TECH: Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (13)

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Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (13)

Where were we before we fell into the summer doldrums? Ah, yes, muddling through the middles in Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell (nothing to do with Muggles, honestly). That means we're in Chapter 5 and we are about to ARM ourselves for confrontation. Action, reaction, more action. Your lead character needs to be doing something to move the plot along. Plot results from the character taking actions to solve problems trying to gain their goal or desires. So we need a character with an objective and the action towards it, along with opposition, obstacles, problems to overcome.

One of the problems is that often you have characters who are on the same side with similar interests. This can result in lifeless scenes without much interest. To spice them up, you need to add conflict or tension. Maybe the surroundings, or perhaps other characters, can add opposition. However internal tension is probably the strongest driver. All you have to do is think about why the characters would not cooperate. Fear, competition, all those good emotions and motives. Of course, as someone suggested, if things are getting boring, have someone pull a gun. Instant tension.

Write actions and justify them. Remember that the lead character should almost always lose, not attain their desires or their goals, actually end up in a worse situation. Action.

And then reaction. Emotional, but then a commitment to more action.

One of the big problems of act two or the middles is keeping the reader interested. Action, reaction, more action, but what keeps them going? Two big principles: stretch the tension and raise the stakes. Now let's see, Bell has 10 pages about stretching and raising.

Stretching the tension. Step one: set up the tension. What problem has the potential to seriously hurt the character? Step Two: Stretch the physical. Slow down. Put in every detail of action, thoughts, dialogue, and description. What is the worst thing from the outside can happen to your character? What is the worst trouble that your character can get into? Have you provided the setup for the danger for the readers? Step three: stretch the emotional. Show us the roiling emotions and doubts and anxieties. Now what is the worst thing from the inside that can happen to your character? What is the worst information that the character could get? Have we set up the reader to care about the lead character? Make sure that you stretch the big picture and the small details.

Raising the stakes. Always ask yourself "who cares?" What will the lead character lose? Is it important enough? Look at the plot stakes -- the threat to the lead character from the outside. What physical harm can occur, what new forces can come in, and what professional duty or commitments are at stake? Look at the character stakes -- the psychological or personal image damage is involved? How can things get more emotionally wrenching, who does the lead care about that can get caught up in trouble, and are there dark secrets waiting to be revealed? Finally, look at the social stakes. Are the conditions in the society dire? What are the social aspects of the story that could affect the characters, are there large issues that they are dealing with, or are there groups of characters that can line up on sides?

Be mean to your characters. Make lists of things that can go wrong and sort them from least to worst. Most of the time you want trouble to increase as the story moves along. And your readers will want to know what happens.

Okay. There's a couple more pages at least talking about middles, but we'll stop at this point. Arm yourself with action, reaction, and more action. Then stretch the tension. Set it up, and stretch the physical and emotional tension. Finally raise the stakes -- plot stakes, character stakes, or social stakes. Got it?

Write!

TECH: Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (14)

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Originally posted 30 August 2007

Meandering Our Way through Plot and Structure (14)

[darn, I can't remember whether I posted one of these this week or not? Oh, well, if I did, here's a bonus, and if I didn't, here's to catching up!]

And as fall begins, we find ourselves deep in the heart of Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell looking at middles. Not the ones with bellybuttons, but the middles of stories, which often share that unfortunate tendency to flab and drag. But never fear, Bell has pointed out the need for good opposition, adhesive to keep them together, and ARM-- action, reaction, more action. Stretch the tension and raise the stakes. But what do you do when everything starts to drag?

That's today's final part about middles, at least in Chapter 5. How to energize a lethargic middle. Sounds like someone has been eating too much? Here's Bell's list of some points to spark things up:

1. Analyze the stakes, and make sure that the main character will lose something significant if he or she does not achieve his or her objective
2. Strengthen the adhesive -- make sure that the lead  and  the opposition are really stuck together
3. Add another level of complication, just when you thought things were bad, there's one more twist
4. Add another character that makes the Lead's life much more difficult
5. Add another subplot -- use this carefully, since subplots need to be organically related to the main plot, not just tacked on. Romantic subplots, family issues, lurking secrets might work.
6. Push on through the wall. Sometimes the problem is just that you are tired. Keep going. Take some time off, relax, have some fun, and then push ahead again.

