Creative writing - Mike Sanders 2014
Understanding novel story and plot
The longer story: The novel
Long-form genres
In this chapter
· Perfecting novel story and plot
· Writing the scene and summary
· Using backstory and flashback in longer stories
· Working with prosody
Writing a novel seems like a big undertaking, and it is. But there are some things you can consider to help demystify it a bit. Like all books, at the most basic level, writing a novel involves just three steps:
1. Planning—this is where you work out what you want to say (in note form).
2. Writing—here, you transform the plan into prose and dialogue.
3. Revising—finally, you polish the words until they shine.
If you’re serious about succeeding as a novel writer, you need to take your time and start at very beginning. If you’re willing to work as hard as it takes for as long as it takes—without forgetting to enjoy yourself along the way, of course—it’s certainly within your power to write a novel. As with so many things in life, success in writing has less to do with talent and more with attitude and discipline.
First and foremost, you need to decide why you want to write fiction at all. Making money from writing is not a bad motivation, but it involves a fair amount of luck and there are much better ways to ensure you look forward to working on your novel every day. Other tasks here include getting organized (both in terms of paperwork and time) and learning how to harness your inner creativity for the long haul.
An important aspect of learning how to write a novel is adopting a professional attitude. Forget all your romantic ideals of what being a writer is like; selling a novel to a publisher is a business proposition. What does that mean for you? It means that, to stand the best chance of success, you need to know right from the outset where your book will eventually sit in the marketplace.
IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
In thinking about the marketplace and your novel, look at novels that possess similar content and, if possible, writing styles to what you have in mind for your own.
Before you can plan, of course, you need an idea. Some people will tell you that good novelistic ideas are difficult to come by. I respectfully disagree. In fact, I believe most writers face the opposite problem—not having enough time to turn every idea they have into a novel.
No two people will approach writing a novel the exact same way, so you should feel free to adapt your novel writing process to what works for you. For example, some writers like to plan their fiction in extensive detail before they turn to the business of drafting and revising it. Other writers get by on virtually no planning at all, or even zero planning. They come from the “seat of the pants” school of writing.
Which way is best? There’s no absolute right answer. If a particular way of writing fiction that works for you, use it. But if you’re unsure what approach to take, I would suggest you plan your novel in as much detail as you can stand before you write the first draft.
Because planning a long work of fiction in detail is such a large task—not to mention a potentially confusing one—the best way to tackle it is to break it down into smaller parts. For the purposes of this chapter, we’ll look at story and plot, scene and summary, backstory and flashback, and prosody.
According to writers’ agents, most novels are rejected because of weak craftsmanship, and you are far, far more likely to write a well-crafted novel if you take the time and trouble to plan it in some detail first. Knowing where to start and how to keep on going right to the end is something many beginners need to know.
Understanding novel story and plot
People tend to use the words plot and story interchangeably, and it’s easy to think of them as the same thing. It’s astonishing how many successful authors don’t grasp the difference. Sure, some of them apply one or the other intuitively without knowing they’re doing it, but plenty more don’t—and their work shows it.
The plot is what happens to your protagonist, and the story is how your protagonist changes inside as a result of the plot. By keeping these two words separate and carefully using them only when you mean the physical (plot) or the emotional (story), you can bring a whole new level of clarity to everything you write.
Another way to think of plot and story is in terms of action and reaction. Some action happens (plot), and your character reacts to it (story). In fact, a novel is nothing more than a repeating series of actions and reactions.
Now that you understand the difference between these two tools, it’s easy to see how you can use plot and story continuously throughout your novel. Plot is action, so if things are dragging, add more of plot. But if things are moving too fast, add more story to slow them down. Plot and story work together to keep your novel on pace.
Some novels might be mostly plot—think Clive Cussler adventure stories, for example. Some novels might be mostly story—think Jane Austen. But all novels alternate back and forth, regardless of the emphasis. A successful novel needs plenty of both.
The constant resonance between story and plot creates the dramatic tension you’ll need to maintain throughout your story. This is what keeps your readers on the edge of their seats. Without an emotional reaction, a plot development will have no effect on your reader. And without plot developments, your characters—and your reader—will have no motivation.
So when you devise your story, think of it first in emotional terms. What are your characters feeling? What are they thinking? What are their inner struggles? But don’t stop there. Story cannot exist without plot to carry it on its way. How will you show what your characters feel? What will express their thoughts? What will reveal their inner struggles?
IDEAS AND INSPIRATION
As you develop your plot, remember to test every moment of physical action for its emotional value. If an event ends up having little or no emotional value, you should find something better.
The plot you devise depends on the story you want to tell, and the story you want to tell determines your plot options. It’s astonishing how much published mainstream fiction lacks a story. This is particularly true of Hollywood movies, but we can easily find the problem in both television and in bookstores.
Every James Bond movie begins with some spectacular stunt. In one—it really doesn’t matter which—Bond and Jaws plunge from an airplane with only one parachute between them. After a dramatic midair struggle, Bond ends up with the parachute, and Jaws ends up as tomato soup.
It’s an exciting way to start a movie. The problem is, it’s completely uninteresting from an emotional standpoint. We haven’t even met Bond’s character yet in the movie. And if we had, we’d find him shallow (unlike Ian Fleming’s books, in which Bond’s personality is more fully developed). Unless you have a decent memory and regularly watch Bond films, you might not even recall who Jaws is from a previous movie. This is also why any moderately handsome male actor can play James Bond. Because it’s all plot, and you don’t really care about Bond the person—although his gadgets, combat decisions, and sex partners might hold your attention ….
On the other hand, when tears stream down the character’s face, you are revealing story (emotion) through plot (action). Readers will be moved by the story, not the plot. And they will remember the experience and want to repeat it. Meanwhile, a plot device—no matter how spectacular—is only spectacular the first time we encounter it. That’s why each Bond film needs to start with a stunt more spectacular or clever than the last.
Of course, in a novel, you could make the opposite mistake, spending all your time in your character’s head, with nothing exciting happening in the physical world. A lot of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight books suffer from this problem.
It might surprise you to discover that plot comes second. It’s much easier to construct a solid story and then add plot details that make sense than it is to construct a series of events and then try to find rational reasons why people would behave that way. After all, some action we could dream up might have no logical explanation at all and then we’d be stuck!
The difference between plot and story is essential knowledge for successful writing. Once you understand that, it’s time to create your main character and send him or her on both a physical and an emotional journey.