Tips on How to Make a Traditional Fiction Plot More Unique

Boy meets girl... hero faces villain... character fights internal conflict. The plot for most fiction novels revolves around one of the above. With that being the case, what makes us come back for more? What causes the reader to pick up the next novel? The key to presenting an audience with a variety of fulfilling and provocative pieces is understanding how to effectively complicate these customary storylines with each project. The following is a list of tips on how to make a traditional fiction plot more unique when working with limited themes.

Tip #1: Use conflicted feelings for various characters. In other words, don't allow the reader to make too many general assumptions as to how a character may feel about a situation. Give characters enough depth to impact the story in their own special way.

Tip #2: Consider different outcomes, or exceptions to the old rule. Strategically placed mysteries and unconventionalities can be used to challenge the norm.

Tip #3: Don't underestimate family history (yours and your character's). Family background can be used to inspire a novel, to give a traditional story more diversity. Familial history can also be given to the characters themselves to present readers with different value sets and cultural/geographical approaches to common scenarios.

Tip #4: Create untraditional love interests. Most fiction novels contain at least one romantic thread, giving the author the opportunity to play Cupid amongst the least likely candidates. An undervalued benefit to creating untraditional romantic ties between characters is that unorthodox relationships can have multiple outcomes. A happy ending doesn't always fit, giving the author room to explore other options.

Tip #5: Add real world interference. One of the more common indicators of mediocre fiction is the all-too-convenient plot and ending. Feel free to add complications, failures, and surprises that add suspense and turmoil.

Tip #6: Twist a character and his/her intentions. Characters with sufficient depth cannot fully be understood until the plot thickens. Therefore, consider taking a traditional character (for instance, the loyal friend or loving mother) and gradually exposing what truly lies beneath the surface. A character with the ability to change in the reader's mind can suddenly have ulterior motives, meaning that both further plot development and final outcome can be affected.

Tip #7: Allow the past to play a substantial role in the present. Past relationships and events attributed amongst and between characters can offer an otherwise bland story more substance.

Tip #8: Present a different viewpoint. Causing the reader to think and analyze everyday situations in a new light is perhaps one of the most important roles of fiction. Consider giving your readers a seldom-used pair of eyes to peer through.

Of course, the traditional plots can be avoided altogether, but most stories have at least one element that readers have seen in a novel before. The author must, as a result, make adding unique and original substance to each thread of the story absolutely imperative when creating the outline for a project. When the piece comes together, it will ideally offer the reader something new and innovative to reflect upon.