Plot structure is the way incidents in a story are arranged in patterns such as timelines, story events, or broader structure spanning across entire chapters and scenes.

One of the hardest feats to pull off in literature is writing from multiple points of view. You’ve got to juggle different personalities and motivations– and somehow use them to tell a coherent, cohesive and compelling story.

A huge point of conflict in forced proximity is the hero and heroine learning how to trust each other. Put them in a situation where the only way out is through them each of them contributing to solve the problem.

What happens next is anyone’s guess? Maybe the two characters try to kill each other. Perhaps they learn to work together. And who knows? Maybe they’ll even fall in love, save a life, or the world.

Forced proximity can twist the story

When you solve the problem of ‘how can I force my characters to be together, the rest of the plot falls into place much more easily, with fewer plot points that feel forced. There are plenty of opportunities for their relationship and attraction to develop.

When you’re writing about friendship, enemies or rivals, you will need good reasons for two characters to be together for long periods of time. And if you have any kind of romance subplot in your novel, regardless of genre, forced proximity can work for you, too.

A Few Ways to introduce forced proximity: 

  1. Sent on the same business trip.
  2. Assigned to collaborate on the same assignment.
  3. Strangers sitting next to each other on a plane.
  4. Guests at the same bed and breakfast or vacation rental.
  5. Live-in servants at the same lavish estate.
  6. The only two employees on the night shift.
  7. Bodyguard to the other.
  8. In the same military unit.
  9. A spy’s identity uncovered.
  10. Prisoners in the same room or cell.
  11. Stranded together on a deserted island … or a deserted planet.
  12. Snowed in, trapped after an earthquake, or hunkered down after a nuclear blast.
  13. Both private investigators.
  14. One is a painter or sculptor, and the other is a model.
  15. One has a complicated medical issue, and the other is the doctor or nurse.
  16. They volunteer at the same nature center or community food bank.
  17. Both are members of a wedding party.
  18. One is a lawyer representing the other one in a court case.
  19. They both  been cheated by or are being blackmailed by the same person, and they band together to seek justice.
  20. In the same cult, and they both want out.
  21. Contestants on a reality TV show.
  22. One is the director of a funeral home, helping the other plan a memorial service.
  23. They’re in a research station in a remote area.
  24. Bartender and customer
  25. Both working on the same political campaign.
  26. Both conspiring in an uprising or mutiny.

Unleash the novel inside you

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and fine-tuned prose.

“Linda has published twenty books. She blogs about the publishing world, posts useful tips on the challenges a writer faces, including marketing and promoting your work, how to build your online platform, how to get reviews and how to self-publish. She has mentored many authors and edited their work.” 

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