writerswritecompany

Scenes And Sequels: The Writer’s Guide To Stronger Story Structure 

Scenes and sequels are tools that help writers control the pace and flow of a story. If you master this technique, you will give your readers a story they won’t want to put down.

the960writers

by September C. Fawkes
Kishotenketsu is a 4-part narrative structure from East Asia, and over the years, it has slowly been making its way into Western writing communities. From Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away, to the award-winning horror film Parasite, to anime and manga like Demon Slayer topping the charts, and the climbing craze for k-dramas,many Westerners have fallen head over heels for the kishotenketsu (pronounced "kee-show-ten-ketsu") storytelling approach (whether they know it or not). Unfortunately, though, there have also been quite a few misunderstandings about what kishotenketsu actually is, and how it works, on its way to the West.

the960writers

Lincoln Michel:

Before I could write my first novel, I had to teach myself plot. More or less from scratch. Despite several years of creative writing courses and many years of literature classes—in which I was introduced to many excellent authors and learned many useful things—I had been taught almost nothing about plotting and structure. Perhaps a vague notion that characters should “end in a different place than they start” and occasional references to Freytag’s Pyramid, but that’s about it.

Partly, this comes from the literary world’s aversion to plot, which is thought of as lowbrow or in opposition to more weighty matters like character and theme. Plot is sometimes envisioned as an artificial constraint on what should be an “organic story” (whatever that would mean).

[...]

These ideas are all well and good, although I find them somewhat limiting. A lot of interesting fiction doesn’t really fit this model unless you really stretch the definitions. And anyway, you don’t need me to repeat Freytag’s Pyramid or the Three-Act Structure.

I try to synthesize all of the above. To balance the extreme prescriptivism of Hollywood guides or Hero’s Journey-type maps with the freeing yet vague advice of the literary world. For me, this takes the shape of what I’ll call story principles. Principles are not rules. They are not saying X must happen between beats Y and Z. And principles are flexible, applying to a wide variety of stories across styles and genres (though never, of course, covering everything). But principles also give you something more tangible to think about than “find your voice,” which may leave most writers shrugging their shoulders instead.

[...]

yaraaltrospace

Which is your style: Storytelling Structure/Writing Method

I identify as a Snowflake Methodist on the long run. Glad to know there was a name for my type of writing, tbh

More info about each here

Tag your fellow writer/storymaker/lorebuilder/OC tale developer pals!

I tag for starters: @ultfreakme and @janethepegasus!

the960writers

Kishōtenketsu Story Structure: What It Is, How It Works, and How It Compares to Western Plotting

by guest poster Oliver Fox

Hang around enough writing craft blogs, and eventually you’ll run across someone bemoaning the lack of diversity in contemporary narrative structure—particularly in contrast to models like Kishōtenketsu story structure. To some, it seems like the Monomyth (or some variant of it) is the only game in town, and it’s a game they’ve grown tired of through overfamiliarity: the characters want something, they leave behind their ordinary lives to go looking for said thing, face obstacles, obtain (or fail to obtain) their object of desire, and return home, changed by their journey.

septembercfawkes

Writing 2 Distinct Turns at the End of an Act

Several months ago, I wrote an article on "Writing with 3 Equal-sized Acts," where I used The Hunger Games as an example, since Suzanne Collins writes all of these books with that structure. In it, I said this:

I was originally going to avoid bringing this up, but since we are here. . . . Sometimes . . . act-turns can be broken down into two parts--one major moment that ends the previous act, and another that starts the next act. I'll probably do a post breaking that idea down later.

Guess what? Today is that day!

And this isn't something that only applies to working with three equal-sized acts. It applies to any type of structure that is long enough to use acts, including the most common approach, which divides the story into quarters, like this:

One of the reasons I've put off writing this post, is because you have to have a bit of an understanding of story structure and specifically acts. So if you are new here, I'll very briefly catch you up to speed (doesn't hurt for the rest of us to review this either, so we start this explanation with the right mindset (but if you want, you can skip to the next section)).

An act follows the same basic shape as the whole narrative arc. This shape:

The "climax" is also called a "plot turn," "turning point," or "plot point." Because it turns the direction of the story. It's just that an act's "climax" is going to be smaller than the actual climax of the whole narrative arc (overarching story).

At that turn, the character's goal and/or plan to get the goal somehow changes; this helps create the turn--it's what "progresses the plot."

An obvious example of this is the story's climax itself. At the climax, the protagonist and antagonist face off, and the protagonist either gets or doesn't get what she wants, then we hit the falling action.

