Notes From an Amateur Writer #10 - Learning the Craft of Story Structure

This is day 11 for me in @dragosroua's 30 day writing challenge. This is the next instalment in the Notes From an Amateur Writer blog series.

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MERGING THE LEFT AND RIGHT HEMISPHERES: LEARNING THE CRAFT OF STORY STRUCTURE

Writing is something that seems to come naturally to me. Not necessarily good writing. That can take effort. And on top of that I will leave it up to the judgement of others as to whether my writing even qualifies for that. As for what I think – that depends on the day you ask me.

But the ability to string words together in an effort to communicate a point, or convey a story is an art form that I excel at. As opposed to other types of art, such as painting and drawing.

Which is probably why I resisted the urge to study the craft of writing. I have tried to push forward my perceived talents in this area, and hope that alone will do the trick. But I think all artists need to study their craft. They say practice makes perfect, but knowing the techniques behind that practice would also be a good place to start. And with that in mind I decided to spend some of my recent down time reading up on the craft of writing. Even just to read a book or two on the subject. There is a lot I don't know about this topic, so the time spent certainly wouldn't go to waste. And knowing the techniques of the writer would be a great asset in assisting in the art of writing. May even make the art seem somewhat effortless. Which it usually isn't, but can look that way to the outsider.

I have started to read a series of books on the craft of writing by author K.M. Weiland. I wanted to touch on what I have learnt from her book titled "The 5 Secrets of Story Structure – How to Write a Novel That Stands Out". As I haven't applied any of this information to my writing as yet I cannot give a definite thumbs up or down to its usefulness. I will be taking these points into consideration in the very near future when I sit down to continue my novel "The Memoirs of a Forgotten Man", so I will have a better comprehension of it then.

However I will just go over what I consider the main points to give a sense of understanding of what the author is discussing, and allow you to make up your own mind. If it seems like something you wish to learn then I do recommend her books. They are well written and easy enough to follow.

Dealing with the nature of structure as it does, it initially comes across as a series of rules. I had my reservations at first, but reminded myself that these are guides only, and rules are meant to be broken. So with that being said, K.M. Weiland breaks up story structure into 10 main points. These are:

The First Act;
1.The Hook;
2.The Inciting Event;
3.The Key Event;
4.The First Plot Point;

The Second Act:
5.The First half of the Second Act;
6.The Midpoint;
7.The Second half of the Second Act;

The Third Act:
8.The Third Plot Point;
9.The Climax;
10.The Resolution.

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1. The Hook – What is it?

"The story begins with the hook. This is your first opportunity for catching your reader's attention and convincing them to read on."

2. The Inciting Event – What is it?

"The Inciting Event is the turning point in the First Act when your character first brushes the story's main conflict. To identify your Inciting Event, ask yourself, "What event starts the ball rolling in my story's plot? Where does the conflict begin? What sets the story's action in motion?""

3. The Key Event – What is it?

"If the Inciting Event is where your protagonist first encounters the main conflict, the Key Event is what irrevocably engages your protagonist with the conflict."

4. The First Plot Point – What is it?

"The First Plot Point marks the end of the First Act and the beginning of the Second. This is where everything changes for your character. Up to now, the First Act has mostly concerned itself with setting up your character's Normal World and introducing the supporting characters, the settings, and, most importantly, the stakes. But now the First Plot Point rocks that Normal World. Everything changes, and your protagonist will be forced to start reacting to the new status quo."

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5. The First Half of the Second Act – What is it?

"Your protagonist is going to spend the First Half of the Second Act in reaction mode. The First Plot Point changed his world – and probably not for the better. For the next quarter of the book, right up until the Midpoint, he's going to be fighting to keep his head above water."

6. The Midpoint – What is it?

"The Midpoint is your story's second major plot point. This is where everything changes – again. Just as your character's world was rocked off its axis by the First Plot Point, now it gets shaken up all over again as he is struck with an all-important Moment of Truth. Before the Midpoint, he was thrown into reaction mode; now he is equipped to start taking action."

7. The Second Half of the Second Act – What is it?

"After the Midpoint, your character is going to start going on the offensive. He's no longer going to be willing to simply have the antagonist bring the battle to him. Instead, he starts throwing off his insecurities and implementing his own plan."

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8. The Third Plot Point – What is it?

"The Third Plot Point, as your final major plot point, is going to change everything once again. Whatever happens here is going to force your character to a low place. He's going to finally have to analyse his actions and his motivations and get down to the core of his own personal character arc. This is where he'll start to identify his own destructive (or perhaps just ineffective) mindsets and start rejecting the personal Lies that have held him back up to now."

9. The Climax – What is it?

"Your Climax is the point of the whole story. This is where the conflict must finally be resolved, for good and all, one way or the other."

10. The Resolution – What is it?

"The Resolution caps your story with finality. This important scene is the exhale to your Climax's inhale. Here, you give the readers the opportunity to see how your character will react to the events of the Climax. How is he a different person from whoever he was in the beginning? How has the world changed around him? How does the future look from here?"

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K.M. Weiland goes in to far more detail of the specific's of each of these key structure points, and how to effectively utilise them in your story. There are many examples throughout the book, using published novels to illustrate the points being discussed. She even has a database on her website with many more examples to highlight these points further.

I do think there is a purpose to learning these. The artistic side of me is trying to resist, but I feel that, with all things done well, there does need to be a sense of balance with how one approaches this. There is an art, and there is a craft. I believe the two can help enhance each other. Learned well, and applied correctly they can help the overall skill level improve. That is what I am hoping for.

K.M. Weiland's personal website.

K.M. Weiland's Amazon page.

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Image sourced from unsplash.com.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. If you liked it then please like, comment, and follow.

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Notes From an Amateur Writer blog series:

Notes From an Amateur Writer #1 - The Search For Inspiration
Notes From an Amateur Writer #2 - A Call to Action: Interacting With the World Outside of Me
Notes From an Amateur Writer #3 - Facing the Challenge
Notes From an Amateur Writer #4 - The Soundtrack to Grief and Loss
Notes From an Amateur Writer #5 - Music as a Catalyst for Imagination: Jimi Hendrix's Little Wing
Notes From an Amateur Writer #6 - The Stories All Around Us
Notes From an Amateur Writer #7 - Introducing Nomad [A Cyberpunk Mystery in the Making]
Notes From an Amateur Writer #8 - The House at the Edge of the World
Notes From an Amateur Writer #9 - Making Peace With My Kindle

Short Fiction:

Bang Bang You're Dead
I Have No Name and I Must Scream
The Last Book Store
The Judge