This past weekend, I was exposed to a new writing treat! My writer friend, Nisha Sharma, hosted a plot party. Having never been to one, I was definitely curious to see what it had to offer.

So, what is a plot party? Simply put, it’s a party in which you talk about a problem or sticking point in your plot and hash it out with other writers. Here’s, generally, how it goes.

1. You get 5 minutes to explain your plot and the problem you’re having.

2. The group has 10 minutes to throw out any and all possible solutions to the problem. While you, the author, can respond, the idea is to be as open as possible to any and all ideas.

3. You can respond and talk for an additional 5 minutes about what the group has discussed.

4. The current speaker randomly draws the next speaker, and repeat!

I recommend sticking as close as you can to the timelines. As we all know, writers love to talk writing and things can sometimes get carried away. The 9 of us got our time to talk and were done in about 3 hours, with a couple of breaks.

This was a lot of fun. It was fascinating to see where other folks took my plot. For me, what was most amusing was how many times someone would say something and I’d be like, “Oh, that’s already in there.” That’s not to say that I didn’t get good ideas, because I did. I felt like many of the other authors who attended were able to move past the sticking point in their stories. A lot of good ideas were generated.

So, if you’re looking for a good reason to get together with your writing friends, why not throw a plot party? It’s a great way to get the creative juices flowing and it can be supremely rewarding for your writing and that of your friends.

Have you thrown a plot party? Or, do you have other group writing activities you partake in? Please share your experiences in the comments section and thanks for stopping by!