HIMG's Guide to...PLOTS!

This page contains a fanfiction written by HIMG. This page contains the opinions of the original author(s), and is not patrolled for factual accuracy. Remember that this story is non-canon. It may contain false characters, plots, or locations. Responses, comments & other feedback should be made on the comments section below.

Introduction

What is a plot? A plot is, in short, the plan for your story. What you want to happen, what you want the characters to do, how you want to develop them and the journey you put them through. In this brief and (I hope!) informative guide, I will show you how to create your plot (and story) so you end up with a fan fiction that you can be proud of. :)

Part One-Starting Up

It's always hard to come up with a good first chapter. You can't suddenly leap into the middle of the story yet you don't want it to be boring either. The opening to your story should hook the reader in and make them want to read on.

Sounds

A great way to lead someone into the story. 'Bang' and 'crash are a way to get the reader's attention. For Example:

Crash! The kits smashed into each other at high speed.

Speech

Make sure you use warrior cat 'language'. Cats wouldn't refer to human objects like metals or jewels (more on that later!). Try to avoid the boring 'said' or 'mewed'. Active verbs like 'cried', 'roared' or 'screeched' are much more exciting! And remember: ALWAYS USE SPEECH MARKS! Example:

'Quick!' Dovewing roared. 'Save the kits!'

Action

Plant the reader in the middle of the action. This will suck him/her in and make him/her turn the pages. Don't, however, be an idiot and include ridiculous weapons that cats would never use (knifes, swords etc. I even saw someone use lightsabers in one story). Example:

Lionblaze looked round frantically. There were too many warriors! Where was Ivypool's patrol?

Description

If you feel you can't use any of the above, resort to description. It will not be as powerful as any of the other examples, but when done properly it creates a really great picture and makes the reader think, 'wow, she can write!' For example:

The milky moonlight burst through the trees, illuminating the camp in a starry glow.

Make sure that when you begin, you use metaphors, similes AND alliteration where appropriate; it will boost your writing further.

Part Two-Make your Characters!

So, you have an idea that there are three kits in the nursery that are part of a great prophecy. However, there are two other apprentices from other Clans that despise them and want to get rid of these will-be-great cats. Well, what can you call your characters?

Idea One-What do they look like?

Is their fur ginger or brown? Are they black with a white tail tip and paws? What colour are their eyes? Answer these questions and see if any of them sound like a suitible warrior name. Remember-if you plan on making your character a warrior, see if you can find a suffix that will give them a name that sounds sensible!

Ideas:

Ginger        Brown       Golden          Light

Blue            Dark          White           Flame

Raven        Spotted       Black           Dappled

Idea Two-Animal Antics

Warriors are often named after prey or animals in their territory. If you have cats from different clans, make sure there isn't a Fishkit in ShadowClan and a Rabbitkit in RiverClan, because they don't have those for prey.

Ideas:

Sparrow      Squirrel      Mouse         Minnow

Frog             Fish           Bird             Badger

Snake          Rabbit        Mole           Lark

Idea Three-The Power of Nature!

Warriors are often named after their surroundings or elements of nature. They are lots of prefixes and suffixes to choose from, so its a good one to go for if you're stuck for inspiration.

Ideas:

Lake           Stream        Storm      Oak

Forest         Pebble        Sun          Willow

Tree            Stone         Leaf          Hazel

My guide is quite brief, but if you want loads of helpful name ideas, try Arti's Guide to Names.

REMEMBER: Never give your cats the prefixes THUNDER, SHADOW, RIVER OR WIND if your fanfiction is based in the Clans with those names. STAR is one that cannot be used in any Clan (even if it was a made up one like SunClan or something).

Part Three-The Action

So, this is what everyone wants, right? LE ACTION. Obviously, don't use poor and rubbish attempts at french like I have. Okay, here are some tips for getting the perfect action scene.

Deaths

Kill off a minor character. Or a major one. Whatever you decide, a death will make a moving and emotional action scene. However, should you kill someone off, make sure you NEVER use the following methods:

Guns                    

Knives          

Lightsabers (a bit ridiculous, but I have seen it used.)

A cat is most likely to die of the following causes:

Illness                   Murder

In a battle             Killed by fox/badger/snake

Old age

Here, is an example of a death scene, traumatic and moving:

'No!' Lionblaze roared. 'Cinderheart, don't leave me now!'

'It's too late,' she murmured. 'The cats are calling me.'

Lionblaze watched in horror as his mate writhed in her nest, spasms shooting through her body. She was too ill, Jayfeather couldn't do anything. 'Please!' he turned to his brother, pleading.

The medicine cat shook his head, puzzled. 'I've never seen a sickness like this. I've tried everything.' He gazed deep into his only sibling's eyes. 'She must go.'

Thrilling, don't you think? Also, can I just note: DON'T FAVOUR YOUR HEROES. Just look what happened to Firestar. The greatest cat, from kittypet to leader, gets hit by a falling tree, of all things, instead of getting killed by a Dark Forest warrior or something. It's a bit sad, how the Erins favour him.

Battle

So this is something that usually happens within a warriors book. It's all about the fighting. Before you start writing, what's the backstory to the battle? Is it over stolen prey, territory or a disagreement?

Battle's (I find) are very hard to write. Try to plant yourself in the middle of the scene, imagine you are a warrior, fighting those cold hearted ShadowClan warriors. What emotions are running through your head?Are you scared, worried, or eager?

Try to use different moves of battle, not just the same old paw swipe. I'd reccomend looking on Warriors Wiki for a list of battle moves. For example:

The death bite (to the neck)          Choking

The belly rake                               Jump and twist rake

Playing dead

Heartbreak

If you are trying to add a little luurve to the plot, try not to use cliches like Medicine CatXWarrior or WarriorXWarrior from another Clan. They've been used already by the Erins, so try to add a little twist, like CinderXLion.

