Cause-&-Effect Trajectory in Plotting

Using a cause-and-effect trajectory when plotting your book creates a tightly woven and compelling story that links actions with reactions.

“And Then” vs “Because of That”

In conversation, we often hear the “And Then” storytelling method. Unfortunately, this method frequently leads to someone interrupting you and asking, “What’s your point?” This is because “And Then” can cause you to drone on and on, becoming sidetracked with insignificant details and tangents. And in the case of books, it will cause your reader to add yours to their DNF list and a leave poor review.

Rather than falling prey to “And Then,” Jennie Nash encourages using the opposite technique in Blueprint for a Book. The “Because of That” story method creates a cause-and-effect trajectory that allows your novel to become a tightly woven and compelling story that links actions with reactions.

“Because of that” usually stems from your protagonist’s feelings about what happened in the previous scene, which then leads them to make another decision about how to react or move forward in the next scene. This ensures that every scene has a reason for being there, which will help you perfect proper pacing.

Five Key Points

Here are five key points in writing a compelling story that Nash points out in her book.

“Story is about change: how people change over time as a result of the decisions they make and the actions they take.” It’s about what they want, why they haven’t yet attained their goal, and why they are willing to risk it all to get it. This will set their transformational character arc into motion.
“The seemingly simple notion that every day something was happening and then one day something else happened is actually quite profound.” Your protagonist must react to whatever the unusual event is that suddenly occurs. A decision must be made, an action must be taken. This will depend on who your protagonist is, what they are struggling with, and what they think will improve their life.
“With every subsequent action, the stakes get raised. That’s the whole point of a story—to put your character in a situation that tests them, challenges them, and forces them to grow in ways they wouldn’t naturally have grown around the thing they want.” Decisions have consequences. Things should get worse and worse as the stakes are raised to force your protagonist into a transformation. The most important change is the one that happens internally (although this should be tied to what happens externally).
“We crave stories that deliver meaning and let us experience a satisfying resolution . . . Stories offer us the chance to learn things we desperately need to learn. They offer us the chance to try emotions on for size. They offer us the resolutions we don’t get in our normal lives.” Your story must have a satisfying conclusion that ties in with your point. You show this through your protagonist’s growth and the life lessons they learn along the way.
“[T]hings can’t happen for no reason or just because you think it would be cool.” These are those little darlings that many a famous author has mentioned killing, including Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, William Faulkner, and Stephen King. If it doesn’t serve a purpose in developing character or furthering the plot, it doesn’t belong in your book. It becomes filler, which can pull your reader out of the story and lose their attention. If you just can’t bring yourself to bury these little darlings, create a “Maybe” doc where you can save such lines and ideas for a future work where they will fit better.

So, let’s see how each of your protagonist’s decisions lead to the next event in your story, and ultimately, to their transformational character arc.

“Because of That” Exercise

Complete the following exercise, filling out your answers in place of each set of brackets. You can use more “Because of that” points, but limit it to no more than ten, ensuring each point leads to the next in a cause-and-effect trajectory.

Once upon a time, there was [who is your character before the story begins?].

Every day, [what happens on a typical day in their life?].

Then one day, [what out-of-the-normal event occurs to suddenly change their life?].

Because of that, [what decision does your protagonist make as a reaction to this change?].

And because of that, [what do they do next that raises the stakes?].

Until finally, [what is the resolution?].

And ever since that day, [what does this all mean to your protagonist?].

“Because of That” Worksheet