At the heart of every sequel* is the narrating character’s reaction to the preceding scene’s disaster. This is where you get the opportunity to dig around inside your characters’ emotional and mental processes and find out what they’re really made of. While the scene is about external action, the sequel is about internal reaction. The sequel will sometimes […]
January 20, 2013 by 39 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 7: The Three Building Blocks of the Sequel
The sequel*—the second half of the Scene—sometimes gets shortchanged. But it is every bit as important as the scene, since it allows characters to process the events of the scene and figure out their next move. The sequel is the reaction half of the action/reaction pairing. This is where introspective moments, quiet conversations, and character development occurs. Even though […]
January 16, 2013 by 39 Comments Structuring Your NovelThe Most Annoying Type of Story Conflict
If you’ve been following the series “Structuring Your Story’s Scenes” on my blog, then you probably know we’ve been talking about conflict quite a bit. But there is one aspect of conflict that I haven’t covered—and that is, in my opinion, the most annoying type of conflict an author can inflict upon readers. This is […]
January 13, 2013 by 21 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 6: Variations on the Scene
The great thing about structure is that it provides a solid framework for your story, while still presenting endless possibilities. This is just as true of the Scene* as it is of the larger plot structure that guides your story as a whole. Now that we’ve concluded our exploration of the first part of the […]
January 9, 2013 by 23 Comments Plotting Your NovelUse This Subplot to Bring Depth to Plot-Driven Stories
Subplots are surprisingly misunderstood. Primarily, this is because the best subplots are always natural offshoots of the plot itself. They’re so integral to the plot that they’re basically inextricable from it. Let me start with a basic definition of the subplot: The subplot is a thematically related exploration of a minor part of the protagonist’s […]
January 6, 2013 by 40 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 5: Options for Scene Disasters
The disaster is the payoff at the end of the scene.* This is what readers have been waiting for, often with a delicious sense of dread. This is the answer, at least partially, to that all-important question, “What’s gonna happen?” The final act in the three-part structure of your scene is the outcome. The first […]
December 30, 2012 by 38 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 4: Options for Conflict in a Scene
Once you’ve established your character’s scene* goal, the fun begins in earnest! Conflict is what story is all about. Without it, the characters would achieve their goals in minutes, all the loose ends would instantly be tied off with a pretty red bow, and the story would be happily ever over. That may be nice […]
December 23, 2012 by 29 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 3: Options for Goals in a Scene
The story as a whole and every scene* within it begins with a goal. Your characters want something—something they will have difficulty accomplishing. What they want frames the plot on both the macro and micro levels. What they want defines them, and by extension the theme of the book. The possibilities for scene goals are endless—and […]
December 19, 2012 by 9 Comments CharactersWhat’s the Most Important Moment in Your Character Arc?
Character and change. This is what story is all about. You take a handful of people and you force them onto a journey that will change them forever, usually for the better. This is character arc. If your characters are following a Positive Change Arc, they will start out less-than-fulfilled, perhaps even personally stunted. They […]
December 16, 2012 by 26 Comments Structuring Your NovelStructuring Your Story’s Scenes, Pt. 2: The Three Building Blocks of the Scene
Like story itself, each Scene* follows a specific structure. In fact, the arc of a Scene is a miniature version of the larger story structure exhibited over the course of the book: 1. Beginning=Hook 2. Middle=Development 3. End=Climax When we look at the arc this way, it makes a basic sort of sense. It doesn’t, […]
