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Structuring a Novel; A Brief Excerpt



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Thu Apr 12, 2012 4:52 pm
Satan says...



This is a brief sort-of excerpt from A Guide To Writing Your Novel by Lee Roddy, which is a fantastically helpful book that I highly suggest looking into.

"STRUCTURING A NOVEL

Structure refers to the invisible form of a story that includes a beginning, middle and ending, which certain elements under each of those three parts. Structure can be set up as a paradigm (example or pattern) to assure a strong line of dramatic action. Visually set up a 3-part form that answers these three questions:

1. What must be in the beginning?
2. What must be in the middle?
3. What must be in the ending?

A complete story structure has three supports that can be summarized as Objective, Obstacles and Outcome.

STRUCTURING THE BEGINNING OF YOUR NOVEL: OBJECTIVE

Set Up: Elements needed to start a novel include:

1. A changed situation that ...
2. Sets up a tangible story problem plus an internal personal problem with ...
3. High stakes for an ...
4. Appealing, motivated main character whose ...
5. Tangible objective is to solve the problem and reach his goal.

Story Problem: The situation should cause the tangible problem and pose the story question, "Will the character achieve the tangible objective and solve the problem?" The answer comes at the end and preferably in a way the reader doesn't expect.

As quickly as possible:

    Establish motives
    Introduce an adversary / opponent
    Show conflict in senses of short dialouge.
    Set the protagonist's tangible objective with ...
    Dangers and high stakes.
    Reveal the protagonist's mental / emotional problem (person vs. self).
    Add tension by starting a RAT (race against time) for an ...
    ACE: Anticipated catastrophic event at the end
    Insert a plot point no later than the end of the first chapter.
    Plan other plot points or surprise developments that suddenly spin the story off in an unexpected direction.
    Have the beginning end with the main character's decision to go for the objective.

STURUCTURING THE MIDDLE OF YOUR NOVEL: OBSTACLES

The longest part of a story is the middle, which begins with the main character taking the first action to achieve the tangible goal.

1. This section has rising suspense as the focal chaacter attempts to solve the problem and reach the objective.
2. Conflicts: This requires conflicts with others, with self and the environment, plus confrontations, complications and setbacks.
3. Keep pressure on the main character by thwarting him at almost every turn.
4. Include danger, dramatic scenes (emphasizing the either/or situation), the pending time deadline and looming disaster. Try to work in plot points which surprise the reader and spin the story off in another direction.
5. Although an instigator, not a victim, the protagonist is vulnerable, so give him/her a moment of gloom and self-doubt. However, he/she always tried again because action flows from the focal character's personality.
6. The end of the middle comes with a major plot point leading to a crisis.

STRUCTURING THE ENDING OF YOUR NOVEL: OUTCOME

The last part of a story is fairly short and contains three parts:

1. Crisis, in which the main character's struggles have failed so that it seems impossible to achieve the objective.
2. Climax is the high point of the story where the character is forced to decide between two choices and to act on that choice in a final desperate effort, and
3. Conclusion, showing how the main character snatches victory from defeat, achieves the objective, plus:
    Punishments are meted out.
    Loose ends are tied up.
    The theme is proven.
    The story question is answered.
    There is a character change.
    The story ends on a positive note.
    Readers are satisfied."

Although the 'positive note' ending is up to objection, this excerpt, and the rest of the book, is probably the most helpful this I've ever read, not only because it helped me plan out my novel, but helped give it a coherent plot instead of just a bunch of random scenes jumbled together. Hope it helps y'all, as well.

Cheers,
satan
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Mon Apr 16, 2012 6:58 am
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DudeMcGuy says...



This was helpful Satan, Thank you. I'm new to writing fiction and this seems like it will be a great help in getting me started.

My only questions are about the objective section:

1. The RAT (Race against time). Is this always necessary? The current plot I'm formulating does not have this in any form.

2. The ACE: (Anticipated catastrophic event at the end). Must this be "anticipated" or can I use it as a plot twist later in the book? Do I have to set it up or foreshadow something bad happening "as soon as possible"? Or can I just pull it out of left field to turn the story in a different direction in the middle of the story? (my current plan).

