I Did It For the Plot!
Newsletter Issue #65
Back in the day (I’m talking a decade or so ago), we started saying YOLO. YOLO is an acronym for, “You only live once.” I’m sure that’s not news to you. Some say it originated in the lyrics of a Drake song called “The Motto.” I think it’s been around longer than that, but it seems the Drake song popularized it. YOLO has gone out of style, and if Kendrick Lamar is to be believed, I guess it’s a good thing that we are moving on from something Drake-related. He seems to be going out of style, too.
I think there are other good reasons to move away from YOLO as a life motto. According to Wikipedia:
“The Washington Post and The Huffington Post described YOLO in 2012 as ‘the newest acronym you’ll love to hate’ and ‘dumb’. The word was criticized for its use in conjunction with reckless behavior, most notably in a Twitter post by aspiring rapper Ervin McKinness just prior to his death, caused by driving drunk at 120 mph (190 km/hr): ‘Drunk af going 120 drifting corners #FuckIt YOLO.’”
I didn’t clock it before, but I’m realizing now that this is one of the things I didn’t like about the term YOLO—its recklessness. It isn’t intentional. It’s a careless throwing away: “Oh well, you only live once, you may as well do the thing.” Without considering reasons you perhaps should not do the thing or without deciding the thing is even worth doing.
I learned last week that kids these days say, “For the plot,” instead. I love that. It means being the protagonist in your own life. It means doing things that add spice and zest to your life. It means moving the plot forward, your life being the plot. It feels daring, yes, but also intentional.
Variations on “for the plot” are things like, “Do it for the plot,” or “It’s for the plot,” or, “That’s giving main character energy,” or “It’s very main character.”
I’ve done things for the plot. I like to take calculated risks and to take advantage of opportunities to do things that are out of the ordinary or that scare me. I rarely use them in my writing, but I sometimes convince myself to do the thing by telling myself I might someday. I am not brave, but I try never to say no to such opportunities, so long as I don’t feel unreasonably in danger.
Here’s an example: I’m afraid of the open ocean. Sharks. But my daughter Melissa and I once braved the water to kayak across Morro Bay to the estuary and back. Well, I braved it—Melissa wasn’t afraid and went along for moral support. And I didn’t so much choose to go as I chose not to flunk my marine biology class. I was scared the entire trip. It was a strange dichotomy for me—I love the beach and the ocean and the sea animals and the sights and smells and sounds, but I don’t love going in the ocean. So while I enjoyed the beauty of my surroundings, I was also on the verge of a panic attack the whole time. But I did it. For the plot. And for my marine biology grade. Having completed the trip was exhilarating, and lunch after with Figueroa Mountain Hoppy Poppy IPAs was so nice.
Here’s another example: I’m terrified of heights, but I know what it feels like to let myself trust fall backward from the roof of a tall building, relying on a rope attached to my waist to keep me from hitting the sidewalk. I know because, 30 years ago, my boss asked me if I would dress up as one of Santa’s elves and rappel from the top of the tallest building in town for the town’s annual holiday fair.
I did it. For the plot. A Navy SEAL named Ryan trained me to rappel and was there on the day to make sure nothing went wrong. And to be fair, it was a small-town holiday fair, and even the tallest building in town wasn’t all that tall. I was terrified when we did practice runs, and I was no less terrifed the day of. But I did it. I did it for the plot. I did it because it was an experience. I did it so I’d have a fun and (for me) exciting story to tell. I did it because I was afraid, because doing something I was afraid to do felt empowering. And in that memory, I am still the young assistant director of a small-town chamber of commerce, and Ryan is still the handsome young Navy SEAL who was my hero that day. It sounds like something from a romance novel, doesn’t it? Neither of us is young anymore, but stories don’t age.
“For the plot” is all about taking control of your own narrative versus doing things haphazardly. And think about it—the word “plot” itself signifies something more intentional. According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the noun form of “plot” includes the meaning “the plan or main story,” and the verb form includes the meaning “to plan or contrive.”
I’m super intentional when I’m mapping out the plot of a story. I plan. I contrive. Why not be just as intentional when I’m mapping out the trajectory of my life? For the plot.
