For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by stories – how they’re told, how they unfold, and how they shape the people living them. But it wasn’t until I hit a series of plot twists in my own life that I started to view storytelling as something more than entertainment. It became a tool, a survival mechanism. A way to reclaim control when life felt chaotic.
Written by Meghan McTavish
The idea for The Plotline© Journal didn’t arrive in a perfect moment of inspiration. In fact, it came during one of the most difficult periods of my life. I was going through a divorce and found myself confined to bed for weeks. I wasn’t doing much of anything except doom scrolling, stuck in a loop of inertia and frustration. I lacked the motivation to get up, let alone face the world or do something creative.
Then one day, a thought hit me: What if I started writing my days as if I were the main character in a screenplay?
Not the defeated supporting role I’d been feeling like, but the lead – the kind of character who’d figure out how to climb out of this rut.
It started as a small exercise, just something to distract me, but over time it became something much bigger. Writing my life as a story helped me step out of the fog, gave me perspective, and allowed me to imagine what the next scene could look like if I took charge.
What I realised later was that what I’d been practising was a little bit of the Hawthorne Effect – the idea that simply observing or recording your behaviour can influence how you act.
By “writing” my role in the story of my life, I started to behave like the main character. I became more intentional, more aware of the choices I was making. That shift, though subtle at first, was powerful. It gave me a sense of agency during a time when I felt utterly stuck.
That’s when The Plotline© began to take shape – not just as a personal practice, but as something I realised could help others too.
The Science Behind the Story
Interestingly, after creating the journal, I stumbled across research that validated what I’d been experiencing firsthand: when we view our lives as stories, we gain perspective. It’s called narrative identity theory. Psychologists have found that when we frame our experiences as part of a larger narrative, it’s easier to process emotions, find meaning in challenges, and make peace with the less-than-glamorous parts of life.
In essence, storytelling gives us the tools to become active participants in our own lives. It’s no longer about being swept up in events -it’s about stepping into the director’s chair and deciding how you want to respond. That’s what I love most about The Plotline©. It’s not just a diary; it’s a framework for rewriting the stories we tell ourselves.
From My Hands to Yours
What’s been most humbling – and honestly, the most rewarding – has been hearing from others who have used The Plotline© during their own plot twists. The DMs I receive range from heartfelt to funny, to downright moving. One woman told me she picked it up during a divorce and, in her words, “started to feel like the badass heroine in her own Netflix series”.
Another used it to reframe her career shift, calling it “a tool for the mic-drop moments I didn’t know I had in me”.
Knowing The Plotline© has been part of someone’s healing or growth – it’s indescribable. It reminds me why I created this in the first place. Every message is a nudge to keep going, keep writing, and keep helping others tell their own stories.
The Next Chapter
As for what’s next? I’m always thinking about how to expand The Plotline© into something even bigger. I recently launched a tote bag that’s designed to carry your story with you (literally). We’re also working on making the journal more accessible globally – hello, Amazon! And I’m exploring ways to bring The Plotline© into workshops, events, and maybe even a book.
But personally? I’m still writing my own Plotline, day by day. Some days feel like a rom-com, others like a thriller – but every page matters. And that’s the heart of it all.
To anyone reading this who’s in the middle of their own messy chapter: keep writing. The best stories always have plot twists. Get started with The Plotline© Journal