Very informative. Thanks for the post.
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Mon Apr 16, 2012 2:01 pm
Kale says...



1. The RAT (Race against time). Is this always necessary? The current plot I'm formulating does not have this in any form.

Unless you're writing an action/adventure or straight thriller, no. Not all stories require that type of tension, because they have other types of tension to draw off of. If you feel your story doesn't need one, it probably doesn't.

As for catastrophic events, a lot depends on the execution. Foreshadowing is almost always a good idea, so long as it is subtle. When the foreshadowing is done subtly enough, it will feel to the reader like the catastrophic event came completely out of left field until they start thinking about it. If you've foreshadowed well, your readers will be able to go "How did I not see this coming?"

Too little or too subtle foreshadowing reads like laziness on the part of the author. Too much or too obvious foreshadowing kills off the impact of the catastrophic event. It's difficult to find the balance with foreshadowing, but when you do, the results are awesome.
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Mon Apr 16, 2012 5:55 pm
DudeMcGuy says...



Thanks for the clarification Kyllorac. I'm a little worried though that the beginning of my story (first 4 chapters) doesn't have enough tension. I'm using the beginning as mostly background information on the characters. It's kind of a slow build to an exciting middle and end I guess. I'm afraid that I run the risk of boring the readers from the start.
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Mon Apr 16, 2012 7:12 pm
Satan says...



DudeMcGuy wrote:Thanks for the clarification Kyllorac. I'm a little worried though that the beginning of my story (first 4 chapters) doesn't have enough tension. I'm using the beginning as mostly background information on the characters. It's kind of a slow build to an exciting middle and end I guess. I'm afraid that I run the risk of boring the readers from the start.


That actually is probably a very big mistake.
The first thing readers, and the first thing (gasp) editors, read is going to be the beginning, and you definitely don't want to bore them! You'll end up in the slush pile, or back on the bookshelf.

The beginning should be the most exciting part of the book, or among the most exciting. Because that's where you'll hook your reader in.
And info dumping is another mistake, you want to reveal information as you go.
Not to say you shouldn't know anything about the chaarcters, however.

You want readers to ask questions about the character, and have them answered later on in the middle.
But questions such as, "who's this punk?" are the wrong kind of questions.
You want them to ask about the backstory, "why is this punk doing ___?" "what kind of relationship does this punk have with ___?"

Hopefully that, erm...makes sense?

I guess what I'm saying is, you definitely should not info dump. Ever, but especially not in the beginning.
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Mon Apr 16, 2012 10:53 pm
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DudeMcGuy says...



I know what you mean Satan. It definitely makes sense.
I shouldn't have said "background information". What I meant was "character development".

The problem is that my story isn't the type of story that can be extremely exciting right off the bat. I wrote an exciting (at least I think so) prologue that I uploaded here: work.php?id=94743

One of my favorite books (The Lord of the Rings) isn't terribly exciting at all until the middle of the first book. I would even say it drags a bit until the group reaches their first destination. But without reading the first part of their journey the reader would not get a sense of how much scarier/dangerous things are going to get in the rest of the story.

I'm not trying to "info dump" like you said, but I'm building a brand new world/story from the ground up. I'm trying to find a balance between describing/explaining the world, building the characters, and moving the plot along. But I'm finding it to be very, very difficult.

Your post has been very useful though. Thanks again.
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Tue Apr 17, 2012 3:03 am
Rosendorn says...



I believe that trying to cram too much action in the first/second chapter is asking for trouble, because you're actively forcing the story to be a certain way.

My novel, which I've gotten some pretty positive feedback on, doesn't start with action. The action doesn't even hit until late in chapter 1, and it's only one fight scene. Most of it is the character development you mentioned.

The trick is to make it interesting, and that is done through trial and error along with a little creativity. Instead of having readers wonder what the plot's about and figuring out the grand scope of the story, you have the readers wondering about something much smaller, like a move, or a new girl in class, or a news story that's local while the big news story that is the plot simmers in the background, unseen.
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