Okay, what if the middle really is overweight and bloated? Too much going on and you know that you don't want to write an 800 page brick. Three suggestions:

1. Combine or cut characters, taking two or more characters and turn them into one. Too many allies or too many opponents? Some minor characters may be cute but unnecessary.
2. Absorb a subplot. Tighten it up and make it disappear in the main plot actions. Skip the sidetrips.
3. Trim the dullness. If the scenes aren't full of conflict, the talk doesn't sizzle with tension, and the reaction scenes just keep on going - tighten them up.

Bell ends Chapter 5 with five exercises. The first four focus on your story -- define what your Lead will lose if they don't achieve the objective. Make sure the opposition character is well rounded -- what is admirable about the character, why are they doing bad things, and where are they stronger then the hero? Take a scene that you've written it has conflict or tension, and stretch it. Then look at the stakes -- plot, character, and society -- and raise them to the max.

Finally, number five is to pick a novel that didn't work for you. Now reread it and see if you can figure out how to fix it up. Write a letter to the author suggesting changes -- you don't have to mail it, but really make it a good critique and suggestions for improvement.

Beginnings, middles, what do you think is next? You probably got it right, but I think I'll make you wait until next week when we dive into Chapter 6.

And remember - opposition, glue, ARM, stretch that tension, raise those stakes, and keep that middle tight and tough!

Write?

TECH: Moseying Along Our Way through Plot and Structure (15)

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Moseying Along Our Way through Plot and Structure (15)

Once more we venture into the pages of Plot & Structure by James Scott Bell. We're on page 99, about to start walking through Chapter 6 on endings. Plenty of tricks and tools so far, from the LOCK (lead character, objective, confrontation, and knock out), through a disturbance and two doorways of no return, 20 ways to ideas and the filter of passion/potential/precision, hooking the reader, establishing a bond, and forcing the reader into the middle where we find the opposition, adhesive, ARM (action, reaction, more action), stretching the tension and raising the stakes all before we get to endings. Right now are going to look at endings that knock your readers out.

Your ending needs to do two things. It should feel perfect for your novel, and it should surprise your reader. You have to tie up all your loose ends with a flourish that really isn't predictable. You need a knockout ending. Keep the tension on until the last possible moment, making it look like the opposition is going to win. Then let the lead find the strength to fight back with a knockout blow.

Bell recommends adding the "ah!" and the "uh-oh!" The ah comes with the main action of the story wrapped up, and a final scene where something from the hero's personal life is resolved. A little ray of hope.

Quite a few stories also add a sense of foreboding, the "uh-oh!" This is the hand clawing out of the grave, or the other tiny hint that the resolution isn't quite as solid as the hero thinks.

There are three basic endings, the positive ending where the lead gets his objective, the negative ending where the lead loses his objective, and the ambiguous ending where we aren't quite sure. An ambiguous ending needs to cause strong feelings and feel right. It isn't just that we as writers get to skip the ending, it needs to be positively ambiguous. Now, while I've got you confused about that, let me toss in a couple of variations on positive and negative endings. First, the lead may gain his desire but have a negative result. He gets the job, but finds out that losing friends isn't worth it. Or he may lose his desire, but get something better. He lost the job, but kept his pride and self respect. When the hero is on the horns of a dilemma, sacrifice is one of the options.

