Writing

Structuring a Short Story

Note: I first published this post on this blog in February, 2013. I have added little to the original for re-scheduling it in April 2019, apart from photos and some minor formatting changes. I have also added Kate Forsythe’s more complex pyramid diagram below.

How do you go about writing a short story? You might have a good idea and an interesting character to portray, but you have no idea about how to create a valid structure. It’s a bit like building a house, or a bridge: you want to create a solid foundation, sturdy walls and a ceiling. It’s the same for story writing. But you may decide to focus on the final structure at a later stage of production, rather than at the outset. The basic structure is:

A: a Beginning
B: a Middle and
C: an End.

Aristotle first stated this in 350 BC. Just as you can break the parts of a building down into smaller parts, a narrative structure can also be broken into smaller segments that support and fit into the larger framework.

One way of analysing the structure is to think in terms of a seven-point plan. Why seven? This has esthetic connotations, and possibly spiritual ones, too.

buddha-statue-flowers-640x640

The main part of the Introduction is the hook: a focus that motivates the reader’s interest and involves a character facing a problem. The Middle of the story is the meaty part that contains the plot line or sequence of events. Finally you have the Ending, which involves resolution and/or validation.

I am not suggesting that you, as a writer, must always plan your story ahead of time according to this structure. This is not my intention at all, nor my own way of going about writing a short story. You must be allowed to allow the creative juices to flow from the outset. The 7 point structure may help you merely after “getting it down”, to rearrange and to add parts that have been left out of your narrative.

A: The Hook: 1

The Main Character is portrayed in the Introduction as a personnage of interest. There may be a reference, at least implicitly, to a problem linked to the protagonist, who is often good but flawed or different from the personnage we find at the end of the story. The Setting can be included as part of the Introduction.

B: The Plot: 2

The storyline and sequence of events belongs to the Middle Section, and is the longest part of the book. Here the main character is faced with a problem and a call to action. The first attempt is a reactive one and ends in failure.

Reversals of fortune, Recognitions: 3

Pressure is placed on the protagonist to solve the problem and he makes several attempts to do so.

The Midpoint: 4

The protagonist makes an irreversible decision to take decisive action despite fears and overwhelming obstacles.

Things Worsen: 5

Despite the well-meaning actions of the protagonist, actions may even be the cause of reversals in fortune. At the same time, learning takes place. The character is henceforth prepared and ready for resolution.

C: Extreme Deterioration: 6

At the end comes climax: the character tries to resolve the problem once again and either fails or succeeds in the end. It’s important that the protagonist doesn’t give up, either way. We feel pity and fear for the hero and hope for success.

Resolution: 7

Validation shows that the story is over. The ending validates the promise set up in the beginning. Or it may overturn or reject it.

Addendum:

Keep the basic structure of Introduction, Middle and End in the back of your mind while getting your story down. You may be able to create an esthetic whole straight off. Editing drafts to perfect it may be all that is needed.

If not, rearrange and “flesh out” your story according to the above more complex guidelines. This can be done “after the event”, that is, during the second and successive drafts of the narrative.

Gustav Freytag in 1900 further developed Aristotle’s ideas by his pyramid diagram with its 7 points:

Gustav Freytag. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Freytag’s Pyramid

April 12, 2019 0 comment

Writing

To Plot or Not to Plot

Planning or Not Planning

So much has been said and written about this topic, that it is almost fruitless to comment. All you need do is Google the topic and you will find countless analyses of the benefits of plotting or “going by the seats of your pants” (Colloquial: pantsering).

But beware, the writer’s subjective preference will reveal itself, if you do this. James Patterson, for example, is on the side of plotting as a first step. He creates detailed outlines of his narrative before starting to write the novel.

What Genre is It?

The genre chosen by the author to write in, will determine to a great extent which approach s/he chooses. Fantasy writers and detective story writers will likely employ plotting as the favoured approach. However, not always. Kate Atkinson writes detective stories, but she is also a wizard with character. She seems to bridge the gap between the two categories, so it’s not clear how she starts out.

Australian Women “Pantsers”

Australian Kate Grenville and many other writers, especially female writers, prefer writing in segments (scenes? chapters?) based on vivid characterisation and “zingy” writing, as she calls it. An example of this style of writing is in Tirra Lirra By The River by Jessica Anderson (1916-2010). See my post on this blog at: http://anneskyvington.com.au/tirra-lirra-by-the-river-by-jessica-anderson/.

I, too, belong to the non-planners—to those who like to explore character rather than plot—in the initial phase

It is almost, but not quite, a distinction between “female” versus “male” authorial approaches. This is not as sexist as it sounds, if taken in the Jungian sense of “eros” versus “ego”, and “anima” versus “animus”. That is, we are all made up of dual personas, and we’d be advised to take into account both of these aspects when creating stories.

Dionysus Versus Apollo

apollodionysusdualityv If you get caught up totally in the “Dionysiac” lust and chaos of pantsering, you might get stuck, and fail to finish or to reach potential. You then must appeal to the “Apollonian” side, relating to “the rational, ordered, and self-disciplined aspects of human nature”.

