The golden quadrilateral is a highway that connects the entire country of India in a rough quadrilateral shape. This highway allows for the movement of products and also for economical development in smaller towns in India.
In terms of storytelling, the golden quadrilateral is like your plot. A plot is a big highway that runs through the landscape of your story. Your plot needs to be clear and wide, so the reader can pick up speed. It needs to hit all the important places along the way and avoid the backwater small towns that are frozen in time. Your plot highway needs to also be a road ripe with grift and license, providing sweeping opportunity for conflict.
Think about your plot. It needs to come back to where you started but leave your reader with the journey of a lifetime. It should have a few sharp turns but ample straightaways too. Look at your plot. Is it a back road wandering in the hills going nowhere? Or is it a superhighway that's hard to get off? Consider controlling access to cut down on distractions to your readers (that means limit the subplots, folks).
I hope that you take some time and think about what road you are on this week. If you are lost, look for the nearest on-ramp. Seize the day! Come back next week for more golden advice.
Now, for this week's doodle: "Surprised Golden Girl".
I can see, and that is why I can be happy, in what you call the dark, but which to me is golden. I can see a God-made world, not a manmade world. Helen Keller
3 comments:
Great analogy! I fear I enjoy meandering through the backwater towns a bit too much.
I've never heard of the golden quadrilateral ... great analogy.
Like Jen, I am fond of meanderings, but I also enjoy racing ... and struggle to find a good balance. You really should make a post on pacing for the likes of me.
I'm glad you enjoy this. And yes Vijaya, I will write something on pacing. Let me think about it. :) Molly
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