending, then the 1st culmination should be a success that later leads to the ultimate success. When writing the actual scenes, it's important to remember that the midpoint has a huge effect on the plot.
One of the common problems that writers can face is a little thing called the "second act drag." Lucky for you, there's a solution! And it's as simple as including a subplot in your novel! Out of all of the plot points, I think this one was the easiest for me to plan. I had already had a subplot that I was working with and I knew how I wanted it to end, so I had already begun brainstorming ideas that could lead up to that point. So, once I found out that a subplot obstacle was part of my outline, I just had to pick one of the ideas that I already had in mind. Some common subplots include: friendships, relationships, careers, secret missions, and more!
The main culmination, also known as the climax, is the highest or lowest point of the protagonists journey so far. When planning the climax for your novel, it's important to note that usually, there are two sequences between the 1st culmination and the main culmination. If you read my post, How I Organize My Novel, you will see that I followed the same pattern. During this plot point, the climax is represented by a major success or failure. Before you decide which one though, it's important to note that this event normally brings your protagonist's second act objective to a close. And since they've dealt with their second act objective, the climax will propel them towards a new goal in the third act.

As I'm sure you can guess, the third act twist does come during the third act, usually between sequences seven and eight. In order to effectively use this plot point, the third act tension needs to be established early on in sequence seven. In addition, your entire writing style will alter a little bit too. The timing will be faster paced, the scenes will be shorter, and the setting will be simpler. The reason that this twist is different from the others is because this one actually changes the overall plot of the story. This is the twist that has the chance of ruining the protagonist's chance at achieving the third act objective. Some author's refer to this plot point as the "ultimate show-down" scene.

The resolution is the end of the story. No matter the outcome, this is what your readers have been waiting for! It's the reason they kept on reading! As I mentioned earlier, some of the obstacles and culminations will have foreshadowed what the final outcome would be, whether it be good or bad. Whichever one you decide on, make sure that you follow through with it until the end! This is the time when readers are going to want clarity. They'll want all of their questions answered and they'll want their version of a happily ever after. So, make sure you're that you're thinking about that. Of course, don't give too much away either!
And just in case you've decided that you want to use this method as well, I've included a free worksheet for you to use!

• Characters names
• Future book ideas
• Plot ideas
• Awesome vocabulary words
• Settings and locations
• Timelines
• Character maps
• Writing schedules
• Novel and series names
• Character inspiration
• Authors to check out
• Books to read
• Links to writer resources

If you ever saw my original Pinterest, then you know that I had a board for everything. I've designed my dream house, planned my dream wedding... well, you get the picture. Pinterest can be used for everything, so you need to take advantage of it.

I learned very early on that I am a visual learner. So, as soon as I realized that I could use one of my favorite apps to research my novel, I was more than excited! There are actually many other ways that you can use Pinterest to benefit your novel as well as your writing career, but we'll talk about those another time. For now we're just going to focus on the ways that you can use Pinterest to gain inspiration. There are three main categories that I use Pinterest for when it comes to novel inspiration: characters, settings, and artwork.

1. Characters
My character boards are some of my favorite novel inspiration boards on my Pinterest. I already had an idea of what my characters looked like when I first started writing my book, but I didn't have every little detail memorized. As I mentioned earlier, I'm a visual person so when it came time to filling out character outlines, I didn't have anything to write down. Eventually I found people on Pinterest that matched the characters in my head and I added them to secret boards. Now if I forget some little detail, I'll easily be able to flip back to my boards and look at their images.

You can also take these boards even further. If you really want to dive into each of your characters, you can pin the type of clothes that you can see them wearing and quotes they'd find funny. Images of the cars you'd image them driving. These are all aspects that could later be used to describe details in the book or even help turn your book into a movie!

2. Settings
These boards can be as simple or as complex as you want them to be. I don't personally have any of them right now. My book is set in two towns that I know pretty well and what I don't remember is a simple google search away. The last main setting of my novel hasn't exactly come to me yet. I know that I have a lot of world building to do and I just don't want to dive into that too early.

Looking back, I should have created a board for some of the research I had done previously. I based a couple of scenes off of houses that I found for sale online on sites like Zillow and Trulia. I didn't use all of the same details, I just wanted some type of reference point. I wish I had pinned those images or at least the links to a secret board, that way I could go back if I wanted to.