If you don't want a 'twist' then try to add a little backstory, like SandXFire. Sandstorm hated Fireheart at first, but they ended up in love. Or BrightXCloud, when Brightheart was ravaged by the dogs yet Cloudtail still loved her. And SquirrelXBramble, where Squirrelflight lied and distrusted Brambleclaw due to his relationship with Hawkfrost

Part Four-Adding Depth To Your Writing

So you want to develop your writing even further? Want to push the boundaries? Then LISTEN UP! Use similies, metaphors, alliteration, assonace, personification and onomatopias. Lost? Then keep reading.

What I often find is that writers on here don't use enough of the above, and it's just useless descriptions and dialogue. I try not to do that, and lots of users are very good at description. You want to really plant the reader in the forest/moor/twolegplace.

Similies

These are pretty easy to create. You just go 'the (word) was as (word) as (word)' or 'the (word) was like a (word). Here are some examples:

'The sun was as gold as honey'.

'The kits made so much noise they sounded like bees'.

Similies are probably the most used of all of the things on this list, as you can dream up anything in your imagination.

Metaphors

These are hard. This is where you say something IS something, the (word) was a (word). E.g:

'The trees were birds, their rustling a pretty melody'.

'The rouge was a dog, he was so mad and angry'.

Still following?

Alliteration and Assonance

Alitteration is easier. It is where you pair words that start with the same letter, i.e:

'The Bee Buzzed Brighty'.

'The Snake Slithered Silently'.

Get that? Assonance is similar except it is the SOUND that pairs them together, for example:

'It was the SeaSon of miSts and Songs'

Personification

This is where you give something non-living (the wind, tree branches etc) the characteristics of something living (whispering, snarling etc). e.g:

'The wind brushed the leaves softly'.

'The branches growled and hissed as he walked past'.

Onomatopeias

This one is basic, it is where you write sounds down. Instead of, 'Owlwing heard the slash of claws', you'd say:

'SLASH! Owlwing felt the claws slice down his back'.

'CRASH! Weedkit flew into the fresh kill pile.'

Understand?

Part Five-Cliches and Bad Mistakes

Cliches

Ok, so no one wants to make a character THAT tom/she cat where he/she is perfect in every way. Take Dovewing for example,  she's excellent at everything and always seems to feel the right way, when someone she hates dies, she'd be sad. Here are some cliche characters from the warriors series (in order from most cliche-y to least)

• Dovewing
• Firestar
• Snowfur

There are also very cliched plot lines. Try to add a twist, sprinkle on a little pizzaz (I LOVE that word!) and be creative. Try not to use the same storylines that have been done before. Here are some cliched plots (I've mentioned a few already):

• Kittypet joins the Clan, no one likes him, yet he becomes the hero and after the first arc (in which he was epic) he becomes a deadly boring leader ho ALWAYS does everything right
• Six cats go on a journey to 'save' the Clans, and all of them are complete wusses expect for the cat from ShadowClan who's BEAST
• A warrior/medicine cat loves a warrior from another Clan, has kits and has to give them up to save herself

See?

Bad Mistakes

Some of the worst things I see on here are cats doing/saying none feline things. Cats CANNOT:

• Kiss-they rub muzzles/entwine tails instead
•  Laugh-they purr/mrrow
• Smile/grin-they purr, they PURR!!!
• Grab things with their paws-its their claws ir teeth
• Groom themselves with their paws-they do it with their TONGUES

Cats CANNOT SAY:

• Guys
• Call people by their prefixes-like 'Hey Grey' or 'Hi Lion!'
• Wassup?
• Yo

You may use the above if you are writing a spoof fanfiction, but if it is a serious story, them AVOID THEM AT ALL COSTS!

Cats CANNOT BE CALLED:

• After jewelery- this is a twoleg thing and (with the exeption of kittypets) do not know of rubies, pearls or diamonds
• After natural disasters-they would not know the proper names, so no 'Tornadopaw' or 'Tsunamiwave' please.
• After our seasons-they call them greenleaf and leafbare, so do not name them 'Winterwish' or 'Summerstrike'
• After food and spices-no 'Strawberrydream' or 'Cinnamonswirl'
• After GLITTER/SPARKLES/SHINE!!!
• After their past-'Badluck', 'Luckypaw' and 'Twilightshine' can go in the bin.

Part Six-Writer's Block

It's the thing everyone fears-you have an amazing story yet for some reason you've run out of amazing ideas. I get, it, you get it, most writers get it. So here are some tips:

• Listen to music-sad songs always seem to get my mond whirring: Passenger, 'Let Her Go' is good, and Imagine Dragons' 'Radioactive' gets my mind thinking about the future, or paralell universes.
• Think about what happens in the future. Who's ruling the Clans? What new rules have been made? This always helps me think of twists and turns within stories.
• Look out of the window when you're bored in the car/bus/train or when you're on the way to school. Countryside always seems to throw storylines in my face, gives me ideas for a new Clan territory
• Have you been anywhere amazing on holiday or with school? Try and incorperate it into a plot.
• It doesn't have to be a story-you have other options. Is there a song you've listened to that you think goes really well with a warrior's story? Why not try a songfic? If you're really good at poetry, why not write a poem? It doesn't have to be a novel!
• Enter a contest-other people's ideas might get your brain whirring

Epilogue

If you need more help, then I'd reccomend:

• Forestpaw's Guides
• Arti's Guide to Names
• Red's Guides

Please give feedback, and I'm looking forward to reading your stories!

Love and bubbles,

Only Miss The ☼ Sun ☼ When It Starts To ☁ Snow ☁ 16:37, October 19, 2013 (UTC)