I’m currently revising a story I wrote just before leaving for Seattle and I realized, with the help of my writing group and their critiques, that it doesn’t have a plot. And that was a helpful realization and I thought of ways I could address this situation and add in a plot and help flesh it out.
But then I remembered being in Seattle and having a conversation with Paul Park and he tasked me to write a story without a plot. And I remember feeling completely lost and uncomfortable when considering it. But at the same time I was intrigued. And I wondered how you could pull it off in a satisfying manner.
I’m not sure the story I’m working on is the one to try. Most of the movement in the piece right now is geographical, and even that is lacking. But I do think that I would love to explore the idea of a plotless story and how to make it work.
If anyone reading this has some examples of stories without plots that work, please list them in the comments.