How to Write a Brilliant Novel: The Easy Step-By-Step Method of Crafting a Powerful Story (Go! Write Something Brilliant) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Susan May Warren
Tags: Fiction, General Fiction, Reference, Writing, Writing; Research & Publishing Guides, Writing Skills
loyalty to country.
Turn your statement into a question and make it specific to your character , and thus, to the reader.
Does love end at death, or is it possible to follow the “body” of your loved one, unknown to you, by a sort of cosmic fate? Is it possible to know someone through outside analysis, enough to predict their movements and decision?
The answer to these questions will be portrayed through the drama and the plot of your story. Your characters shouldn’t have to explain your story at the end. They should be showing the answer.
Every author should identify their Story Question at some point in their story, and definitely before they pitch to an editor. Sometimes I don’t discover my Story Question until half-way through writing the story, and then I have to go back and adjust everything. So I definitely encourage you to find your Story Question before you get too far into your manuscript. Print your Story Question out and post it on your computer. It will be essential when you develop your synopsis and query letter, so fix your Story Question firmly in your mind.
"You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ask:
What are some of your favorite movies and can you define their Story Question?
What is your novel’s Story Question?
So now you what kind of book you’re writing, and you know the Big Picture, or Story Question. However, regardless, of which genre you’re writing, all plots have the same foundational elements. So, let’s take a closer look at the basics of a plot.
THE BASIC PLOT
Because I’m a gal who loves lists, I’ve come up with an acrostic to help you keep your plot straight. And, hey, let’s have a little fun and dance our way through discovery.
The Lindy Hop
Every book has a three-act structure, with the first being the introductory and set-up, the middle being the “guts” and the final act being the “glory,” or Big Finale. Here’s how it breaks down. I promise, we’ll go through all these in more detail as we get deeper into Discovery.:
Act 1: Lindy Hop
Life or Normal World – This is the world in which your character normally lives. Their challenges, their status quo. Sometimes this is a chapter long, maybe longer, although more and more, it’s shortening to the first few pages. It gives us a glimpse of their regular life.
Inciting Incident – Something happens. Some writing classes call it the trigger, or ignition. But it’s the first blip in their world, big or small, that will change it and set them on the course of their journey.
Noble Quest – The effect of theInciting Incident is to start a quest. In the case of an unpleasant Inciting Incident, the quest is to return to the normal world. In a positive Inciting Incident, the quest is to increase that pleasure. In either quest, the hero must recognize what’s at stake. The higher the stakes, to person, family, community, country, or world, the bigger the story, the broader the reader base.
Act 2:
Disappointment s – These are the obstacles and conflicts the hero encounters; even positive events can rumple the advancement of the plot. It may be caused by a revelation of information, or because of a choice, or because of outside forces. But the Disappointment has to contain two elements:
Unexpectedness – Don’t foreshadow the surprise too much or you will disappoint your reader.
Plausibility – It has to be in the bounds of credibility.
Y in the Road – Or “What am I going to do now?” Every character reaches a point where they have to make a choice about their actions. Do they quit? Is it worth the cost? Do they go forward? Often, the best stories include two equally worthy choices, and the character is forced to choose between external goals and internal goals. (We’ll get to this.) Their choice, however, will spark new conflicts, and at some point they reach the point of no
Turn your statement into a question and make it specific to your character , and thus, to the reader.
Does love end at death, or is it possible to follow the “body” of your loved one, unknown to you, by a sort of cosmic fate? Is it possible to know someone through outside analysis, enough to predict their movements and decision?
The answer to these questions will be portrayed through the drama and the plot of your story. Your characters shouldn’t have to explain your story at the end. They should be showing the answer.
Every author should identify their Story Question at some point in their story, and definitely before they pitch to an editor. Sometimes I don’t discover my Story Question until half-way through writing the story, and then I have to go back and adjust everything. So I definitely encourage you to find your Story Question before you get too far into your manuscript. Print your Story Question out and post it on your computer. It will be essential when you develop your synopsis and query letter, so fix your Story Question firmly in your mind.
"You don't write because you want to say something; you write because you've got something to say."
F. Scott Fitzgerald
Ask:
What are some of your favorite movies and can you define their Story Question?
What is your novel’s Story Question?
So now you what kind of book you’re writing, and you know the Big Picture, or Story Question. However, regardless, of which genre you’re writing, all plots have the same foundational elements. So, let’s take a closer look at the basics of a plot.
THE BASIC PLOT
Because I’m a gal who loves lists, I’ve come up with an acrostic to help you keep your plot straight. And, hey, let’s have a little fun and dance our way through discovery.
The Lindy Hop
Every book has a three-act structure, with the first being the introductory and set-up, the middle being the “guts” and the final act being the “glory,” or Big Finale. Here’s how it breaks down. I promise, we’ll go through all these in more detail as we get deeper into Discovery.:
Act 1: Lindy Hop
Life or Normal World – This is the world in which your character normally lives. Their challenges, their status quo. Sometimes this is a chapter long, maybe longer, although more and more, it’s shortening to the first few pages. It gives us a glimpse of their regular life.
Inciting Incident – Something happens. Some writing classes call it the trigger, or ignition. But it’s the first blip in their world, big or small, that will change it and set them on the course of their journey.
Noble Quest – The effect of theInciting Incident is to start a quest. In the case of an unpleasant Inciting Incident, the quest is to return to the normal world. In a positive Inciting Incident, the quest is to increase that pleasure. In either quest, the hero must recognize what’s at stake. The higher the stakes, to person, family, community, country, or world, the bigger the story, the broader the reader base.
Act 2:
Disappointment s – These are the obstacles and conflicts the hero encounters; even positive events can rumple the advancement of the plot. It may be caused by a revelation of information, or because of a choice, or because of outside forces. But the Disappointment has to contain two elements:
Unexpectedness – Don’t foreshadow the surprise too much or you will disappoint your reader.
Plausibility – It has to be in the bounds of credibility.
Y in the Road – Or “What am I going to do now?” Every character reaches a point where they have to make a choice about their actions. Do they quit? Is it worth the cost? Do they go forward? Often, the best stories include two equally worthy choices, and the character is forced to choose between external goals and internal goals. (We’ll get to this.) Their choice, however, will spark new conflicts, and at some point they reach the point of no
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