If you are familiar with other story structure approaches, you may know the act-level turns by other names:

In 7 Point Story Structure, they are Plot Point 1, Midpoint, Plot Point 2, and Climax (or "Resolution" (or part of Resolution, anyway)).

In Save the Cat!, they are Break into Two, Midpoint, All is Lost, and Finale (or part of it).

In the Hero's Journey, they are Crossing the Threshold, unstated, The Ordeal, and Resurrection. 

(But if you aren't familiar with any of those names, that's okay too.)

Whether or not you are aware of it, most of the stories you consume follow this basic structure.

Let's talk more about goals. A character should have a concrete goal, of which there are three basic types: obtain something, avoid (or stop) something, or maintain something as is.

An antagonistic force of some sort will come along and oppose that, creating obstacles. The character dealing with those, creates the rising action of conflict.

At a turning point (or plot point, or plot turn--whatever term you prefer), the goal or plan to get the goal, will somehow shift.

There are several ways that can happen.

Goal Shifts:

- The character gets the goal (and therefore soon needs a new one)

- The character gains an additional goal (he can have more than one)

- The character abandons the current goal (maybe he fails or quits)

- The character swaps goals (this could be a change in priorities)

- The character gets part of the goal (some goals can be broken down into pieces)

- The character's goal gets more detailed and specific (ex. he wanted to graduate, but now he wants to graduate with honors)

Plan Shifts:

- The character forms a new plan

- The character abandons the current plan

- The character changes or swaps out the plan

- The character's plan gets more detailed and specific

Let's quickly look at some of my go-to examples.

In The Hunger Games (book version), Katniss's overarching goal is to win (or survive) the Games. But her specific plan (or route) of how to do that, shifts with each act. (And we may even argue, these are smaller goals that fit within the big goal.) For Act I, she's focused on preparing for the Games. In the first half of Act II, she focused on basic survival--find water and food sources, shelter, etc. After the midpoint, that shifts, and her focus is working with Rue to strike at the Careers. For Act III, she wants to win with Peeta.

Some characters don't have one overarching goal for the story, but their goal changes with each act.

So in contrast to Katniss, we have Luke Skywalker, whose goal simply changes for each quarter in A New Hope. First, he aims to get off the farm and go to academy. Then he wants to go with Obi-Wan and become a Jedi (which entails going to Alderaan), then he wants to rescue Leia, and finally, in Act III, he aims to destroy the Death Star.

In both stories, between each of these shifts, is a plot point. For example, the reason Luke's goal changes at the end of Act I, is because stormtroopers attack the farm, killing his aunt and uncle. This is Plot Point 1, and it leads him to choose to go with Obi-Wan.

When the plot point happens--that act's "climax"--the goal or plan shift.

2 Distinct Turns at the End of an Act

Sometimes, an act's plot point is essentially made up of two separate, distinct, significant moments, not one.

One moment closes the previous act.

And another moment kicks off the next act.

Let's start with the example I used originally, when I first brought this up. Here is what I said:

In Act I, [Katniss's] current plan or "route" is to prepare for the Games. This makes up the rising action.

The crowning moment of preparation is when Caesar Flickerman interviews Katniss and Peeta. This is the last major moment to "prepare." It clearly ends that phase. It is Katniss's last chance to make an impression before going into the arena.

Based on the actual act break in the book, Suzanne Collins views this as Plot Point 1, essentially (that first peak of the story). 

However, I want to point out that the start of the next chapter is the Cornucopia bloodbath, which kicks off the Games. This kicks off Katniss's new focus, which is basic survival in the arena.

So one moment ends Act I (the interview), and another event starts Act II (the bloodbath).

The interview completed that "plan." The bloodbath leads to Katniss's new plan. Once she checks what she's got from the cornucopia, she needs to move forward with the next phase: basic survival.

A similar thing happens at the end of Act II.

Katniss successfully blows up the Careers' stash, but Rue dies.

This ends her current plan/route (or we could say, smaller goal). She no longer needs to strike at the Careers with Rue, because she got that goal (though it came with a high cost--Rue's life). 

She mourns Rue.

And then an additional turn gives her a new plan/route for Act III: the Gamemakers announce there can be two victors if they are from the same district. New plan: win the Games with Peeta.

I've been listening to Hamilton lately, and a similar thing happens at the midpoint.

But let's back up a sec.

