A writing exercise was posted on the Black Board near the beginning of this GOYOQ 2013 that honestly blew my mind in it's simplicity and it's ability to cut right to the spine of the story. It popped to mind again today because of your post here. It's the "Once Upon A Time" writing exercise. I think if you tell your story in this manner, it forces you to speak strictly to the key plot points. Helps you figure out pacing, build the tension, make sure it's constantly ramping up in intensity, etc. Plus it also ensures that your plot points are all cause/effect, and keeps you from being distracted by extraneous filler. At least it seemed helpful to me. http://theblackboard.blcklst.com/forums/topic/writing-exercise-once-upon-a-time/

That's a great one and thanks for posting. Again, stories are organic. There is no set formula, no golden paradigm. But things DO happen, events we have come to call plot points [I call them Plotline Points]. So there's the Whammo theory. Or Once Upon A Time. Or anything else. The point is whatever WORKS. The single biggest key is to go into the story and immerse yourself in that universe, especially focusing on the characters. Over time, writing and rewriting, you will discover the narrative along with its significant events.