You could also create a very simple, generalized setting board. This could include random pictures for any future scene that you will be writing. If you know that you'll be including a scene with an old tree house, you can find a couple pictures and pin them for later. It's much easier to work on showing and not just telling when you actually have an image to work from.

3. Artwork
This is kind of generic, but an artwork board is a great idea. Personally, I really like having a board dedicated to images that inspire ideas for my book cover. I've seen so many beautiful covers and I want to make sure that mine really stands out. I know that I'm planning way in advance, but if I see something I really like, I want to make sure that it gets incorporated into the story correctly instead of just getting tossed in towards the end.

This board can also include any important/hidden messages that will be in the book as well. If you want to include any symbols or signs that will be in your book, then this is the place to do it. This can also be the place that you include any tattoos that characters may have. This category is really open for interpretation; there are just so many things that can be considered artwork.

In reality, I'm sure we can come up with a bunch of other categories and board ideas. What's important is that you use what you've learned today to better your novel. There is no wrong way to gain inspiration for your novel or organize that inspiration. Whether you choose to use Pinterest or create a legitimate vision board, that is 100% up to you!

As you know, I've started writing a series about writing my novel! I've previously written two posts in the series and you can find them below:

I've wanted to write a book every since I was a little kid. I used to write stories about anything and everything. I aced every paper and writing project at school; eventually, I took all of the journalism and yearbook classes too. I even became an editor for the yearbook and the school paper.

I always thought my first book would be about my own life, but I realized that I had no idea where to start. Then of course I got distracted with the rest of the things I had going on. It wasn't until a few months ago that I decided I'm really going to sit down and write a book.

I've been wanting to write a book for so long and now I've finally got my big idea to do so. You'll hear more about it soon!

After talking to a publisher and a few other writers, I've decided that I'm going to participate in NaNoWriMo. If you're unfamiliar with the term, it is an abbreviation for Nation Novel Writing Month. Of course I didn't want to wait all the way until November, so I decided to join Camp NaNoWriMo in April!

I made the decision a few weeks ago and I quickly signed up! I filled out my information, my writing goals, and put in my cabin requests! It wasn't until yesterday that I realized our cabin assignments came in!

It would appear that I was put into a cabin with 11 other women that are also writing a young adult novel. I'm super excited to start writing with each of my cabin mates and can't wait to get to know each one of them! I've noticed that I have the smallest word count goal in the group and I wondered if I should change it. Eventually, I decided that I will keep it at 10,000 words but I will strive for more.

It's amazing that I will begin working on my book in just two days! I'm very much excited, but I'm also incredibly nervous! I may have to start a few days later than everyone else due to my procedure on the 31st, but I know that I will make up for whatever writing days that I missed during recovery. I'm just hoping that my other three surgeries don't interfere with my writing too.

If you're interested in learning more about Camp NaNoWriMo, you can check out their website here. You can also check out this awesome post here, from the woman that inspired me to sign up! I'll also go into a few more details below.

Basically, Camp NaNoWriMo is an online writing retreat. You have the choice to be assigned to a cabin with 11 other members or you can choose your own cabin. You can find buddies in some of the forums that the website offers.

As a camper, you can use the month of April to write or edit the piece that you are working on. The site also keeps track of how you are working towards your goals. You can look at your stats as well as the stats of the cabin as a whole. For example, in order to reach my word count goal of 10,000 I will need to write an average of 334 words a day. Doesn't seem like a lot, does it? But when I look at my cabins stats, we as a group need to write an average of 16,502 words a day!

I think everyone that participates in a camp will benefit from it. I have a feeling that they will not only be held accountable by their group, but they will also have a group to ask questions, brainstorm with, and even read over their work. If you don't find that you can do that in your group, there are plenty of people to talk to in the NaNoWriMo forums. You can find those here.

There are lots of resources on both their main site and their camp site. They have everything from word count helpers to pep talks! I have found their resources incredibly helpful. I didn't really know where to begin writing and now I've got everything ready for when camp begins!

If you are interested in starting this writing adventure with me, you can sign up here!

I've also got a special challenge for all of my writers out there joining me in next month's Camp NaNoWriMo!