Plotting
The Short Story
_By_
CULPEPER CHUNN
A Practical Exposition of Germ-Plots,
What They Are and Where
to Find Them: the Structure and
Development of the Plot; and the
Relation of the Plot to the Story.
1922
JAMES KNAPP REEVE
_Publisher_
FRANKLIN, OHIO
Copyright, 1922
_by_
The Home Correspondence School
Copyright, 1922
_by_
James Knapp Reeve
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I--Germ-Plots
What They Are and Where to Find Them 9-22
CHAPTER II--Structure of the Plot 25-39
CHAPTER III--Plot Development
Simple Plots 43-59
Complicated Plots 60-78
CHAPTER IV--Relation of the Plot to the Story 80-96
CHAPTER I
GERM-PLOTS: WHAT THEY ARE AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
A comprehensive system of plot development, and an adequate supply
of material to draw from, are almost indispensable to the writer who
turns out a large number of stories each year, and to the occasional
scribbler who has little knowledge of plot form and structure it is
of even greater value. Years of experience as a writer, literary
critic and student of the short story have brought out these facts:
The writer who is “long” on writing is generally “short” on ideas, and
an inadequate knowledge of the plot and its development causes more
aspiring authors to fail than any other one thing.
Most beginners seem to have the idea that the writing game is a very
easy game to play, as easy as ping-pong, for instance. A few of them
have acquired a fair education; others, not so fortunate, are equipped
with nothing but a gnawing desire to write, and on first appearances it
seems to them that it should prove to be a very simple matter to weave
their ideas into readable stories. Some of them have a vague idea of
what a plot is, but they know nothing about BALANCE, INCITING MOTIVES,
CRUCIAL SITUATIONS, CLIMAXES, etc., and care less. When they read in
their favorite magazine a cameo-like story by some master writer, they
do not realize that the author may have labored for days over that
story, rearranging words, eliminating paragraphs and even whole pages
from the original draft, and reconstructing the plot after he has
torn it to pieces half-a-dozen times. The words flow so smoothly, the
characters stand out so clearly, the plot is so simple--how easy it
must be! But these writers are soon disillusioned when the rejection
slips begin to roll in on them with the regularity of well-oiled
clockwork. Not until they have served a long apprenticeship do they
learn that authorship is as much of a profession as surgery is and
that, as in all other pursuits, it is simply a matter of the survival
of the fittest.
No writer can hope to achieve real success in the writing field unless
he is well-grounded in the fundamentals of plot construction, nor can
he avoid an atmosphere of SAMENESS in his stories and give them the
stamp of cleverness and originality unless he constantly adds to his
store of plot material. “The plot’s the thing,” and the writer who
relies solely upon inspiration to furnish him with suitable plots for
his stories cannot begin to compete with his more practical brother
craftsman who stimulates his imagination with tid-bits from real life,
as it were, and builds the foundations for his stories with the same
care and exactitude that a stone mason would employ in building the
foundation and framework of a house. Inspiration is, without a doubt,
a very great thing, although personally I know very little about it,
never having had time to sit down and wait for it to visit me. But
it is a fickle creature at best, and requires as much attention as a
teething baby. Even those rare exceptions among the writing fraternity
who possess the divine spark need a solid base from which to start on
their flights into the realms of imagery. It is not difficult to build
an occasional plot. With one girl and one man, or two girls and one
man, say, for a starting point, almost any writer who has touched a
few of life’s high spots can build a plot of some sort, but he cannot
repeat the process over and over again with any great degree of success
for the reason that he must attack each new story from a different
angle, and when he relies entirely upon his own limited experience and
his imagination, he soon finds this a very difficult thing to do. For
this reason experienced writers always keep on hand a varied assortment
of story-ideas, original and otherwise, to be used as starting points
when they make new voyages into the uncharted seas of fiction. These
story-ideas are called germ-plots.
A germ-plot is an idea which may be broadened out and used as a
foundation upon which to build a short story--a spark, to shift the
figure, that starts a conflagration in the writer’s brain and makes him
an object to be pitied until he sits down before his typewriter and
pounds out a story to make us sit up half the night to read. Germ-plots
lurk on street corners, in dark allies, in dingy restaurants, in
ballrooms, on the faces of men--and women, in the lisp of a child,
in the newspapers, in magazine advertisements, in funny sayings, in
love letters, in jail, in insane asylums--on board the train, ocean
liner, zeppelin! The germ-plot, in short, is any original or acquired
idea, unusual situation, striking title, curious advertisement, funny
character, queer dream, clever story--in fact, anything that contains
an element of mystery, adventure, humor, fantasy, love, etc., and which
has a twist to it, is ideal material for germ-plots and therefore
legitimate plunder for the writer.
