Plot is what happens—first this, then that, then the other thing. What if we asked a different question at the beginning of our plot outlines? Try saying, “I was there and this happened to me.” Now we are focused on cause and effect rather than only the events. We’ve established that someone will be adapting to whatever happened, which opens the possibility of changing, learning, growing. We’ve promised our readers there will be more to discover than an itinerary, which will keep them turning the pages. More importantly, we’ve given ourselves a reason to keep writing, to find out why our characters react the way they do. If we are very lucky, they might even tell us what they want to do next.