Posts on Structure
Posted By Vonna on January 18, 2010
All of the sad talk about the current state of the publishing industry can make an aspiring writer wring her hands in dismay, but I would like to take a moment to point out something for which all aspiring writers can be grateful: the many authors, editors and agents who so generously share their knowledge and experience with anyone who takes the time to read their blogs.
As I have mentioned before on this blog and in the comments I’ve left on several other blogs, I have found outlining to be essential to my ability to successfully complete a novel. Something even more important which I’ve never talked about, though, is structure. Without a good structural plan, the outline could still turn into another disastrous sERIESof uNFORTUNATE eVENTS. (I’m listening—I’ll wait for the groaning to die down).
A few wonderful authors out there in Blog Land have posted some excellent tips on creating structure. One which I have found to be true to my own style of plotting is Janice Hardy’s magnanimous posts on The Other Side of The Story, which start with this one: I Love it When a Plan Comes Together, Part One
I loved Janice’s book, SHIFTER, so I was delighted to discover that when I laid her structural plan over the outline for my WIP, it was nearly a perfect match. (I may be rushing my mid-point reversal, though. I’ll have to think about that.)
Over at brian’s blog: writer talk, Brian Yansky has posted his thoughts on structure, outline optional.
Charlotte Rains Dixon, at Word Strumpet, says that structure should be not be imposed on a story until the writer has completed as many “discovery” drafts as it takes to know the story inside out. In her post, Writing Fiction: The Two Nows Structure, she explains how to structure novels where the backstory and the current conflict are presented as distinct narrative arcs, each with its own conflicts, forward movement and mounting action.
In a post titled A New Plot Predicament, R.L. LaFevers blogged about the difficulties of planning structure in a book that involves a lot of traveling, in this case, the fourth book in her Theodosia series.
I know there are many more great posts about structure out there and I would love to read them all. If you can think of any, please let us know about them in the comments. Let us know what structural plans work for you!
Photo Credits: skeleton army: Balloon Artistry ; bag o’ bones: Oriental Trading Company
Vonna, this is a very timely post for me. I’m analyzing the plot progression of a novel that I am many drafts into. I’ll check out some of these links. I’ve been working on the novel for a long time so I do know the story inside and out. Thanks!!
Thanks for this post, Vonna. My last year was spent revising and discovering new approaches to structure, and I’m always happy to find for new ideas to add to my repertoire.
Robin (RL) posts some amazing writing thoughts on her blog. I love stopping by to read it.
And one day I must read SHIFTER!
I need to pay more attention to plot structure! I tend to just write (and rewrite a lot) and hope it all turns out in the end. I’m sure my life could be made easier if I could get organized. Thanks for the links, Vonna!
I was nice to hear from all of you. I hope these links have been helpful. I have continued to read Janice Hardy’s and Brian Yansky’s new posts on this subject and have found their very different approaches interesting.
Vonna, you are turning your blog into a must-read for middle grade and YA writers, as well as everyone else. So much fun to read! So inclusive of everybody. Informative. Colorful. Great pictures. You are using your talents superbly here, and I appreciate the work you are doing. Looks like lots and lots of other people feel the same.
Wow, thanks for the nice comments, Gail. I’m very glad to hear that some of my posts are helpful!