Developing the Plot

• Key Elements of a Strong Story
• Story Crisis
  • The Crisis Must Fit the Story Genre
  • Must Turn the Protagonist’s Life Upside Down
  • Must Amaze the Player
• Conflict and Concurrent Issues
• Capturing the Player’s Interest
  • Suspense
  • Mystery

Brainstorming Plot Points

• 5W1H
  • Who
  • What
  • When
  • Where
  • Why
  • How
• Causality: The Engine Driving the Story

Storylines

• ABC Storylines
  • A Story: The Main Plot.
  • B Story: A Story Centered on Secondary Characters, or a Love Story Outside the Main Subject.
  • C Story: An Insignificant Story, Possibly for Comic Relief.
• Dramatic Tension Arc

Converging the Story

• Limiting the Path to Success
• Removing Some Characters
• Reducing Possibilities
• Making Good Use of Antagonists

Finale

• Endings That Respond to the Opening (Circular Stories)
  • Lost in Exposition
  • No Homecoming
• Linear Endings
• Off-Center Endings
  • Loss of Focus
  • Deus Ex Machina
• Unfinished Endings
  • Dithering
  • Setting the Stage for a Sequel

Advanced Plot Techniques

Plot Devices

• Flashbacks
• Foreshadowing
• Personification
• Unexpected Developments
• Red Herring
• Ambiguous Endings
• The Author’s Avatar
• Breaking the Fourth Wall
• Chekhov’s Gun
• Defamiliarization
• Epiphany
• Poetic Justice

Six Techniques to Keep Players Engaged in the Story

• Stirring the Player’s Curiosity
• The Moment the Plot Ends
• Start and End of Branching Narratives
• Posing New Questions
• Overbearing Reminders
• Don’t Forget the Big Bad

Story Events

Story Event Table

• Story Event Number
• Story Event Type
  • Action
  • Reaction
  • Setup
• Challenge or Problem
• Target
• Outcomes
• Emotion and Reason
• New Goal for the Next Story Event

Event Tracking Table

• Background Settings
• Characters’ Emotional Experience
• Event Goal
• Action
• Conflict Occurring
• Changes in Characters’ Emotional Experience
• Thematic Significance