However, too much planning may stunt your style, especially if you are a creative and imaginative type.

See Wikipedia on this dichotomy of “the struggle between cold Apollonian categorization and Dionysiac lust and chaos“.

One Foot in Both Camps

It is best, if at all possible, to remain with one foot in both camps, like partners in a successful “marriage of equality”, in order to produce a brilliant work of art. That is, start off with one approach, but pay homage to the other at some stage.

For myself, I like to start off as a “pantser”, at least for the first draft, or perhaps up until halfway or three-quarters of the way into the novel. At some stage, I must take an opposite tack, and do what the planners do: Consider where I am going, draw a timeline and ask questions about structure, narrative arc and beginning and end goals. I may even ask some of these questions early on, without, however, following a strict plan.

Passion and Conflict: a metaphor for writing

March 30, 2019 2 comments

Publishing Writing

How to create an ebook in 5 easy steps…

Why design an ebook?

I wanted to include a special offer for new subscribers to my blog. This is called a lead magnet. I decided to create an ebook based on several of my updated blog posts. I chose five favourite posts from this blog, Craft of Writing.

First up I had to write the content for my book, which I did using a microsoft word file. I decided to call the book “An Introduction to Writing Craft.”

The Basic Format for an ebook

Next I had to research the structure of an ebook. The format I chose to follow for this, was a three-part one composed of: 1. An Introduction 2. The Content Chapters 3. A Call to Action.

In the introduction I explain to the reader why I am writing the ebook; I give an overview the contents, and discuss why I have chosen these five posts.

The five content chapters comprise the five chosen posts. The main theme of these chapters is what I like to call the “macro skills” involved in writing a novel. Be advised that this term is one I have appropriated for my own purposes, in order to explain what I see as the two parameters of novel writing. Both parameters are important: Macro issues to do with the whole text, and the micro issues of words, sentence structure and punctuation within the work.

The third CTA chapter was devised so that I could learn from my readers how useful the book is, and how subsequent eBooks might be improved or changed.

I chose a potential picture for the cover of the book. The cover for the ebook became a simple red “default” template.

ancient-typewrite

The Technical Terms

This was my first foray into creating an ebook. I had to teach myself the technical jargon involved, having lost the support of my digital expert friend, due to illness during last year. The first thing I discovered was that some people choose not to distinguish between the two formats: eBooks and PDF files.

PDF stands for “Portable Document Format”, and is the most well-known file type.

EPub stands for “Electronic Publication,” and is up to its 3rd major update. It is the more flexible ebook format. Literally every device can handle ePub, except Kindles.

Ebooks are created in a format that changes shape according to the device you read it on.

Learning Digital Skills

I decided to teach myself, step-by-step, how to produce both files. In fact, I found that the one led on to the other.

The first step in creating my first eBook was to convert the original microsoft word file “An Introduction to Writing Craft” into a PDF file. I had had experience of doing this before, at least with simpler files. So that was quite straightforward.

cover-first-page

The next step was more challenging for me as a novice publisher: Transferring the Pdf file into an ePub file. ebook-cover-on-apple-books

I was ultimately able to do this, only after several failed attempts.

The cover turned out to be a default template, which I decided to go along with at this stage.

I now declare that I am the author and publisher of an eBook entitled An Introduction to Writing Craft, that I have stored on my laptop computer in my Apple Books application. My next step is learning how to share it with subscribers to my blog. Or shall I share the PDF file instead?

March 15, 2019 0 comment

Writing

What is a Scene in a Novel?

Definitions of a Scene

A scene is the smallest unit of narration. It is a story with a beginning, middle, and an end. One editor calls it the DNA of story. Cells of information shape the essence of a narrative, in which characters undertake actions in a vivid and memorable way on the journey toward a compelling goal. Scenes contain all the elements of story telling, such as point of view, voice, vivid characters, plot, and setting.

A long scene might run to more than fifteen pages; a short scene might fill only ten or fewer pages. Some scenes are as short as a couple of pages. Short scenes often make readers hungry for more. But too many long scenes may cause a lack of momentum; too many short ones might seem choppy.

What is a Chapter?

A chapter is comprised of related scenes that are, generally, all working together to make a similar point. Successful plot-based author of thrillers, James Patterson, sometimes writes chapters that are just one scene, and sometimes even just one page long. Think about making a new chapter when the character’s goal in the scene changes, or the direction of the story changes. Deciding how to structure the story is where your creativity comes into play.

Structure of a Scene

Most well-planned novels have some form of broader structure (such as three-act structure or narrative arc) ensuring that everything hangs together. And so it is for a scene. In written narrative such as fiction, section breaks are used to signal various changes in a story, including changes in time, location, point-of-view, character, mood, tone, emotion, and pace. The section break can be considered a transition, similar to a chapter break. It is marked by a space and/or by an asterisk or a fleuron or by other ornamental symbols.

