There are 36 or 37 of them, they say. Or maybe only 7. And some say there are as few as 2, with many variations.

Whatever.

I don't really care how many there are. I don't care what they are. And I don't even care which "plot" defines the current story I'm writing, just as long as it has a plot and it's interesting. The important thing to me when I'm writing is the emotion a story generates in me as I write it, and, hopefully, the emotions it will stir in those who read it.

What brought up this topic? I've started the process of writing my next novel, the first sequel to "High on a Mountain," and I'm beginning to get involved in my characters' lives, to see their faces, to hear them speak, to watch their actions, to understand their thoughts.

And that is what engrosses me as I write -- watching these people "come alive," listening to them as they tell me their story. More than the plot. More than the "arc." More than the beautiful turn of a phrase (do I even have any of those?).

Granted, there are some technical aspects to writing, and without a plot, there isn't really a story. But, for me, those technical things seem to apply after the story has been told, and their purpose is to make the reading more enjoyable, so that writing mistakes don't stand between the reader and an interesting tale.

So, Ailean and Aodh and Cootiyah -- I'm watching and waiting. What plot are you going to give me this time?