by Charlene Teglia | Jul 26, 2006 | Uncategorized
Picking up from the previous entry on structure, it’s important not to confuse structure with process. Everybody goes about process in their own way. Some people use plotting boards, some people create elaborate collages, some use 3×5 cards, some people use diagrams and fill out sheets on characters and goals, motivation and conflict. It goes on and on. When it comes to process, the only thing that matters is whether or not it works for you.
My process is 90% unconscious. Most of the activity in our brains goes on below the surface. Doesn’t mean it’s not thinking, it just means it’s not conscious thought. What does this mean? It means I couldn’t fill out those sheets or diagrams or build a plotting board, but other than that, it doesn’t mean anything.
Here’s an example; math class. I used to have a horrible time showing my work in math class, because I could often arrive at the right answer but by using a different method than the one we were supposed to be demonstrating. I got there, the answer was right, I just did it a different way. In some cases, I could point to the right answer and have no idea why it was right. I just knew it was.
What matters with a story is that you get there in the end, not what method you use. Compare story structure to building a house. You need to know your lot size (length of story) and how big a building you can fit into that space. If you have a tiny lot, forget putting a 3-car garage in your plans. You don’t have the space.
I talked about things like turning points and reversals in the previous post, which may have made unconcious kinds of writers whimper and curl up in a ball, but here’s a secret. You don’t have to know what your big reversal or your turning points will be until you get there. You do need to know that you need them. In building terms, you don’t need to know what kind of doors will be used, just that there needs to be space for them. You need to know the building code and the basic things your building has to have. Walls, roof, foundation. If you know the structural requirements, you’ll end up with a solid story in the end, no matter what process you use.
I used to worry a lot about the fact that I couldn’t draw an elaborate blueprint in advance. Just a general one that covered the basics. But I made peace with my process a long time ago and I accept it for what it is and how it works for me. It works, that’s the bottom line. I do end up with characters who have goals and motivations and conflicts. I do end up with turning points and reversals and three acts that contain all the things they need to contain to accomplish their structural purposes. I end up with a completed story that makes sense and that’s what matters. And it works every time.
So if you don’t know every detail of your story in advance, don’t panic. Trust your storytelling brain to know what needs to be there, and go write. Of course, if plotting boards or GMC charts or whatever else work for you, by all means do that.
by Charlene Teglia | Jul 25, 2006 | Uncategorized
So several months ago Ellen asked me to blog about writing short, and I did, but I thought I’d revisit the topic with a more concrete example, using my current project Night Music.
Night Music will be 12K finished. I don’t like how the chapters are breaking currently, so I’m going to rearrange it at 6 chapters of 2K each. That’s more organization than structure, but it’s a beginning point.
I use the 3-act plot structure, which means I need to organize the first 4K (2 chapters) to introduce the main characters, the central conflict, the setting, and so on. Establish who and what the story is about, where and when it takes place. The next 4K will develop the characters and the conflict introduced in the first act and lead to a reversal. The final 4K will include final conflict and resolution and wind up all the threads to conclude the story.
With a story of this length you really only need one major reversal, but I like to end chapters on a turning point, which keeps the tension high and the pages turning. So. When I go to put a project together I will have this kind of map of the final product, what goes in which act, average chapter length so I can pace it to move towards a turning point, average length of each act so I can pace each piece of the puzzle.
When I finish each act, I read over and do my fixes and brush it up, flesh out anything that needs more detail, more impact. After I finish the second act, I’ll go back over the first two acts, and then through the whole when I finish the third act. This is a good way to make sure that no important points from the first act fail to develop in the second or resolve in the third and it means when I’m done, I’m really done. I’ll do a final read-through and make any fixes I spot, but I’m essentially done when I reach the end.
That’s more process than structure, but I thought I’d throw it in there. Also, since I tend to write out of order I’ll often discover something in the second act I should have introduced or built up in the first act and I’ll have to go back and layer that in.
In a story of this length the conflict can’t be anything too complicated to fully resolve. If you’re contemplating starting a short story or novella, make sure the idea isn’t something on the scale of Star Wars or there’ll be trouble when you try to make it fit the length. Another trick is to keep the cast of characters tight and scaled down. Protagonist, antagonist, ally, for instance. A romance needs a hero and heroine, and any additions need to be few and given little space. Otherwise it’ll be very hard to contain the story to the short length.
