For this, we need to answer the following questions:
What is a plot point?
What makes a plot point strong?In order for something to be a plot point to begin with, it must provide a point within the plot where the story could go in more then one direction. In most situations, it’s the character’s choices (generally those of the main character, though not necessarily) which pick the direction the plot takes from this point.
Looking at a plot point from this angle, we can deduce that the plot has a lot to do with who our character is. This makes sense. Goals are absolutely necessary for almost every story imaginable, because if your character doesn’t want something then you have no plot.
So we have a character who’s striving towards their goal. How do we turn that into a strong plot point? Characters who have goals should also have beliefs, (or in some cases, secondary goals), and these two things must conflict somewhere. Anywhere the character must choose between them, we have a foundation on which to build an interesting, strong plot point. On the other hand, if we don’t have these things, our plot point won’t ever be as strong as it might otherwise have been, no matter how many cool things we throw into it.
So to create a strong plot point we can start with a character who needs to make a choice in order to reach their goal. We make this choice more interesting by throwing road blocks at the character. It might help to ask yourself these sorts of questions:
- What can we throw at this character to make them change their choice partway through?
- What can we throw at this character which we know will stress them out personally?
- What can we throw at this character after they’ve made their choice, which they’ll have to now overcome because of the choice they’ve made?
- What sort of consequences will come out of this choice and how do we show them?
- And if you’re willing to do some work in order to find a realistic way for your character to get out of the situation: What can we throw at this character which will turn this into their worst nightmare; the most awful possible version of this situation?
Knowing what makes a strong plot point, we can finally answer the question: Are weak plot points really bad?
Plot points with weak foundations are really bad, yes. Weak plot points which don’t revolve around a character making tough choices in order to reach their goals will generally fall flat to readers.
But, not every plot point needs to be a crazy, chaotic mind blowing twist either.
Sometimes the choices we find most emotional and stressful are the ones everyone else tells up should be easy. The key to engaging your reader in a plot point is to convince them that this is emotional and stressful for your character and that your character believes there will be consequences to making a bad choice, and to instill in them the need to know what choice your character will make and what outcome that choice will bring.
tl;dr Plot points don’t have to be unique or fancy or even action-packed in order to engage a reader. They simply need to show a situation where a character the reader is already engaged with has to make a decision which will change the course of the plot.
(Minor Edit: I had a dyslexic moment and read ‘plot points’ instead of simply ‘plot’ five times in a row, so that’s what the answer is specifically about. But since a plot is made of a bunch of plot points with sentimental connecty stuff in between, this is still all the same advice as I would otherwise give. Write some good plot points with solid, emotional foundation and your plot will be sturdy enough to carry a reader through, I promise ^^)