This is an exercise for plotting. Below is a plot that contains a major flaw: the main character has no challenge to reaching her goal. Replot the events so that the character still gets to the goal, but she doesn’t have an easy time of it.
- Susie eats at the same diner each day without fail, ordering eggs, bacon, and hash browns. Though she does not know the cook’s name, he always nods at her when he sees her head for a her favorite booth in the corner. A short time later, her breakfast arrives.
- Sam enters and takes the booth beside her own. She sits looking in his direction over the two seat backs, he hers.
- Each time she looks up, she finds herself looking into his eyes. He smiles every time.
- She hasn’t any ketchup at her table and asks him if he could pass her his. He walks it over to her and waits for her to finish before returning to his own seat.
- She eats every bite, pleased she didn’t have to do so without the ketchup.
(And you thought this was all about Susie and Sam.)
Now the goal is the ketchup. Time to alter the plot so that she still gets the ketchup but the process is not easy.
