By Stephanie Mittman

"I'm going to write an article on plotting," I told a writer friend of mine this morning.

"OK," she replied, frankly disappointed that I wasn't diving right into my 15 pages a day that I had promised myself on my novel. "But why?"

"Why? Because plotting is very important." This unfortunately is not a concept she has mastered yet. "You need to plot before you begin writing."

"You do?" she asked incredulously.

So--this is my prequel to the plotting article.

WHY PLOT

Note: This advice is strictly for people wishing to get published. For those of you writing for your own entertainment, edification, amusement, or because you have something to say and don't care if anyone reads it, you do not need to follow this advice.

Writing without a plotline is like getting into a car and heading west for Hollywood without a map. Hollywood signifies the end of your intended journey, your goal--to be published. Now there are those of you for whom the excitement and adventure of just taking off in the right direction and possibly winding up in a wonderful town in Oklahoma and never getting any further would be enough. More power to you. Go for it. But don't expect to get published. You might wind up in Hollywood (by accident, even) or you might not. For you the journey might be the important part. The rest of us want to get to Hollywood, so be sure you've got change for the tollbooths or we're going to honk!

For the rest of us, intent on Hollywood or bust, planning a route, getting acquainted with a map, learning the lay of the land, are definitely good ideas. Some of us prefer to know where all the rest stops are, where the hotels are located and what the rates are at each one. Some of us would prefer to just stop when we're tired and look around. As long as we all get to Hollywood, we've each accomplished out goal.

Of course, if you're really serious about getting published, it's best to realize right from the start that you have two passengers in your back seat. One represents your agent and the other your publisher. Resist the urge to smack into the nearest tree--this doesn't have to be a hostile relationship. Yes, one may need to use a rest stop every few miles and the other has a passion for the fries as Burger King, but these are things you can learn to live with.

There are, however, a few important things you should keep in mind about your passengers. One of them wants you to take the fastest, most direct route to Hollywood. Except she doesn't want you to use Route 80--or pass through Nevada, Arizona or Oregon, because she's been there and done that. And the other one wants to go a new way too, but she wants to see the Badlands, New Orleans and the Science Museum in Chicago. (In that order!) And she wants to get to Hollywood as fast as possible, too.

Can you do this? Is it worth the effort?

Absolutely.

The question isn't why--it's how!