The fifth rule is to "Tell a Good Story, Use Plot Only When Necessary"
Now you don't need a long, complex, and high stakes Plot to tell a good story. In some cases, you might not even need a Plot at all (as is the case with a typical look-and-find book).
If you are reading this, you are hopefully aware on how a typical Plot structure works; introduction, spark, rising action, Climax, and resolution. Plots are good for a structure to a story, but they are not the secret to a good story.
Think of story like a good three course meal. Characters are the main course, setting is the side dish, and aesthetics are the dessert. Plot would be the plate on which you can eat the meal from, but is entirely useless if there is no food on it.
Likewise, the secret to a good story is not the plot itself, but how the story plays out. Elements like visual designs (such as character design, setting designs, and other general aesthetics), character personalities and/or development, setting and necessary worldbuilding, and a little bit of themes working in harmony separate poorly executed "concepts" from good stories.
In my book The Hoverboard Girls, I Subconsciously gave the story a plot structure. I started by introducing the girls for the introduction and spark, showcasing their likes through the rising action, and resolved the story by showing what they do at home. The Climax was a little anticlimactic, as I just had the narrator tell the girls that it's about time they went home.
Although I somewhat used plot as a tool for structure, I didn't let it eclipse the story. To me, the characters were more important; as the story was really about them.
As I also mentioned, you can also have a good story without having a plot as well. Look-and-find books, like Where's Waldo, are prime examples of this. Richard Scarry's Busytown books are also good examples of this.
My personal example of this is my fanart piece "Friday Night at Pizza Planet". The whole picture is just one big Crossover of 80s and 90s animated characters in a happy, lighthearted, uneventful situation on a typical Friday night. And yet there are still so many different things going on in the picture that it tells it's own story of its own right.
Lastly, be open to improv and never try to meticulously plan everything in advance. The more you plan everything in advance, the less you are going to want to actually follow through with them. By contrast, Much like the second rule, you might find story details that you like better than the ones you plan if you leave room for improvising.
That's all for now
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