At Plot Point 1, "Right Hand Man," Washington asks Hamilton to be his right-hand man during the war, and Hamilton quickly accepts. This is the major turn of the first quarter, and it takes us into the second quarter.

Notice this is one key moment: Washington asks, and Hamilton accepts.

Keep reading

pantserspen

How to Organize a Novel Series(like a pro;)

Here are some of my best tips for writing a Novels Series.

What to keep Track of:

✏︎ Characters: backstory, goals+motivations, personality traits, relationships, appearance, changes across books, character arcs...

✏︎ Worldbuilding: Geography+Maps, Culture, religion, customs, political systems, factions, magic/power rules, technology, weapons, transportation, important locations, historical events, mythology...

✏︎ Plot: Series-long arc, arcs for each book, subplots, foreshadowing, Chekhov's gun(things you must pay off later)

✏︎ Timeline: Chronological events, character birthdays/ages, travel durations, flashbacks, book-to-book continuity

Organization Structure/Sections of your Binder:

1. Start with a big picture overview and know your endgame. Defined the premise, core conflits, endgame, and themes.
2. Know each book. Every series—weather 3 or 6 books—is apart of a full story arc. Know the goal of each book in your series, and organize sections with plot, arcs, scenes, and character development notes.
3. Characters. Keep track of all your characters with a character tracker(link to my shop) because TRUST me there will be a lot of them and keeping track of them can help you avoid typos. For main and side characters keep detailed character profiles, relationship maps, and emotional arcs.
4. Worldbuilding Bible. Cultures, locations, rules, lore, and systems that stay consistent across the series. Keep place trackers, city trackers, trackers of all the magic laws and rules. (shamelessly plugging my shop here). Trackers help you stay consistent with details and avoid typos. Be sure to focus on worldbuilding essential to the plot and the characters of your story. It's easy to get loss trying to focus on unnecessary detail. Also, keep track of ideas they might come in hand for when your stuck with other books in your series.
5. Timeline. Have a master chronological timeline across the series to avoid plot holes.
6. Loose Ends List/tracker. Keep track of small details you introduced that need payoffs later.

Tools you can Use:

✏ Digital: Notion, Scrivener, Obsidian, Google Docs, Milanote

✏ Physical: 3-ring binder, master binder, notebooks, index cards, sticky notes(for small details), or a corkboard if you're feeling like a detective

“The secret to a powerful series is simple: remember what matters, forget what doesn’t, and let every book sharpen the next.”—QOTD

↓↓↓↓↓↓↓ open for a surprise ↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓

Keep reading

elumish

When it's done well, I think one of the coolest things in books is when the structure or framework or style of the story matches or enhances the story itself.

One of the best examples I can give is Harrow the Ninth, and I won't talk about the specifics to avoid spoilers, but the use of second person is not simply a stylistic choice but a functional one within the story itself.

You can think also of epistolaries where the fact that they are writing letters is part of the plot (not simply that they are exchanging information from a distance but that letters are physical things that can get lost or damaged and that take time to arrive or can be intercepted). An epistolary where, because the characters must encode information due to the risk of interception, the reader must decode that information to fully understand the plot would be an example of this.

This can also be done by playing with things like timeline--a story is non-linear not simply because it is a way to reveal information but because the POV character is not experiencing time fully linearly (either due to something like dementia/Alzheimer's or to something like magic).

There are lots of opportunities to think of how your story's structure or style can be an integral part of not only the reader's experience but of the plot itself.

literaryvein-reblogs

Writing Notes: Plot Method

• The Save the Cat! Beat Sheet was originally developed by Blake Snyder to help screenwriters plot movies, but it works just as well with novels.
• It breaks down the 3-act structure into small, specific sections (sometimes just one scene long).
• Each section pushes your story forward in its own way.
• The exact word count/page count of each section depends on how long your novel is and what type of story you’re telling, but you can use the colored chart below and the percentages in the instructions as a guide. 
• Context Note: This method is based on the concept of the Three Act Structure, which is an inherently Western approach to plot. It can be a useful way to tell a story, but it is by no means the only one.

ACT 1

Opening Image (0-1%)

• Show a “before” snapshot of your protagonist and their world.
• What is life like before the adventure begins?
• It represents the struggle & tone of the story.

Set-up (1-10%)

• Expand on the “before” snapshot.
• Explore your protagonist’s life, including the internal flaws and external challenges they’ll have to overcome in order to change for the better by the end of the story.
• Present the main character’s world as it is, and what is missing in their life.
• Also introduce important supporting characters.

