Author Paula Munier on How to Create the Perfect Plot

<p style="font-weight:400;">How do you keep your reader reading till the wee hours of the morning—because they have to figure out how the story ends? You must create a narrative arc that, scene by scene, plot point by plot point, keeps the reader questioning.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Paula Munier, author of Plot Perfect: Building Unforgettable Stories Scene by Scene, offers a plot-building strategy that works no matter the genre you’re writing in. </p> <p style="font-weight:400;"> </p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Great Moments in the Episode</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">6:19-7:10: How people decide to buy a book.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">7:10-8:52: The importance of the first page and “that feeling” you want readers to experience.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">8:54-12:42: What is an inciting incident and why you need it immediately in your story.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">13:02-16:01: Definition and examples of big story questions and small story questions—and how to use them to make your story different.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">16:20-18:05: How to plant major and minor story questions to drive your story.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">18:10-20:01: Why you must know your genre to know your obligatory story questions.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">23:24-24:58: Using index cards to help you visually plot your story.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">25:00-27:04: How to use your genre tropes without becoming cliché.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">30:27-35:48: Tips for writing a visually engaging setting that sets the tone and creates tension.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">39:15-41:25: How to know if your writing is good before you pitch a literary agent.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;"> </p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Words of the Episode</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Vermillion: A deep, brilliant red color.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Stelliferous: Having or abounding with stars.</p> <p style="font-weight:400;"> </p> <p style="font-weight:400;">Paula Munier’s Books to Ch