XOXO
Leanne
“Plot comes first. The plot is the architecture of your novel. You wouldn’t build a house without a plan. If I wrote without a plot, it would just be a pile of bricks. Characters are your servants. They must serve your plot.”
—Barbara Kingsolver
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
AUTHOR NICHOLAS BELARDES AT CAL POLY SLO TONIGHT!
THURSDAY, MAY 1ST, AT 6 P.M.
WRITING WHILE YOU WAIT - MAY 3RD AT 8 A.M.
Please join me for “Writing While You Wait: How publishing short pieces can help build an author platform and a loyal fan base before you get a book deal.” Part of the SLO NightWriters Spring Half-Day Writing Workshop. For more info and to register, visit SLONightWriters.org.
ABSOLUTE PLEASURE COVER REVEAL AND PREORDER INFO!
Cover reveal for Absolute Pleasure: Queer Perspectives on Rocky Horror—my friend Trey Burnette contributed a piece called “A Rather Tender Subject.” The anthology comes out September 16th, features 26 essays and a foreword by Carmen Maria Machado, and is now available for preorder! Preorders are a great way to support the writers we love, but you can also support this particular project on Kickstarter and get some cool perks! The editor Margot Atwell is raising funds to put on live book events all over the US this fall in celebration of Rocky Horror’s 50th anniversary.
VICIOUS CYCLE COVER REVEAL AND PREORDER INFO!
Cover reveal for Vicious Cycle: A Thriller (Corey in Los Angeles), the debut novel by my friend Jaime Parker Stickle. The novel comes out October 21st and is now available for preorder! As you’ve heard me say before, and as I will keep saying over and over again, preorders are a great way to support the writers we love love love!
GOLDEN QUILL WRITING CONTEST
The Golden Quill Writing Contest is now open for entries in the categories of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry.
CENTRAL COAST WRITERS’ CONFERENCE
Please join me at the Central Coast Writers’ Conference, September 26th & 27th, in sunny San Luis Obispo, California!
“Plot is character revealed by action.”
—Aristotle
SOME THINGS FOR READERS
The Exhausting Work of Staycationing
(Carmen Maria Machado for Eater)
Four reasons I’d lay down in traffic for people who work at Trader Joe’s
(Jaime Lewis for What I Write When I Should Be Writing My Book)
Los Angeles Disasters: The Quick and the Slow: Reflecting on Earthquakes and Wildfires
(Pamela Hines for Evolved Perspective)
Billionaire bachelorette party B.S.: But look at the party favor! 🚀 Every girl should have one 😉
(Catherine Palmer for Amid Life with Catherine Palmer)
Yes, You Are Allowed to Invest Time (and Money) in Your Creative Pursuits … even if you never see a financial ROI
(Heather Garbo for Write Your Next Chapter)
“The thing should have plot and character, beginning, middle, and end. Arouse pity and then have a catharsis. Those were the best principles I was ever taught.”
—Anne Rice
SOME THINGS FOR WRITERS
Why Will Anyone Want to Read Your Story of Suffering? Mining for Meaning in Memoir
(Brooke Warner for Brooke Warner)
An utterly beautiful conversation with Maggie Smith on the nature of how we write and share
(Dan Blank for The Creative Shift)
No Twists for Twists’ Sake: Earn Your Ending
(Kathleen Barber for Jane Friedman)
How to Budget for Your Book Launch
(Joel Pitney for Jane Friedman)
Planning for the Life of Your Work (Even If You’re Not Famous Yet)
(Charlotte Jones Voiklis for Jane Friedman)
I Had My Memoir Legally Vetted: Here’s What I Learned
(Jillian Barnet for The Brevity Blog)
“Story is honorable and trustworthy; plot is shifty and best kept under house arrest.”
—Stephen King
SOME THINGS TO MAKE YOU SMILE
William Carlos Williams Tries to Reach His Word Count
(Michelle Cohn for McSweeney’s Internet Tendency)
Literary Magazine Submission Guidelines Written on Truth Serum
(Scott MacLeod for Lit Mag News)
“Plot is no more than footprints left in the snow after your characters have run by on their way to incredible destinations.”
—Ray Bradbury
Leanne Phillips
Writer | Book Coach | Editor
leannephillips.com
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