Theme Stated (happens during the Set-up)

• What your story is about; the message, the truth.
• Usually, it is spoken to the main character or in their presence, but they don’t understand the truth/lesson…not until later, when they have some personal experience and context to support it.
• Thus, include a scene where a character says something that hints at what the protagonist’s big life lesson will be - how they’ll have to change and grow by the end of the story.

Catalyst (10%)

• The moment where life as it is changes.
• Examples: It is the telegram, the act of catching your loved-one cheating, allowing a monster onboard the ship, meeting the true love of your life, etc.
• There’s no going back to the “before” world from here… What is the inciting incident that pushes the protagonist into the next phase of the story?

Debate (11-20%)

• But change is scary and for a moment, or a brief number of moments, the main character doubts the journey they must take.
• Show the protagonist questioning themselves and resisting the path ahead - wondering whether they have what it takes, or whether or they should just run home and hide under the bed.
• “Should I just…?” “I really shouldn’t because…” “But what about…” Can I face this challenge? Do I have what it takes? Should I go at all?
• It is the last chance for the hero to chicken out.

ACT 2

Break Into 2 (20%; Choosing Act Two)

• The main character makes a choice and the journey begins.
• We leave the “Thesis” world and enter the upside-down, opposite world of Act 2.
• They make the choice to begin their adventure/transformation/journey/new thing.
• Show your protagonist deciding to plunge into Act 2.

The Promise of the Premise (21-50%)

• This is when the reader thinks “Ah, now we’re getting to the good stuff they hinted at on the back cover of this book!”
• It’s also one of the longest sections in your book.
• Show your protagonist getting used to their new world - loving it, hating it, making mistakes or doing well, meeting new people (see more below) and keeping the reader entertained.
• This is when the main character explores the new world and the audience is entertained by the premise they have been promised.

B Story (happens during The Promise of the Premise)

• This is when there’s a discussion about the Theme – the nugget of truth.
• Usually, this discussion is between the main character and the love interest.
• So, the B Story is usually called the “love story”.
• Introduce a new character or characters who will eventually help the protagonist learn their life lesson.
• Friends? Mentors? Love interests? Nemeses (nemesi?)? Who are they? How will they help?

Midpoint (50%)

• This moment is when everything seems “great” or everything seems “awful,” depending on your story.
• The main character either gets everything they think they want (“great”) or doesn’t get what they think they want at all (“awful”).
• Either the Fun and Games section has lead to a false victory for your protagonist (they think they’ve been doing great so far) or a false defeat (they’ve been having a hard time so far).
• What happens in this moment, halfway between beginning and end?
• But not everything we think we want is what we actually need in the end.

Bad Guys Close In (51-75%)

• Get ready for a bumpy ride. If your Midpoint was a false victory, now things start to go wrong for your protagonist.
• If the Midpoint was a false defeat, well, things seem to be looking up, but the bad guys are getting closer and will have something to say.
• Note: Bad guys can be actual physical enemies, but they can also be emotional enemies, like doubt or jealousy or fear.
• Doubt, jealousy, fear, foes both physical and emotional regroup to defeat the main character’s goal, and the main character’s “great”/“awful” situation disintegrates.
• Show the protagonist’s newly-built world beginning to unravel.
• This will also be one of the longer sections in your novel.

All is Lost (75%)

• This is when something happens to make your character hit rock bottom.
• It’s the absolute lowest part of your novel.
• Maybe someone or something dies (either literally or figuratively).
• The initial goal now looks even more impossible than before. And here, something or someone dies.
• It can be physical or emotional, but the death of something old makes way for something new to be born.
• What does this moment look like for your protagonist?

Dark Night of the Soul (76-80%)

• Your protagonist now has time to react to their “All is lost” moment, to mourn what they lost and wallow in hopelessness.
• They’re worse off than they were at the beginning of the novel.
• Show how low things have gotten.
• Mourning the loss of what has “died” – the dream, the goal, the mentor character, the love of your life, etc.
• But, you must fall completely before you can pick yourself back up and try again.

ACT 3

Break Into 3 (80%; Choosing Act Three)

• The “aha!” moment; the “lift yourself up and try again” moment.
• Show the protagonist realizing what they need to do in order to tackle their problems, both external and internal.
• Thanks to a fresh idea, new inspiration, or last-minute Thematic advice from the B Story (usually the love interest), the main character chooses to try again.

