1/ There's a huge difference between "stuff happening" in your book and actual plot. I tweeted y'day about accumulation of language vs culmination of events, but I think we need to unpack this a little more. Nothing like a Saturday morning fireside chat to start the weekend...
2/ Plenty happens in the course of your day that doesn't change the plot of your life. Your morning routine, for instance -- not especially interesting if it's business as usual. WOW YOU MADE COFFEE AGAIN. Proud of you, champ. Also? No one cares.
3/ Like you, your characters have a norm. And while you might think it's important for us to see the mundane... you're probably wrong. Showing us the deviation from normalcy accomplishes the same thing: once we know what's different, we can infer what the norm would have been.
4/ This distinction is important when we think about plot. Plot happens at the intersection between what your character expects to happen and what actually occurs. Not EVERY moment of your book can produce plot, and that's okay; but your consciousness of plot production is key.
5/ PLOT HAS AN IMPACT ON STAKES. When you show scene after scene of your character doing random stuff that doesn't change how close/far MC is from their goal/desire, you are abandoning plot. Often, this happens bc your plot isn't complex enough: MC's problem is too solve-able.
6/ Your book isn't just about your MC. Your book is about what HAPPENS to your MC as s/he pursues a goal/desire. Sure, side quests happen. Yes, there are quiet moments when you're developing character more than plot. But you can't hold us hostage to those scenes indefinitely.
7/ I'll say this: 90% of the manuscripts I read have a serious plot deficit. Not enough is happening, but somehow page after page is packed with language. You can't trick readers into thinking your book has plot when what it really has is bulk.
8/ In sum: "Filler" makes for bad crab cakes and worse novels. Get to the meat of the matter: actual plot. 🦀😉✨
