User blog:Zathronas/Author's Advice: Convoluted or Complex?

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Hello and welcome to author's advice.

So, I was talking to my sister Sarah about my half-brother Jim and his new girlfriend Judy his 3rd in 2 months. She seemed real nice, not as nice As Kim who had more empathy but much nicer than Linda who didn't seem to like me for some reason. I think that since he swore off marriage after 3 failed ones with Denise who couldn't stop talking as if her life depended on it, Marie and her right eye tick and Brooke who was a real looker but was lacking in the smarts department. She's the one who's personality is most like his two high school sweetheart Megan and  Dawn.

So... is the above paragraph convoluted or a complex plot? What's the difference?

I've talked with a lot of writers who makes the error of thinking their plot are complex instead of convoluted. That they are trying something so complex that no one gets it but them. The reality of course is that if no one gets it then maybe you should take the time to redefine your story and see where you went wrong. Not always easy I'll admit. But the question remains, what's the difference?

The difference is in the resolution of your plots. A convoluted plot has all sort of unimportant information and plots that go nowhere and remain unresolved. You've put so much information and created so many plots that aren't really connected that the readers has no Idea where you're going with it. And the answer to that would be nowhere. You've painted yourself in a corner and have absolutely no idea how you'll resolve them.

A complex plot will seem convoluted at first, with several plots that seemed unrelated and have nowhere to go. But by the climax, every plot points, every hints will converge into a big payoff  where the readers will say "Oohhh! So that's where he was going with that!" To make a complex plot, you need very careful planning, everything you write has been pre-planned and even the wording might be important. It's impossible to do that while creating your story on the fly unless you are a genius writer who appear only once in a generation... if you're lucky.

So, to get back to the beginning, Is my little story convoluted or complex?

Both :)

Convoluted because I give a lot of info that has nothing to do with what I was trying to convey which is "My half.brother's new girlfriend is nice"

But since I planned it that way in a plot to show you how to discern between a convoluted  piece and a complex piece and everything was carefully written to confuse... it became a complex plot.

Next time on author's advice. Convergence