Finale (81-99%)

• The protagonist does what they decided to do in the Break Intro 3 beat, and (because of all the learning/growing they’ve done and the support or insight from the B Story), their plan works.
• This time around, the main character incorporates the Theme – the nugget of truth that now makes sense to them – into their fight for the goal because they have experience from the A Story and context from the B Story.
• The Bad Guys are defeated, the world is changed for the better.
• What are the battles? How will the protagonist triumph (or not)?
• This is another longer section, so you’ve got the space to make things dramatic and intense.
• Act Three is about Synthesis.

Final Image (99-100%)

• This is the opposite of the Opening Image, the “after” snapshot instead of the “before.”
• Show the reader how the protagonist and their world have changed.

THE END

Sources: 1 2 ⚜ Writing Notes & References

soniaknox

Essential Beat Sheet for Writers

ACT ONE: SETUP

1. Opening Image: A snapshot of your story’s world and tone. Who are we following? What’s at stake?

2. Theme Stated: A subtle hint about the story’s deeper meaning or lesson, often posed as a question or challenge.

3. Setup: Introduce your protagonist, their ordinary world, supporting characters, and the status quo. Show us what needs to change.

4. Catalyst: The inciting incident that flips the protagonist’s world upside down. This is the point of no return.

5. Debate: Your protagonist hesitates. Should they step forward into the unknown or retreat? This beat builds anticipation.

ACT TWO: CONFRONTATION

6. Break Into Two: The protagonist makes a decision and steps into a new world (literal or figurative). The adventure begins.

7. B Story: The subplot kicks in—often a relationship or secondary goal that supports the main story’s theme.

8. Fun and Games: The “heart” of the story. Deliver on the premise and explore the stakes through action, conflict, and character growth.

9. Midpoint: A major turning point where everything changes. Stakes are raised. Success feels closer—or failure looms larger.

10. Bad Guys Close In: External and internal pressures mount. Allies falter. Enemies strike. Doubts creep in.

11. All Is Lost: The darkest moment. The protagonist experiences a significant loss or setback.

12. Dark Night of the Soul: A pause for reflection. Your protagonist processes their failure and digs deep to find the courage to move forward.

ACT THREE: RESOLUTION

13. Break Into Three: Armed with new insight or strength, the protagonist takes decisive action to face the story’s central conflict.

14. Finale: The climax. Everything comes to a head in a final showdown or resolution. Your protagonist proves they’ve changed—or failed to.

15. Closing Image: A mirror of the opening image, showing how the world—and your protagonist—has transformed.

septembercfawkes

Writing with 3 Equal-sized Acts (THE HUNGER GAMES)

A while ago, a follower read my article "Variations on Story Structure: A List," and asked me to elaborate on how The Hunger Games (book) doesn't follow the typical beat percentages, and they wondered if I could maybe go over how to pull that off. I wasn't sure when/if I'd get to it, but . . . here we are!

Now, because I know we have a lot of new followers, I want to make sure we are all starting with the same foundation, first. (If you've been following me for a while though and don't want the review, feel free to skip to the section after this next one.)

Typical Story Structure

Most stories follow 3-act structure, with the middle of the story taking up about 50% of the book. Because the middle is so long, most people will split it into two. So, typical stories look like this:

We could argue that because there are four major turns (or "peaks") that this is really a 4-act structure, but to keep with the language most commonly used, we'll call it a 3-act structure, with Act II split into "Part I" and "Part II."

This typically breaks the story down into quarters (more or less). Each section takes up about 25% of the story.

Yes, some writers hate percentages, but percentages are the quickest, easiest way to communicate when something usually happens in a book, so, we'll use them.

Like pretty much anything in writing, though, the percentages are just guidelines. It's what usually works for most audiences. It's what the audience is used to seeing.

The four peaks are plot turns--they turn the direction of the story. A year or so ago, I realized that this also means they shift the protagonist's goal, or their plan to get the goal in some way (for an explanation of that go here.) When a plot turn happens, the goal or plan has changed (at least somewhat).

These plot turns are also called turning points or plot points, and depending on what approach you use, you may know them by other, more specific, names.

In 7 Point Story Structure, they are Plot Point 1, Midpoint, Plot Point 2, and Climax (or "Resolution" (or part of Resolution, anyway)).

In Save the Cat!, they are Break into Two, Midpoint, All is Lost, and Finale (or part of it).

In the Hero's Journey, they are Crossing the Threshold, unstated, The Ordeal, and Resurrection. 

(But if you aren't familiar with any of those names, that's okay too.)