Structure is pretty important in something this short because there’s no room to get off-track. I think structure is always important, but it really, really shows in a short piece.
With my structure laid out, I like to have my playlist to work to. For Night Music, my playlist is: Behind the Walls of Sleep, The Smithereens, Possum Kingdom, The Toadies, and A Little Night Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
And that’s how I write short. Not much different from how I write long, except I’ll be done a lot faster.
by Charlene Teglia | Jul 25, 2006 | Uncategorized
Books finished in last 3 days of heat wave:
1. Fear Nothing, Dean Koontz. The way this ended set it up for more books and my husband told me there were more Christopher Snow stories, so I looked it up; the next two books are Seize the Night and Ride the Storm. I will be acquiring those ASAP because I must know what happens at Moonlight Bay.
Short summary: Christopher Snow has a genetic condition which makes him vulnerable to sunlight. He discovers with his father’s death that the world around him is full of things that go bump in the dark and somehow they’re linked to him. Genetic experiments on both animal and human residents of Moonlight Bay have escaped from the lab. Anything more would be serious spoiler territory, but this book is worth reading just for Mungojerrie, the super intelligent cat. Since I am a fan of T.S. Eliot’s Book of Practical Cats, I’m delighted that Mungojerrie returns in the following books.
2. The Red Heart of Jade, Marjorie M. Liu, 3rd Dirk & Steele book. This is a terrific series. If you love paranormal action romance and you haven’t read these books yet, what are you waiting for? Grab Tiger Eye and Shadow Touch and a comfy chair.
Short summary: Dean and Miri were separated 20 years earlier and each thought the other was dead. But they share a history that goes back further than either of them suspected, and the discovery of a piece of jade in an ancient mummy will lead them to it, if they can survive long enough. I loved this story, the setting, the history, the fire-breathing dragons. Great stuff.
3. Smitten, Janet Evanovich. I am so thrilled to see her long out of print Loveswepts back in print!
Short summary: Lizabeth wanted to be a fairy when she grew up, but had to settle for an alternate career, first as a wife and mom and then post-divorce as a construction worker. Matt hires Lizabeth out of pity but quickly discovers that her organizational skills can save his construction company and her family can save him from an empty house. Although the streaker has to go…This book made me laugh repeatedly and for that alone I’d recommend it. Stephanie Plum fans will recognize Elsie as an incarnation of Granny Mazur.
Now that the heat wave has broken, I have Night Music to work on. Theme song: Behind The Walls of Sleep, The Smithereens.
by Charlene Teglia | Jul 24, 2006 | Uncategorized
High concept is a term that gives me an instant headache. I’ve read several articles about it and am still trying to pinpoint what makes a story “high concept”. I’m wondering if it’s subjective. This article uses examples that I didn’t think fit the definition of high concept.
So why am I trying to understand it? Because I have a project I’d really like to write that I was told wasn’t high concept, lacked a hook. If I can figure out a way to develop the story so that it has a strong hook and/or high concept, maybe this book will fly in the future. Also, if all editors are really looking for hooks and/or high concept stories it kind of makes sense for my writing future to get a handle on what this means and how to apply it.
As much as the topic gives me a raging headache, I actually understand the reasoning behind it. Go into a bookstore and just look at the sheer number of books, even in a small store. If my little book is going to have a shot at succeeding, it has to stand out in some way. And it starts with being something that’s easy to sell to the publisher’s marketing department and to booksellers. If booksellers have five hundred titles in a given genre already, why should they carry mine, too? What special quality does my story offer that nobody else’s does?
Voice, of course, but that only helps if you’ve reached the point that people will buy based on author name alone, knowing they’ll enjoy the voice, the way that author tells a story. In the meantime, what about this book makes it sound interesting to people? “Two people fall in love and live happily ever after” is, um, not enough. So while everybody else is off at RWA, I’ll be trying to wrap my head around high concept. I think it’s gonna take a lot of chocolate.
by Charlene Teglia | Jul 23, 2006 | Uncategorized
Good grief, it’s been hot here. I need to write something set in the middle of winter. Snow everywhere. Icicles. Frosty windows.
I’m more than halfway through reading The Red Heart of Jade. Oh, this is the best Dirk & Steele book yet! Wonderful story. And it has dragons. Really, what’s not to love?
I should be blogging something useful, like talking about organization for writers or something, but it’s too hot. I’ll see what I can come up with for tomorrow.
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