Fiction in Baby-Bites~TWO

Lay Out the Bones

I say in my writing workshops that the plot of a story is the skeleton--the bones without the details. The plot keeps the writer on track. Some writers claim that they don't plot, but they probably do, even if it's not down on paper. They have at least a general idea of where they're going. If a writer doesn't know where she's going, how will she know when she gets there?

Some writers make a formal outline, the kind you learn to do in English class. Others use a type of outline called webbing. I know writers who simply list the book's chapters and tell what main event happens in each. Experiment and find out what works best for you. Keep it as simple as possible.

Mark the High Points

Somewhere early in your story, plot an inciting incident, also called a catalyst. This event launches your main character (protagonist) on his adventure. It's an event that changes everything. Life is normal. Then...BANG! Something happens. Does a parent die? Does the MC discover a caged tiger in the woods? Perhaps he finds a peculiar square egg. Maybe the MC's family decides to become Amish. The action of the story will in some way reflect back, or be the result of, this incident.

Considering the inciting incident, what does your protagonist want more than anything in the world? He may desire several things, but what's the biggie--the one he's willing to take risks for? Once you know that, the story becomes a focused quest Who or what is working against this goal? Is it a person or a group of people? Or is it an internal conflict, something inside himself that keeps saying, "You can't do it. You're not smart enough. You're not strong enough, You're not popular enough. You're not [fill in the blank] enough!" The conflict may also come from nature or some fantastical being.


At some point very near the end of your story, the MC will reach the climax, the high point of the plot, that spot where it's do or die, where he must overcome the big problem--the source of the main conflict--against all odds. Think of your plot as a mountain. The climax is the tip-top of that mountain. But prior to reaching that point, other problems occur at strategic spots up the incline, each one a little worse that the last. I know. You want to protect your protagonist. You don't want to see him get hurt. As one writer told me early in my fiction writing journey, "You've got to beat up your darlings." If nothing bad, hurtful, or disappointing ever happens to him, you don't have much of a story. He must overcome.


Following the climax is the descending action and resolution. Loose ends are tidied up. As the writer, you get to decide whether or not the protagonist fully reaches his main goal. It's okay to leave the reader wondering or speculating based on the information you've given. Readers' interest begins to wane after the climax, so don't drag out the last part. Leave them wishing the story were longer.


Any questions or comments? As always, I love to hear from you.


Write on!
Because of Christ,
Miz Sharon



 

Fiction in Baby-Bites~ONE

Hook 'em! Hook 'em good!

Your BFF loves your story idea. Your dad's convinced you're a literary protégé. Grandma's boring her friends at the senior center with stories of your prowess with a pen. You have a plot. You know what's going to happen in the story--kinda, sorta. Now it's time to put that golden pen to the paper (or, more likely, those pink little fingertips to the pc keyboard) and write.

Where to begin. That's the real question. Some smart aleck might say, "At the beginning." That's not the best answer, Mr. Aleck. The beginning can be really boring, full of back-story explanation and description. You can work that in bit by bit later on, but first  hook that reader. Make 'em care. Propel them to read on.

One way to get the job done
 is to plunk them down smack-dab in the middle of the action. (The fancy, writerly term for that is in medias res. That means "in the middle of things. It's Latin.) In other words, something important already has happened. Something so big, the life of the main character (MC) will never be the same.

"How do I write something like that?" you ask. I heard you. Check out first lines and first paragraphs of good books, books that have won awards, books that you really like.

Consider these:

"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." Now, that one's from my all-time favorite author: God, a.k.a. Yahweh, etc. Doesn't that line just grab you by the throat? It's simple, easy to understand, and to the point. It makes readers ask, "Then what?" He goes on to tell the then what. The Book is hundreds of pages long, but it's so captivating that we have to read on. What big thing happens? Everything is created by the Book's MC, and nothing will ever be...nothing again.

Here's another:

"Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids." In medias res. The world's at war. The children are in danger from air-borne bombs, and they have to leave all they've ever known, all that's familiar. 

And another:

"That morning, after he discovered the tiger, Rob went and stood under the Kentucky Star Motel sign and waited for the school bus just like it was any other day." We guess that Rob is the MC, and though the line is delivered in a mundane way, a boy's discovering a tiger somewhere near a school bus stop is extraordinary. So then what happens? As a reader, that line hooked me--hooked me good. The book lived up to the promise delivered in that first line. BTW, the author's work has won many awards. 

And:

"'Christmas won't be Christmas without any presents,' grumbled Jo, lying on the rug." What has happened? We don't know yet, except that this Jo is facing a giftless Christmas. (Can she ever endure such horror?)

Finally: 

"My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog." Is there a big change in the MC's life? Oh, yeah! Will anything ever be the same? Probably not. Is it a good hook line? Uh-huh. Good enough to entice some film producers to turn the award-winning book into one of my favorite movies. Do you know what it is?

It's your turn. 

• Check out the hook lines of some of your favorite books. Choose the three you like the best, click "Comments," and tell us all.
• You know the first Book I've mentioned above is the Bible. The others are from what books? If you think you know, click "Comments," and show how brilliant you are.

Read on! Write on!
Because of Christ,
Miz Sharon

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