Whether or not you are aware of it, most of the stories you consume follow this basic structure.

To take it a step further, there are usually medium turns in between each of these major peaks (which I didn't draw in that image). These are frequently what people refer to as Pinch Point 1 and Pinch Point 2 (and the inciting incident for Act I, depending on how you view it). Act III's doesn't have one common name, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist--it's usually the turn that takes us into the climax.

This means that most stories have a turn every ~12% of the story--a big turn every quarter, and a medium turn in between those.

You can learn more about all that in "The 12% Rule of Story Structure."

But of course, while this is by far the most common way to structure a great story, it isn't the only way to structure a story.

3 Equal-sized Acts: The Hunger Games

In The Hunger Games series, Suzanne Collins instead works with three equal-sized acts. The beginning, middle, and end all take up about 33% of the book.

So it looks more like this.

And when I was learning structure, this really confused me.

I could not figure out what she was doing structurally, because it didn't seem to fit what I was learning. And yet, the story was a huge success.

On the surface though, it's actually a little obvious, because Collins literally separates each book into three parts. I was mainly confused because I didn't know you could write with three equal-sized acts and make it work.

To add to my confusion, the film adaptation of the first book, took the same plot, but restructured it to fit what's typical. And it worked well for the movie.

But let's talk about the book first.

Pretty much whenever you encounter a successful variation, the story has the same pieces, but rearranged.

This is true for The Hunger Games.

The same pieces are there.

They just show up differently.

Remember, at the basic level, an act looks like this:

Because The Hunger Games has three equal-sized acts (more or less), its structure looks more like this.

But because the middle still has a strong midpoint, we could actually view it like this.

Because Act I, Act II, and Act III are the same size, Act II gets smooshed like an accordion (in comparison to what is typical). 

But don't take my word for it, let's start breaking this down.

The first thing I want to address is Katniss's goal. In The Hunger Games Katniss's goal stays essentially the same throughout the book: survive the Hunger Games.

This means that what changes are her plans, or perhaps we may say, the route she is currently taking to get that goal. The route is going to somehow shift with each act.

Let's look at those acts and see how everything plays out.

Act I (~1-33%)

In Act I, Collins uses the inciting incident as the hook to the whole story: Prim's name getting called at the reaping. Katniss volunteers and her goal to survive the Hunger Games solidifies. In Act I, her current plan or "route" is to prepare for the Games. This makes up the rising action.

The crowning moment of preparation is when Caesar Flickerman interviews Katniss and Peeta. This is the last moment to "prepare." It clearly ends that phase. It is Katniss's last chance to make an impression before going into the arena.

Based on the actual act break in the book, Suzanne Collins views this as Plot Point 1, essentially (that first peak of the story). 

However, I want to point out that the start of the next chapter is the Cornucopia bloodbath, which kicks off the Games. This kicks off Katniss's new focus, which is basic survival in the arena.

Keep reading

fixyourwritinghabits

Editing Part 5: The Structural Pass

Okay, by now you've nailed down how you want your plot, characters, and worldbuilding to be. If you haven't by now, it's a good time to format your document into manuscript format if you plan to move forward to publish in any form.

When it comes to structure, what you're really focusing on is readability. If the format of your book is a slog to get through, if your paragraphs are too long or your sentences are all the same. This will lose readers otherwise in love with your plot.

Dialogue

Dialogue heavy scenes are very fun to write, but pages of dialogue with no action can also be exhausting. Break up your dialogue heavy scenes with actions and descriptions. How does the character's body language reflect their feelings on the discussion? Can you give them a task (picking a lock, chopping onions) that allow you to add to the scene (fumbling when frustrated, dicing harder when angry)?

One mistake (that I've made plenty of times) is to have characters doing things for the sake of doing them. But this is an opportunity to add details that add to your plot (the normally awful cafeteria green beans are delicious, a clue to solving the murder!), character (an alien crewmember is trying to copy human expressions to seem more personable, but his many teeth just freak people out), and world-building and setting (Laura is ranting about her ex, but Tara is distracted by how soulless her rich mother's house seems).

Scene Lengths

Are your scenes running too long? Do they start in the wrong place? (Two paragraphs on making coffee instead of "She was making coffee when George burst in.") Tightening up your scenes will do a great deal to make your book better.

