Lessons from Downton Abbey: Plot

From Pamuk's death to...well, I suppose I shouldn't give any spoilers in case you've not seen the second season yet. Let's just say from start to finish, Downton Abbey keeps the action moving right along.

Here are 5 plotting tidbits I've gleaned from the series that can be used for writing in any genre.

Start out with a bang.

Downton Abbey begins with the sinking of the Titanic and takes off from there. Where does your story start? More often than not, think of your first few chapters as a warm-up and be willing to toss them aside. Your opening scenes have to grab the reader by the throat and/or the heart.

Do the unexpected.

Who'd have known Bates was married? Not me. That was a great surprise. Predictability is a deal breaker for most readers. As you're writing, try throwing in a completely random line of dialogue from a secondary character. Or have your hero find a brow-raising object in a drawer. Mix it up a bit. If you don't surprise yourself as the author, how do you think your reader will feel?

End each chapter with a cliffhanger.

Who didn't wonder which family members would die from the flu epidemic? That was a for sure gotta-see-the-next-episode kind of season ending. Do that with each of your chapters and your reader will have no choice but to finish your book. And remember, cliffhangers don't always have to be physical danger. Emotional works just as well.

Subplots rock.

I'll admit it...I care every bit as much about Bates and Anna as I do for Matthew & Mary. Why? Because the writers of Downton Abbey wove their story in throughout the main Crawley saga. And they did it by leap-frogging...tossing out an enticing scene focusing on Lady Mary, cut to something about Bates & Anna, then went back to Mary. Great technique.

Create extra tension with consequences.

So yeah, having a Turk die in Mary's bed was pretty intense, but when her sister found out and wrote to the Turkish embassy, that certainly upped the consequences...like potential ruination for Mary. Don't just keep cranking out tense situation after tense situation. Use the scenes you've already created to increase the drama by playing out their logical consequences to the Nth degree.

There you have it. Give these tips a whirl, and you just might have a Downton Abbey blockbuster on your hands.