While some fortunate writers have more plot ideas than they know what to do with, others struggle to come up with even one. It's possible for a writer to spend an entire morning shuffling papers around a desk, pruning email or researching one obscure (and unimportant) fact. Much of the time, these are simply avoidance activities. If things get this bad, it's time to take action.
There are plenty of warm-up activities for writers, but not all of them answer the question "How can I come up with a plot for my story?" That's where "lucky dip plotting" comes in. This writing exercise-cum-plotting activity is easy, it's fun, and writers can come up with a viable plot almost by accident.
What Is "Lucky Dip Plotting"?
Young children love a lucky dip. There's nothing like the thrill of dipping a hand into a box and pulling out a mysterious parcel. Lucky dip plotting reprises that delicious anticipation. This activity is just as effective – and just as much fun - for writers working alone as for those in a group. Step by step, here is how it works.
Step One – Gather the Materials
This step couldn't be much easier: the only requirements are paper, a pen and some way of dividing the different categories. This can be achieved by writing the content for each category on differently coloured paper, or by putting them into separate bowls/boxes.
Step Two – Decide on the Categories
Deciding on the lucky dip categories – and writing the options – is the fun part. This exercise can be as simple or complex as the writer likes. The fewer categories, the more room for imagination to run wild. Naturally, the more people that contribute, the more surprises there will be!
Examples of Content in the Three Basic Categories
Character: male/female/animal/alien
Place: house/boat/airport/planet/spacecraft/treehouse
Event/What Happened: celebration/explosion/speech/bad news/football game
Examples of Content in Further Categories
The Outcome: injury/police called/humorous misunderstanding/vow of revenge
Dialogue: overheard comment, snippet of conversation, lecture, plea for help [can write actual line of dialogue]
Sixth Sense: vision, intuitive flash, uneasiness
These categories can be fine-tuned to make the exercise whatever the writer wants – for example, the exercise can focus on a children's book for a certain age, or a specific genre (mystery, romance, fantasy).
Jot down at least six options for each category, and double the number of suggestions for characters if participants want to feature two characters in each scene.
Three Examples for Each Lucky Dip Category Above
Character(s) [Yellow Paper]
- 30-year-old male, Adam Sands; radio personality
- alien entity - can morph into other shapes
- 16-year-old girl
Place [Pink Paper]
- airport, early morning
- suburban cottage
- ocean liner
Event/What Happened [Green Paper]
- terrorist alert in nearby city
- New Year's Eve celebrations
- football match
The Outcome [Orange Paper]
- a character vows revenge
- a character decides to leave town
- someone breaks a leg
Dialogue [Blue Paper]
- Overheard: "...and I said to him: you can't do that - what about your father?"
- "If you come one step closer I'll yell for help!"
- "If I don't try it now, I never will."
Sixth Sense [Buff Paper]
- prickling sense on back of neck, as though someone is watching
- disturbing prophetic dream
- psychic vision
Step Three - Lucky Dip Time
Choose one of each colour category (or one from each bowl, if all content is written on white paper). Each participant writes at least one page based on the selections. Here's an example:
A 30-year-old male radio personality and a 16-year-old girl meet on an ocean liner at a New Year's Eve celebration. One character vows revenge.
If the one-page writing exercise looks promising, it can be developed into a short story or a book. If it doesn't excite the writer... then it's time for another lucky dip!
Tips on Using Lucky Dip Plotting as a Group Writing Exercise
- Each member of the group draws out one piece of paper from each category (or two from the 'characters' category).
- A time limit is set for the exercise - say, 15 minutes. Votes can be cast for the funniest scene, the most bizarre, the opening with the most potential, and so on.
- The exercise can be repeated three times (with a new Lucky Dip each time), allowing ten minutes each time to write a story opening. Each person then chooses their favourite opening to develop into a longer piece, this time allocating 45 minutes to write and edit. The winner (by agreement or secret ballot) wins a prize.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