This is easy advice to give and harder to picture doing, I've found. Everything often feels essential to a scene. Try to tackle scenes with the following questions:

• What is the point of the scene? (George tells Susan his wife left him for Keanu Reeves.)
• Where does the action start? (When George burst through the door without knocking.)
• What is the goal of the scene? (Susan starts to suspect George of murdering his wife.)
• Where does the action end? (George leaves.)
• Where should the scene end? - This answer depends entirely on what you need to happen next. Maybe you have another page and a half of Susan musing about her suspicions right there in the kitchen. But maybe this will be more impactful in the next scene, where Susan is snooping in the garden and happens to find something George's wife would never leave behind.

Varying Paragraphs and Sentences

Pull back and look at your pages. Are all the paragraphs the same length? Do you fall into using the same pattern of sentences over and over? (Guilty) Have you used the same word four times in a single paragraph to describe something? (Double guilty) Break those chunks up, what for those repeat words, and vary your sentences. This is going to help so much with issues you weren't aware of.

Chapters and Word Count

There are many ways to do chapters, but you want to keep an eye out for chapters that are going too long (giving your reader a visual break of a chapter ending can help shift the setting and tone) or too short (have you accomplished everything you need?) This is not a knock on either structure done on purpose - this is to catch something you may have overlooked.

When it comes to word count, industry standards are always a good baseline to go with. Your audience often approaches a genre with certain expectations, and while you can make a doorstopper of a romance, you will find more readers by sticking to the 80-100k range.

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Promise, Progress, Payoff--In Stories, Acts, and Scenes

When lecturing on plot, New York Times best-selling author Brandon Sanderson often breaks structure down into three parts: promise, progress, and payoff. These fit beginning, middle, and end, respectively. 

While I find this approach too simplistic for what I need to write a great story (hey, I'm not Brandon Sanderson!), it is an excellent foundation to build on. Without these things in place, your story will always be lacking. Without these things in place, you'll run into problems that will lead to bored (or even annoyed) readers.

Lately, I've been thinking about how these principles not only apply to the story as a whole, but how they are useful for smaller structural units as well--acts and scenes.

As always, I'm not going to say using them is vital to every scene or every act of every story.

But I will say, they can be super helpful if this approach resonates with you, your story, your act, or your scene.

Before I explain all that, though, let me give a brief overview of Sanderson's perspective . . . (though I admit to sprinkling in some of my own thoughts along the way). 

Promise, Progress, Payoff

Essentially all stories are made up of beginnings, middles, and ends. And as mentioned, Brandon Sanderson assigns these three different purposes (broadly speaking of course). The beginning makes promises to the audience. The middle shows progress toward those promises. And the end illustrates the payoff of the promises and progress. 

Beginning--Promise

When the reader opens up the book, they want to know what sort of story this is going to be (and if they want to stick around for it). As a writer, it's your job to make promises that convey that. 

Sanderson talks about several promises you need to make:

- Genre (The opening of the book should make it clear the story is science fiction, historical, romance, crime, or whatever it is. However, Sanderson does acknowledge the cover, title, and back cover will likely illustrate this as well.)

- Tone (the feel--will this be comedic? Dark? Whimsical? Cheerful? etc.)

- Plot (Will this be a mystery? Travelogue? A heist? A rivalry? etc.)

- Character (Who is the protagonist and what is he like?)

- There should also be a promise of change or conflict--it's a promise that something will be in motion.

I admit that Sanderson uses the term "promises" a little differently than I have on here in the past, but I think it's fair to call these promises (and Sanderson also admits to wanting the alliteration of three P's: promise, progress, payoff).

I want to mention, too, that you are essentially setting up the story here. You are conveying to the audience where and when the story takes place, who it's about, what's going to happen, and why it matters (the "why" would be the stakes). When you look at Sanderson's list of promises, you see they basically cover all that as well. (But I'm pointing it out for something I will bring up later.)

Middle--Progress

When the reader gets into the middle of the story, you need to keep them reading by showing progress on what you promised. If this story is a mystery, you need to show the characters finding clues. If the story is about traveling to a destination, you need to show the characters traveling. If this story is about a competitive rivalry, you need to show each character striving to outdo the other.

After introducing the protagonist in the beginning, you need to show how she is progressing toward her wants, as well as how that character is progressing through her character arc.

You may also want to show "progression" related to genre. If you introduced a magic system in the beginning, you may want to dig deeper into it in the middle. (And you don't want to introduce magic in the beginning, and then have no magic in the middle (usually).)

End--Payoff

This one is pretty straightforward. As the reader gets to the end, you are going to pay off everything you promised and progressed. The mystery gets solved. The destination gets reached. The rivalry ends with one or the other as the victor.