The Part Reveals the Whole

More importantly, scenes must have a distinct function and purpose within the larger narrative arc of your novel. That’s right, you cannot tot up segments, or scenes, without being aware of the potential end product, or purpose of the writing. Think of scenes as being the individual beads strung together on a chain to form a lovely necklace; or lyrical notes to form a beautiful melody.

“To see the world in a grain of sand.” Blake meant by this that even something as minute as a grain of sand tells us about the world at large. Or, to put it another way, the part reveals the whole, by distilling it discreetly, bit by bit, throughout the novel. A scene works to show the reader, at any one time, a part of the character, the plot, the action, and the development. A larger, more intricate picture is revealed by the end of the novel.

Once you have learnt how to show and to tell, in combination, you are on your way to finding a satisfactory structure for your novel and for your scenes.

Questions to Ask Yourself About Each Scene

* What is the goal or purpose for this scene?
* What characters are involved and are they all necessary?
* What is at stake for the protagonist in this scene?
* What is the main conflict in this scene?
* How does this scene further develop my novel’s plot?

The Purpose of the Scene is Key

The purpose of the scene relates to the overall story. It may be to introduce the inciting event, present plot points, build suspense, develop character, show a climax, establish mood, describe setting, intensify conflict, move the story forward, or present the resolution. If you can’t articulate the purpose of a scene, think about removing the scene.

Where does the scene take place? Have I made it easy for the reader to visualize this?

What role does the setting play in how the scene unfolds?

When does the scene happen? Is it in chronological sequence with preceding events? Or is it a flashback? Have you made the scene’s time-frame in relation to the rest of your story clear?

Who is in the scene? Do you need more or fewer characters?

What happens in the scene? What is the scene about?

Why do the characters behave as they do in this scene?

These questions are all related to cause and effect, which is an important aspect for creating narrative drive.

Two Further Metaphors for Novel Structure

Emma Darwin thinks that most of us feel that the chapter is the basic unit, and happily “read” section-breaks or switches of narrator, as joints in a larger whole. She sees a novel as a bridge, with piers and arches, perhaps of different widths and heights, perhaps rising to a crown and down again, which embody the big, stretching strides.

national museum

Another favoured metaphor is a train. “If the major scenes are the carriages, and you write them in full, showy, almost-real-time glory, then the couplings are also crucial: not just the big steel hooks and chains, but the electrics, communications, brakes, platforms, doors and so on. You can’t have one without the other and any railway buff knows that the engineering of the couplings is as fascinating and crucial as any other part of the train.” Darwin trains-carriages

Sarah Domet “Because a scene combines all elements of fiction in harmony with one another, it isn’t just one aspect of craft—it’s all of them put together, artfully and thoughtfully, to achieve the same kind of balance you hope for in that extravagant dish you prepare for your dinner guests.”

cuisine

References:
The Writers Digest Blog: Writers Digest.com
Emma Darwin: This Itch of Writing

February 5, 2019 0 comment

Writing

The Sea Voyage: a metaphor

How to Write a Novel

After gaining a Teaching Certificate in 1965, I embarked on a journey from Australia to England, passing along the Suez Canal shortly before its forced closure by Egypt. My eventual goal was France, following in the footsteps of my older brother, William. I’d saved up my return fare for a berth on the P&O liner S.S. Oriana, a sparkling white vessel known as “the Queen of the Sea”. It was waiting for me to board it at Circular Quay in Sydney on the evening of 31st December, 1965. Along with three other teaching friends, I’d be arriving in Southampton on 24th January, 1966. This marked the beginning of my obsession with writing as I began to document, in a travel journal, my experiences during four years abroad. What I was to discover was that voyaging overseas was a great metaphor for the creative writing life. There were pitfalls for the traveller, like the dangerous rocks, winds and sirens that threatened Odysseus during his earlier travels; as well as great joys, during and at the end of the journey. Much would be experienced and learnt that no one could have taught me.

It’s the same with writing. You might have to experience its joys and downfalls before you figure out properly how to do it yourself. This applies particularly to writing a longer work, such as a novel or a modern memoir. Having been taught by several successful novelists for my postgraduate diploma and Master degree, and having read many “how to” books, I have come to realise certain things. Mainly, that finding a pathway towards publication is a minefield, and takes a great deal of perseverance and a good dose of luck on the part of a beginning author. And that even published writers may not be the most qualified persons to give advice about the craft of novel writing. Like the advice of one well-known author who told me to just “get it down” in segments, and then arrange cards in order to find a plotline and a story. This approach—called by some “pantsering“—may help; it did not help me. One thing that this excellent writer forgot to mention was that he had had mentors—editors and others—to assist in the structuring of a final work when he was writing during earlier decades.

Even Ernest Hemingway, who seems to have been “a natural”, had women and other writers, fawning over him, only too happy to assist him, if not with craft ideas, at least with confidence boosting and secretarial work.

January 13, 2019 0 comment