Birth Pangs of Story
We've heard so much about plot; The three-act play, Vogler's The Hero's Journey, Valerie Parv's plot chart that resembles snakes and ladders, and others. I studied all these with anticipation, determined to get a grasp on plot, determined to plot the best book ever. But my confusion only grew. It was like parenting—the more you learn, the more you realize you don't know. But I learned a number of things. First, no one method works for everyone. In fact, I find no one method works for me. It seems every story demands a different approach. Second, I've come to feel that plot is the end result of a bunch of other stuff.
I want to use the idea of creating a baby as the allegory for creating a story. We know some babies, as with some stories, happen by accident, while others take effort and planning. But for all, the process takes certain developmental steps: conception, in utero development, labor, delivery and finally, the baby. In writing, I like to think of it as:
- Conception (idea)
- In utero development (the process of developing an idea or creating a plot)
- Full term (the creation of an outline or synopsis)
- Labor (the writing of the story), and finally,
- Delivery of your baby (your story)
This article will hopefully show you how to go from conception to full term of your story. The labor and delivery will be dealt with in other articles.
CONCEPTION/IDEA
I believe there is one good book in everyone. Perhaps that's all you want to write— that one book that has haunted your thoughts and dreams for years. But if you want to write more than one bock, if you plan to meet deadlines, come up with fresh ideas, then you need to learn about ideas. Ideas are the basic unit of writing. There are two types of ideas:
The Inside Idea: I believe within all of us there is creative talent. Nicolas Sparks in The Notebook has one of his characters say to the other, "You have a talent that comes from inside you, from your heart, not from your fingers. What you have can't ever go away. It's what other people only dream about, Allie."
For painters, it reveals itself in painting; for homemakers, in attractive, gourmet meals; for others, in knitting, dancing, sewing, writing letters, gardening. For those of us who have chosen to write, our creative talent seeks writing as an outlet. Inside ideas can come full-blown, ready to put to paper. Others come as thoughts almost too fleeting to grasp—a dream, a half-sleeping dream, a reaction to something around you—nature or others interacting.
Our inside ideas can be called instinct, intuition, an unsettled feeling. My point is there are ways to develop that inside muse. There are books on how to do it. But before I give you just a few suggestions, let me talk about the other type of idea.
THE OUTSIDE IDEA:
I've heard it said that ideas are floating around like dust in the universe. If one comes our way and we don't capture it, it moves on to someone else. These are outside ideas. We need to learn to be observant for them. Roger Van Oech, a creative consultant, gives this advice in his book, A Whack on the Side of the Head. "Develop the hunter's attitude, the outlook that wherever you go, there are ideas waiting to be discovered." Don't let these freebies go to waste. When you hear a good bit of dialogue, or observe something fresh, when you see a woman touching her child in a different way that reflects her love, whatever—pay attention. Write it down. Kids are great to observe. Conversations on a bus are great to listen to. People in the airport are great to watch,
How to Generate Ideas
Ways that work for me particularly for inside ideas:
• Go for a walk—long enough to get rid of the garbage floating about in my mind. Slow enough to be soothing.
• Lie down. Now I know this won't work for everyone, but for me it's perfect because all my life I've put myself to sleep by making up stories in my head, so my mind automatically shifts into the story-telling mode. If I could design the ideal office, it would have a lovely chintz-covered chaise lounge for this specific purpose.
• Do something so mindless your brain shifts gears in self-defense—repetitive tasks such as picking peas, riding a lawn mower, ironing, driving.
• Get sensory stimulation—a day in the mountains, coffee at Tim Horton's, a few hours at the airport.
And for outside ideas:
• Actively look for ideas. They are everywhere—magazines, TV, movies. Train yourself to be observant.
Keeping Ideas:
• A notebook/writer's journal
• Index cards
• A file folder
Resource Books:
• Brenda Ueland, If you Want to Write
• Natalie Goldberg, Writing Down the Bones
• Henriette Anne Mauser, Writing On Both Sides of the Brain
• Julie Cameron, A Writer's Way
Now let's assume you have an idea or preferably several ideas. You know a bit about your characters and their situations. You have done a little brainstorming so you know have at least an inkling of a story. Think of these ideas as the seed of your plot (the egg and sperm). Now what do you do? You're ready for the next step.
IN UTERO DEVELOPMENT
•DEVELOPING THE IDEA:
You have to answer the questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? You have to sort out the elements of your story so you can put them together in a logical fashion. I don't need to point out what would happen to your poor baby if it were put together haphazardly. Some will say they need to know the character first. Some will say they need the story or plot first. Some will say, like me, that nothing works the same for the work in progress as worked for the last project. But what I can say is that much of this develops simultaneously even as the baby's parts develop simultaneously. It doesn't matter what you focus on at the moment, or if you go back and forth from one section to another. Whatever works. Whatever gets you moving.
Who:
• You can do character charts. These are available in almost every writing book, and also on various sites on the Internet. Print them out and use them in whatever way works for you.
• You can interview you character.
• You can have the character write a journal. My name is _______ and I always thought ____.
• You can have another character tell you about the character you are developing.
• If you know the conflict or premise of your story, have the character do a job application to be the heroine/hero.
But if you say, as I regularly do, that you can't see the character until you see her in action, then switch to developing another aspect of the story. Remember, a baby develops in all areas simultaneously.