To make my meaning clearer, let me give two or three concrete
illustrations. One day several years ago, for instance, I saw something
fall from the second story window of an apartment house and at first
thought that it was a man. Then a gust of wind kindly came along and
opened it up and I saw that it was a pair of purple pajamas. A moment
later a young lady in scanty attire rushed out of the house, snatched
up the brilliant garment and hurried back into the house again. When I
got home I promptly developed the idea into a story called “The Purple
Pajamas”--and sold it.
On another occasion I saw on a bulletin board a circular advertising
for an escaped convict. The line “$500 Reward, Alive or Dead,” caught
my eye and started a train of thought thundering through my mind. At
first glance the idea may seem trite; nevertheless, it developed into a
story that I called “The Man From Virginia”--and sold.
Again. One day I read a newspaper account about a man who had a twin
brother who looked so much like him that his wife, in a fit of jealous
rage, shot her brother-in-law, in the belief that she was letting
daylight through her husband! I nursed the idea for a couple of days,
then wrote “His Brother’s Keeper” and placed it without difficulty.
Every writer should have a blank book in which to jot down his
germ-plots as he uncovers them, which are later to be neatly typed off
on uniform sheets of paper and filed away for future use. Anything that
seems suggestive, whether it appears to offer material for immediate
use or not, should find a home in the Plot Book, where it will be found
waiting with a cheerful smile on its face, as it were, some dark day
when inspiration has taken to her heels and ideas seem to be about as
plentiful as snow on the Fourth of July.
To give the reader an idea of the kind of material that should be
stored away, and the manner in which it is done, let us pick at random
a few items from one of my many plot books:
Saw man on street today who had a scar on his face resembling a
question mark. (What an idea for a story!)
Overheard a woman say: “When a man loves he will dare anything.”
(Suggests original title “The Man Who Dared.”)
Saw splotch of red on a white flower in the front yard of a house
today. Looked like blood.
Tramp standing before the window of a fashionable restaurant gazing
hungrily at the food being served within.
The newspapers are a very mine of ideas for the writer, the news items,
sporting page, headings and advertisements (especially the “personal
column”) all being a common stamping ground for the germ-plot. A pair
of scissors should always be kept at hand and used freely in dissecting
out the interesting items one runs across when reading the papers. The
shorter items and headings can then be typed off and filed away, and
the longer articles pasted in a scrap book kept especially for this
purpose.
Consider the following headings, items and advertisements, which were
actually clipped from the daily papers:
HEADINGS:
Saves Governor; Wins Pardon.
Sells Self for Life for a Pair of Shoes.
Baby Girl Left on Doorstep.
Caught Boarder Kissing His Wife.
Bride of One Day Mysteriously Murdered.
Slayer Weeps Over Victim’s Body.
NEWS ITEMS:
(Condensed)
An unidentified white girl is found dead in a public park. Marks
on the girl’s throat lead police to believe she was murdered. Her
handkerchief was marked with a number--47 (laundry mark?)
The mysterious murderer known as “Doctor X” was hanged at the jail
this morning. Even at the last he refused to tell his real name and
it is probable his true identity will never be known.
Two women fight in courts for possession of same baby. Both women
claim to be the infant’s mother. Baby was left on the doorstep of a
foundling asylum a year ago; now both women appear to claim it as
their own.
A carrier pigeon with a broken wing fell to the ground in front of
the post office and was captured by a messenger boy. A message in
code was carried in a small metal cylinder tied to one leg; on the
other leg was a metal band marked as follows: “HM-19373-Y.”
ADVERTISEMENTS:
(From “Personal Columns”)
R. L. P. Saw your message in yesterday’s paper. It came too late. You
must try and forget. Brown Eyes.
Men for desperate adventure wanted. No questions asked: none expected.
Want to communicate with a young lady matrimonially inclined. Must be
a blond and willing to accompany me to South Africa.
Jack. Come home. Sarah is dying. All is forgiven. The black box has
been found. Marie.
Where it is not practicable to preserve long accounts of murder trials,
and sensational robberies, jot down the clues that have enabled the
detectives to run the criminals to earth. Note the following, all of
which were gleaned from the columns of the newspapers, and two of which
at least have been used as the central ideas around which stories have
been written:
Broken sword-cane.
Hairs from murderer’s head clutched in victim’s fingers.
Laundry mark on handkerchief.
Imprint of murderer’s teeth in apple.
Scent of rare perfume near scene of crime.
Finger prints on dagger.
A writer should never read a magazine, novel or any other literary
effort unless he has his notebook and pencil near at hand, for it is
often the case that we will come across a catchy phrase or an odd
situation as set forth by some brilliant brother of our fraternity
which will give us an idea for a story--if we can remember it.
Take, for instance, the following suggestive lines gathered for the
most part from stories in current magazines:
“Jack leaped to his feet and gazed around him wildly. The clock
struck thirteen.”
“He sobbed out his soul in her arms.”
“I will wear a red rose on the lapel of my coat so you will recognize
me.”
