How to organize my book

by Guadalupe
(Mexico)

Question: I just started writing an idea that popped into my head. It's about a girl that finds her fiance cheating on her and gets her heart broken, now she doesn't trust anyone with heart. She goes to London on a business trip and finds a lamp with a genie.

At the same time a girl finds her great-grandmother's diary where she writes about finding a lamp with a genie. She explains how she finds it and how she lost it. This girl is not important in the story but her mother is because she finds out it's the same lamp that she saw on a picture some where and wants it.
My main problem is that I do not know how to structure the book. Do I start with the girl going to London or the other girl finding the diary. I have to write that she is reading the diary when ever she can.
There are three main people in the plot and I do not know how no to loose the reader with all the switching from diary to real life (which are two stories)
How do I separate chapters? Do I write a little about each story in each one or do a whole chapter on one story.
I feel that I can't explain my dilemma, I hope you understand. English is my second language and finding the words is not always easy.
Thank you.

Answer: It sounds like you have two main plots, plus a minor story that frames the story in the diary. Presumably, all three will share certain themes, but explore these themes from different perspectives.

What I suggest you do is first plot each story separately, giving each one a 4-act structure. You may find this article helpful...

https://www.how-to-write-a-book-now.com/w-plot.html

Often it helps to write a summary of each event in a plotline on an index card.

Once you have all three plots worked out as a series of cards, the next step is to braid them together. For instance, you might take the first acts of all your plotlines and combine them to create act one of the overall book. That means telling the first part of one story, then the first part of another, then the first part of the third.

For act two, you weave the second acts of all your plotlines together. Repeat this for the acts three and four.

It would be clearer for the reader if you don't switch between plotlines within a chapter. Make each chapter part of one story only.

Best of luck.

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Thank you
by: Guadalupe

Thank you very much, I am grateful for your quick response. I really didn't know what to do next. You helped me a lot. I will follow your advise.

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