Look at one of the many plot models and see if you have any ideas. Perhaps though, you are like me, and can't deal with those models just yet. Be more basic.
Consider story idea. Come up with a sentence summary of the story. For instance, a woman is left as guardian of a baby, but an uncle shows up and claims it. There are several story questions in books that are good to use. Dwight Swain in Techniques of a Selling Writer, uses this Story Model:
1. Character
2. Situation
3. Objective
4. Opponent
5. Disaster
He suggests we put these elements together in two sentences:
Sentence 1—a statement containing situation, character and objective.
Sentence 2—a question containing opponent and disaster, framed so yes or no can answer it.
Example:
Sentence 1—When humans suddenly begin to grow to twelve-foot heights, John Sturm tries to find out why. Sentence 2—but can he defeat the traitors in high places who want to kill him in order to make the change appear to be the result of an extraterrestrial plot?
Perhaps that is still illusive. Go in a different direction.
Consider plot. The romance novel has actually three plot lines:
EXTERNAL PLOT—comes from setting/circumstances
INTERNAL PLOT—comes from character
ROMANCE PLOT—comes from relationship
Here I make my big confession: I TOO OFTEN I DWELL ON THE INTERNAL CONFLICTS AND THE RELATIONSHIP AND FORGET ABOUT THE EXTERNAL PLOT. We resist change so we need something to change us. External plot drives the characters and forces them to change. This is where the clearly definable goal -that can be answered yes or no comes in. I may not be ready to answer this yet, but I need to start thinking about a measurable goal. Will our heroine be able to keep the baby she has promised her friend to raise? Are you thinking of some story events now? Pursue this line or go back to character.
Who IS your character? Why is this her story? What does she have to gain or lose? What is her journey? Perhaps from fear to courage, controlling to trusting, alienation to reconciliation. How does she change or grow through the events of the plot? What is her ro!e in this story? What is her goal? What will she gain or lose if she achieves or fails to achieve this goal? Use this sentence as a guide:
(Protagonist's name) is on a journey from (something internal) to (something internal) and the way she gets there is through (doing something in external plot).
For example, Ellen is on a journey from betrayal to reconciliation and the way she gets there is through discovering the secret identity of the stranger who arrives in town.
What is her greatest strength? Have her tell you in her own words. Have a friend describe her. "Maggie thinks she can solve every problem in life by sheer stubbornness BUT she doesn't realize sometimes she has to let go in order to win a fight." Or Maggie's stubbornness makes her blind to danger. Consider some problems that might arise from her strengths and the backside of the strength—her weaknesses. Are you beginning to see some problems, some conflicts, and some events?
Events:
Scenes are made of events. Events showcase character; they reveal conflict; they advance plot. An event according to Alicia Rasley:
1. Really happens (not a thought or internal dialogue) in REAL SPACE.
2. Really happens (not a dream or a flashback or a memory) in REAL TIME.
3. Has an effect on the plot with REAL CONSEQUENCES.
Invent events—real things, real time, and real effects that show what is happening, affect the plot, and affect the character.
Consider plot again:
Can you think of a beginning, a middle and an end, always remembering, the harder we are on our characters, the more they are forced to reevaluate their beliefs, the more they are forced to change, and the better the reader likes it. Can you think of beginning, middle, and end for the external plot as well as the romance?
Perhaps this is the time to think about plot cards. By putting events on cards, you can shift them around, lay them out, and see where you are going. This is a great tool and worth considering. It might work for you. Or not.
Remember, at this stage everything is disposable. If your character needs to be strong, make her strong. If she is afraid of losing control, have the hero be a laid-back sort of guy. Make your characters suffer. Make them cry. Make them laugh. Challenge her self-concept.
Now can you answer some of the story questions? Can you fill in more of the blanks in the plotting chart? If you can't, don't worry. Go back to character and find out more about who she is. Go back to the external plot and beef it up.
How long do you continue this process? Until you can arrange your plot in order—beginning, middle, end. Until you can identify the major plot points, pivotal scenes. Until you can answer the questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How? Until you can formulate a story question.
Can you identify these points in your plot?
ACT I
1. Set-up and Initiating Event
ACT II
2. External conflict emerges
3. Antagonist shows up
4. Conflict rises
5. The reversal
6. Point of no return
ACT III
7. Crisis
8. The dark moment
9. Climax
10. Resolution
If you have done your work, you should now have a full term baby with all his parts in place and all his organs functioning or the complete story with well-developed characters and a working plot. You now have all the elements for the synopsis or outline.
Sound easy? It's not. At least it's not for me. Every time I begin plotting a new book I feel like I'm trying to swim in peanut butter. But seeing it as a process, and the synopsis or plot as the result helps. Again, there are many models you can follow in creating a synopsis. You can find them in writing books and on line. For myself, I have a working synopsis that tells ME how to write the story. I also have a marketing synopsis—the one I send to the editor that showcases the story.
Have fun making and growing your baby.
Recommended Books and Courses:
Any of Alicia Rasley's courses.
Books:
• Robert McKee's Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwrittng
• Vanessa Grant's Writing Romances
• Robert J. Ray's The Week-end Novelist
• Vaierie Parv's The Art of Romance Witing
• Colleen Reece's Writing Smarter not Harder
• Carolyne Greene's Prescription for Plotting
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