“I have given you my life, my love, my wealth, myself. Can I give you
more?” (Suggests original title “The Woman Who Gave Her All.”)
“His foot was as twisted as his smile.”
“The moon was red, as if a film of blood covered it.” (Suggests title
“When the Moon Shone Red.”)
When a striking title occurs to you, write it down whether you think it
will ever be of use to you or not. Some of the greatest short stories
ever written were inspired by titles. Anyway, the day may come when you
will develop a plot for which you can find no suitable name. If you
have a good supply of titles on hand, you will doubtless be able to
find the very thing you are looking for to embellish the child of your
brain.
In one of my notebooks I find, among others, the following suggestive
titles:
The Devil’s Prayer.
The Man Who Sneered.
The Serpent’s Fang.
The Scarlet Halo.
The Thirteenth Hour.
The Mummy’s Hand.
The Kiss of Hate.
The Girl in Black.
Curious or striking names, too, will often prove suggestive and give us
an idea that may be the means of making some joyous editor part with a
substantial check. Names such as the following, for instance, are well
worth preserving:
Abner Death.
Mag Scarlet.
Father Boniface.
Arizona Pete.
“Iky” (nickname for girl).
Alias The Hawk.
Pap Lee.
Mlle. Fay.
I often find it easier to build a plot around an odd character than
around an odd situation, and have a separate book for Types and
Characters. Types of interesting classes of people, followed by brief
explanatory notes, should be entered in the book, as, for example:
CRIMINALS:
INSTINCTIVE: Usually those who commit crimes for the sheer love
of the excitement that enters into every criminal’s life. Clever
criminals of this type popular with readers. ARSENE LUPIN and the
LONE WOLF good examples.
OCCASIONAL: Usually average human beings of normal mentality driven
to crime by necessity, temptation, or to shield or save themselves or
others in unusual circumstances over which they have no control.
DETECTIVES:
MASTER MIND: Criminologists who solve mysteries by deduction or
logic. Men of real genius in their particular line. Eccentric,
curious mannerisms, etc., but with many lovable qualities. Popular
with readers. SHERLOCK HOLMES and the “Thinking Machine” good
examples.
REFORMED CONVICT: Usually a young man of some education with a wide
knowledge of crime and criminals. This type of detective is always
popular when cleverly drawn. CLEEK is a good modern example.
While I have given but two examples in each of the foregoing
classifications, it should be remembered that there are many other
types of criminals and detectives, such as (criminals) ACCIDENTAL,
UNWILLING, ORIENTAL, LOW-BROW OR THUG, etc., and (detectives)
SCIENTIFIC, CRIME SPECIALIST, SECRET SERVICE AGENT, POLICE,
CORRESPONDENCE SCHOOL, etc., all of which are worthy of a place in the
Plot Book.
In another part of the book the interesting characters one meets with
should be made note of. When the characters are fictional--creations of
other writers--this fact should be noted, because such characters can,
of course, only be used to suggest other characters of a similar type.
For example,
CRIMINALS:
DR. FU-MANCHU. Chinaman, cruel, crafty. Sinister motives. Deeply
learned in the sciences. Highly developed mental powers. Sibilant
voice. Green, filmy eyes. Cunning, more than a match for the police.
Popular with readers. (The Insidious Dr. Fu-Manchu, Sax Rohmer.)
“THE GHOST.” Cracksman. Girl. Beautiful. Early history obscure. Brand
on right shoulder. Disguises herself as man. Evening clothes, high
silk hat, mustache, etc. Clever, daring. Matches wits with celebrated
criminologist who is in love with her. (Original.)
OTHER CLASSIFICATIONS:
DOCTOR: About 30 years of age. Long and lanky. Red-headed. Fiery
temper. Heart of gold. Genial and companionable AT TIMES. Something
of a genius. County practitioner. Careless about dress. Mannerisms.
Wrapped up in profession. Delays wedding to perform operation. (Red
Pepper Burns, Grace Richmond.)
MOUNTAINEER: Rattlesnake Bill: Old, toothless, bronzed, wrinkled.
Ex-feudist and moonshiner. Goes barefooted and hatless. Wears
dilapidated blue jean pants and hickory shirt. Lives in log cabin.
Kindly and lovable. Biggest liar in state. Children all love him.
(Original.)
I could write on in the same vein indefinitely and fill up page after
page with matter of a similar character, but I desire only to point out
a few of the sources from which the writer may gather plot material
and give him an idea of the kind of material that should be preserved,
and I believe the examples I have given will prove sufficient for my
purpose.
It is the sacred duty of every ambitious writer to acquire the
note-book habit. No writer can realize the opportunities he has lost in
the past, or hope to get anywhere in the future, until he does. A Plot
Book can be started with a single stray thought and once the habit has
been acquired it will become almost second nature to jot down useful
bits of information which in time will grow into a mine of inspiration
for the writer when his original-thought machine refuses to function.