The character achieves her objective and/or completes her arc.

And you'll probably have the biggest, best illustrations of your genre at the end.

This is all simplistically speaking though. Of course not every story ends with the character reaching her destination or achieving her objective. There are absolutely ways to turn the ending with a surprise, or twist or subvert an expectation, but that's beyond the scope of today's article. 

Basically, the ending is about doing a good, satisfying job of completing what you started. 

As Brandon Sanderson says, ideally you want to give the audience the expected thing (what you first promised), but in a way that is better (read: bigger, more surprising, more powerful) than expected.

Application to Acts

Recently I've been thinking about how these same basic principles can be used to create satisfying acts.

If you've been following me for a long time, you may know that I see basic story structure as fractal. 

This basic shape has smaller versions of it that live inside it, like a Russian nesting doll.

Not only does the story as a whole take this shape.

But so does each act.

Keep reading

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The Hero's Journey (Christopher Vogler)

1. Heroes are introduced in the ORDINARY WORLD, where
2. they receive the CALL TO ADVENTURE.
3. They are RELUCTANT at first or REFUSE THE CALL, but
4. are encouraged by a MENTOR to
5. CROSS THE FIRST THRESHOLD and enter the Special World, where
6. they encounter TESTS, ALLIES, AND ENEMIES.
7. They APPROACH THE INMOST CAVE, crossing a second threshold
8. where they endure the ORDEAL.
9. They take possession of their REWARD and
10. are pursued on THE ROAD BACK to the Ordinary World.
11. They cross the third threshold, experience a RESURRECTION, and are transformed by the experience.
12. They RETURN WITH THE ELIXIR, a boon or treasure to benefit the Ordinary World

The Hero's Journey Model:

• In psychological terms this stage represents the resolve of the hero to return to the Ordinary World and implement the lessons learned in the Special World.
• This can be far from easy. The hero has reason to fear that the wisdom and magic of the Ordeal may evaporate in the harsh light of common day.
• No one may believe the hero's miraculous escape from death.
• The adventures may be rationalized away by skeptics.
• But most heroes determine to try.

The stages of the Hero's Journey are a good guide to the steps needed to create a realistic character arc:

CHARACTER ARC — HERO'S JOURNEY

1. limited awareness of a problem — Ordinary World
2. increased awareness — Call to Adventure
3. reluctance to change — Refusal
4. overcoming reluctance — Meeting with the Mentor
5. committing to change — Crossing the Threshold
6. experimenting with first change — Tests, Allies, Enemies
7. preparing for big change — Approach to Inmost Cave
8. attempting big change — Ordeal
9. consequences of the attempt — Reward (Seizing the Sword)
   (improvements and setbacks)
10. re-dedication to change — The Road Back
11. final attempt at big change — Resurrection
12. final mastery of the problem — Return with the Elixir

Source: Christopher Vogler's The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (3rd Edition)

Writing References: Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding

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Writing Notes: Master Plot Formula

ALT

A summary of the Master Plot Formula by Lester Dent

It is a guide to writing a 6000-word pulp story divided into four 1500-word parts:

FIRST PART

• Begin with a... (write as many as possible)

1. Different murder method for villain to use
2. Different thing for villain to be seeking
3. Different locale
4. Menace which is to hang like a cloud over hero

• Introduce hero.
• Put hero in trouble.
• Hint at a mystery, menace or problem.
• Hero tries cope.
• Introduce ALL the other characters ASAP.
• Hero in physical conflict near end.
• Plot twist near end.

SECOND PART

1. Hero in more trouble.
2. Hero struggles, which leads to…
3. Another physical conflict.
4. A surprising plot twist near the end.

THIRD PART

1. Hero in more trouble.
2. Hero makes some headway.
3. Hero corners villain in…
4. Physical conflict.
5. A surprising plot twist which ends badly for the hero.

FOURTH PART

1. Hero almost buried in trouble.
2. Hero extricates themselves using their own skill, training or brawn.
3. Remaining mysteries resolved as…
4. Hero takes control of final conflict.
5. Final big plot twist.
6. The punch line.

After each part check:

1. Increasing suspense?
2. Growing menace?
3. Logical progression?
4. Purposeful action?
5. Varied action?
6. Continuous action?
7. Show don’t tell?
8. Character tags?
9. Convincing triumph?
10. Satisfying for readers?

Source ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Plot ⚜ Character ⚜ Worldbuilding