[Link] Understand Story Structure to Develop Your Novel Idea

by Rob Bignell

When writers come up with a great story idea but don’t know how to develop it, usually the problem is one of plotting.

Understanding story structure – i.e. plot – would be extremely helpful in developing their story. For example, they might realize that their kernel of an idea really is a great concept for a scene but not for an entire story. Knowing how that scene might fit into a full story would allow them to start writing.

Many fiction writers eschew the idea of following any general structure, believing that the story should grow organically, that following some kind of blueprint would result in tales that are all the same, like so many ticky-tacky houses in a cheap suburban development. But understanding story structure isn’t about following a blueprint. Instead, it’s like knowing the basic rules of structural engineering in construction. If you don’t understand tensile reinforcement, loading conditions, and distribution reinforcement, your building probably will be substandard and collapse. Likewise, if you don’t understand plot’s relationship to the other elements of a story, the parts of a plot, and conflict’s role in storytelling, your story probably will be substandard and quickly fall apart. And just as those engineering rules can lead to an infinite variety of structures, from pole sheds and 2-bedroom homes to airport terminals and skyscrapers, so the general rules of plotting can lead to an infinite variety of stories, from epic poetry and novels to short stories and screenplays.

Read the full article: https://inventingrealityediting.com/2024/01/13/understand-story-structure-to-develop-your-novel-idea/

[Link] Why Every Writer Should Try Their Hand at a Horror Story

by Savannah Cordova

It’s that time of year again: the leaves are changing color, the wind is getting chillier, and pumpkins are decorating doorsteps. And given that today is Halloween, there’s no better time to pen a spooky story of your own — even (perhaps especially!) if you’ve never done it before.

True, horror stories might not be everyone’s cup of tea… but as they say, variety is the spice of life, and attempting to write horror can be incredibly valuable for writers looking to refine their abilities. So light a candle and sharpen your quill — here are three essential reasons why every writer should try their hand at writing a horror story.

Horror Teaches You to Build Great Tension

Knowing how to properly build tension is a must for any writer, no matter your genre of choice. At its core, creating narrative tension requires you to understand your reader’s expectations; they may know that something bad is coming, but it’s your job to make them wonder when, where, and how. This is no easy feat — in order to properly scare your readers, you’ll need a strong understanding of how to methodically build anticipation, gradually raising your story’s stakes until its dramatic crescendo.

Read the full article: https://writershelpingwriters.net/2024/10/why-every-writer-should-try-their-hand-at-a-horror-story/

[Link] Use a plot coupon to drive your story forward

by Rob Bignell

Among the tried and true devices you can use for moving a story forward is a plot coupon.

A plot coupon is something a character must obtain that later can be “cashed in” to resolve the overarching conflict so that the story may end. For example, in the ancient Greek myth Jason and the Argonauts, our hero and his valiant crew go in search fo the Golden Fleece, which once obtained will allow Jason to take his rightful place as king. The overarching conflict that began the story is that Jason must gain his rightful place on the throne, and the Golden Fleece is the plot coupon that allows him to achieve this goal. Once he is king, the story is over.

Seeking the coupon moves the plot forward. In Jason and the Argonauts, each adventure they go on centers on one element in the attempt to find the Golden Fleece. In each adventure, they may discover clues that help them find the Golden Fleece or they may suffer setbacks that must be overcome in “episodes” that follow.

Read the full article: https://inventingrealityeditingservice.typepad.com/inventing_reality_editing/2016/06/use-plot-coupon-to-drive-your-story-forward.html

Motivational Monday -- How To Slow Down Your Reader When You Need To

 Have you seen this floating around the various social media sites? 

I don't know about the historic truthfulness of the article, but in practice it truly does bear itself out in most cases. And knowing this is a great way to force your reader to slow down (one of the few ways a writer can manipulate HOW a reader reads a story). Just flop-flip the order. Give 'em a clop-clip-clop instead of a clip-clop. Or maybe a "tocking and ticking of the clock" instead of the "tick-tock of the clock." 

Did you hear the slowing down as you read them because they feel unnatural to your ear? Go ye therefore and do the same. 

Nugget # -- Writing Holiday Fiction

If your holiday-themed stories only work if

a reader reads them during the holidays, 

then I dare say they don't truly "work" at all.

The Writer Will Take Your Questions Now #313 -- Preferred POV

In which, if any, point of view do you prefer to write? Why?

It's no secret that I write most of my stories in either first-person or third-person limited. Of those, I tend to write third-person limited most frequently. However, a lot of that comes from the preferences of my publishers.

If it were up to me, I'd write more from the first person, because I always found that to be the most fun. Why? Well, I think it stems from reading a lot of first-person stuff as I was forming my core reading habits as a young reader. I still feel like first person writing puts me inside the story more effectively.

The danger of first-person though, is that I have to choose the right character in which to "reside." And that's not always the main character. Sherlock Holmes stories would be far less enjoyable and poignant told from Holmes' head. In that case, the reader needs to see how Holmes works from the outside. In pulp detective tales, the reader needs to be in the head of the detective, who is often not anywhere near a Holmes-type deducer. The reader needs to feel the failure and confusing red herrings as the private dick experiences them.

Yes, I know writers can do all this from the third-person limited too, but even that small bit of distant between the two can be just enough (sometimes) to over-limit the reader's identification with the protagonist.

At least those are my thoughts on the matter. Your brain may take you in other directions.