How do you get these wonderful endings? Bell suggests that we usually don't start with it, but instead, just write towards a generic ending. But when you get close to the end, sit down and make a list of at least ten alternate endings. This is brainstorming time, do it quick and easy. Bell suggests this should take less than 30 minutes. Then set it all aside and let your back brain work on the problem for a day or so. Come back and pick the top four. Push them out a little bit, see where they would go Set aside a little bit again. Then pick the top surprise, and work it into the ending you had planned. Go back and justify it with clues and foreshadowing planted throughout the novel

Tying up loose ends? Well, yes, the end of the novel usually means the loose ends are tied up. But take a look at the ones you have. Are they crucial or ancillary? Try to pick the ones that your readers really need resolved, and make sure you have the scenes or hints to finish them. For some minor ones, have some character explain it. But for others, you may need to work on scenes. Be cautious about epilogues - you really want to put the climax of your story as close to the end of the novel as possible. Incidentally, Bell suggests that finding loose threads is an excellent job for your first readers - listen to their questions and make sure you tie up those loose threads.

Last page resonance. Your last page should make the ending more than satisfying, it needs to be memorable. I know this is the ending, and you may just want to put it away and send it off, but this is a part of the book where you need to focus. Make sure that the language is the best you can do. Sometimes you can have some particularly telling dialogue, but make sure you have hints of it previously. A bit of description may top off the story with reminders of what has been and what may be. Or there's the hint of the character's feelings, his or her hope for tomorrow, reborn. Be gentle with something like that, don't overstate it. Less is more here.

Avoid the final page rush. Bell suggests giving yourself time to daydream throughout writing the novel, and then making sure you keep up your practice of daydreaming when writing the ending. Also, think big. The ending is where you really want to have big bold writing and thoughts, so go for it. Cutting back is easier than trying to stretch writing that is too timid. Finally, take your time with the ending. If you can, avoid writing it under time pressure. Give yourself some slack so that you can write it, rewrite it, and then fix it up again

We actually got through the chapter on endings. Bell's exercises start with analyzing the last couple of chapters from five novels that you like. What kind of endings do they have? Why do you like that kind of thing? You probably will like to write the same kind of ending that you enjoy reading, so take a good hard look at your preferences. It's

Second, Bell suggests thinking about the ending that you had in mind. Go ahead and try writing the climactic scene. You may not use this, but it least it will help you understand where you're headed and what your characters are doing.

The third exercise is to try dreaming up some alternative endings. Start by making a list of ten one line possibilities. Then pick two or three that seem the most interesting, and sketch them in short summaries of 250 words or less.

Fourth, make a list of the loose ends in your novel. Some writers keep a separate document No matter how you got your list, for each one figure out how you are going to tie them up, through scenes, small plot developments, minor characters talking, or whatever.

So there you have it! Endings, in one posting. Of course, next week we'll come back and take a look at scenes, but hey, we've got an overview of all three parts now, right? Beginnings (with their disturbance), middles (through the first doorway of no return), and endings (through the second doorway of no return into the climax).

So write, already.

EXERCISE: What plot through yonder story breaks?

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Original posting 4 September 2007

Hum. Little or no time, but on another list, I saw a rehash of the famous discussions of how many plots are there (and what good does it do)? Anyway, along the way various folks starting spouting out their "plot skeletons" - the key notions that they use to hang a story by, if you will.

E.g. man against man, man against society, man against nature.

Or maybe:

Rescue the victim
Slay the monster
Find the treasure

boy meets girl
sin and redemption
betrayal and revenge
impersonation
overcoming high odds
quest

There's Polti's list of dramatic elements, there's the 20 masterplots, plenty of plots to go around.

But what are the ones you like to use? If you want to start with one of the big lists, at least highlight the ones that you really feel driven to write about. Or maybe just start from your own heart, and try to sketch out the ones that sing for you right now.

Make a list of . . . say five to ten . . . key plot skeletons for you. Give each one a memorable title, and maybe sketch in the main acts or scenes of the plot. Feel free to share your list with WRITERS (that's us) or keep it close. But consider drawing up a list of the plots you want to use, and when you feel dry, take a glimmer of the news or some such and consider how you might tell those stories again - you'll find that it refreshes both the stories and your juices.

Let the muse play sometimes.
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