Ian Dawson's Blog - Posts Tagged "prewriting-process"
Writing Tip of the Week: Should Your Story Have Rules? – Part Two, Narrative Rules
Last time, we explored establishing certain Technical Rules for your story before you begin writing. Today, we’ll explore another rule worth considering during the early phases of your story’s journey.
Let’s explore the world of…
Narrative Rules
Knowing how your story unfolds and is told before you begin writing can go a long way to ensuring you don’t have to backtrack or start over when things get confusing. Remember, if you’re confused by elements of your story, the reader will be equally confused, if not more.
Timeline:
How long does the story last? A day? A week? A holiday season? Does it span years or decades? Figuring out the basic timeline of events will help you plot your story and determine when essential story elements need to occur.
Also, depending on the length of your story’s timeline, ask yourself if the timeframe you’ve chosen is too short, too long, or fits perfectly with the story you plan to tell.
Story Structure:
Plan out your story and your main character’s arc before you sit down to write. This will save you a great deal of time and prevent you from getting stuck. With a completed outline of the story’s structure, you’ll know where you’re going and should have an idea of how you plan to get to that next major story point.
Additionally, this is a good time to determine how many stories are being told and interwoven into the main narrative. While the main character is the primary focus, are there other characters who will be followed in their subplots that link to the main story? As you craft the overarching structure of your story, this is the ideal time to make those choices and determine where to incorporate these elements.
Know Where You’re Going:
Is this book a standalone, or do you want to write a series? Will each story of the series be its own narrative, or will they be interconnected? Determining this early on can help you as you craft the structure of the first book and plan how much information to reveal about the main character at the start.
What Can and Can’t Happen:
This applies to all genres and is crucial for maintaining consistency throughout your story. If your story is fantasy and contains magic, how powerful is the magic? What types of magic are present in the world of your story? What kind of magic does the main character possess (or eventually acquire)? The villain?
If it’s an action or crime thriller, can anyone die? Is the main character in danger of being killed off, making everyone in the story vulnerable?
If it’s sci-fi, flesh out the worlds you create and decide how each society functions, what technology they have, and what types of problems and conflicts the main character could run into when they arrive at each location. Even if it’s a dystopian society on Earth, deciding what can and can’t happen in that society will help you creatively as your characters navigate their surroundings.
These are a handful of examples, but take the time to consider these aspects of your story before you write. An excellent example of this is the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas does a fantastic job of immersing us in the world he created, and he provides us with the rules and limitations of The Force, as well as its application for both good and evil.
Lucas sets up the rules for The Force in A New Hope, but then expands on and shows the audience how it’s used in the subsequent two films.
Aside from Star Wars, I recommend watching any movie and examining the story’s established rules. Is there ever a point where the story breaks its own rules?
Next Time…
In the next post, we’ll explore some Character Rules to consider while brainstorming and plotting your story. Happy writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s explore the world of…
Narrative Rules
Knowing how your story unfolds and is told before you begin writing can go a long way to ensuring you don’t have to backtrack or start over when things get confusing. Remember, if you’re confused by elements of your story, the reader will be equally confused, if not more.
Timeline:
How long does the story last? A day? A week? A holiday season? Does it span years or decades? Figuring out the basic timeline of events will help you plot your story and determine when essential story elements need to occur.
Also, depending on the length of your story’s timeline, ask yourself if the timeframe you’ve chosen is too short, too long, or fits perfectly with the story you plan to tell.
Story Structure:
Plan out your story and your main character’s arc before you sit down to write. This will save you a great deal of time and prevent you from getting stuck. With a completed outline of the story’s structure, you’ll know where you’re going and should have an idea of how you plan to get to that next major story point.
Additionally, this is a good time to determine how many stories are being told and interwoven into the main narrative. While the main character is the primary focus, are there other characters who will be followed in their subplots that link to the main story? As you craft the overarching structure of your story, this is the ideal time to make those choices and determine where to incorporate these elements.
Know Where You’re Going:
Is this book a standalone, or do you want to write a series? Will each story of the series be its own narrative, or will they be interconnected? Determining this early on can help you as you craft the structure of the first book and plan how much information to reveal about the main character at the start.
What Can and Can’t Happen:
This applies to all genres and is crucial for maintaining consistency throughout your story. If your story is fantasy and contains magic, how powerful is the magic? What types of magic are present in the world of your story? What kind of magic does the main character possess (or eventually acquire)? The villain?
If it’s an action or crime thriller, can anyone die? Is the main character in danger of being killed off, making everyone in the story vulnerable?
If it’s sci-fi, flesh out the worlds you create and decide how each society functions, what technology they have, and what types of problems and conflicts the main character could run into when they arrive at each location. Even if it’s a dystopian society on Earth, deciding what can and can’t happen in that society will help you creatively as your characters navigate their surroundings.
These are a handful of examples, but take the time to consider these aspects of your story before you write. An excellent example of this is the original Star Wars trilogy. Lucas does a fantastic job of immersing us in the world he created, and he provides us with the rules and limitations of The Force, as well as its application for both good and evil.
Lucas sets up the rules for The Force in A New Hope, but then expands on and shows the audience how it’s used in the subsequent two films.
Aside from Star Wars, I recommend watching any movie and examining the story’s established rules. Is there ever a point where the story breaks its own rules?
Next Time…
In the next post, we’ll explore some Character Rules to consider while brainstorming and plotting your story. Happy writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Writing Tip of the Week: Should Your Story Have Rules? – Part Three, Character Rules
Over the last two posts, we’ve explored the Technical and Narrative Rules to consider when crafting a story. In this final post, we’ll explore the third leg of the story rules stool.
Let’s dive in and explore the world of…
Character Rules
They are an essential element of any story, but they should come with their own set of parameters before you toss them into the narrative chaos they are about to experience.
Who’s in Charge of the Story?:
Which of your characters should shoulder the burden of carrying the reader through the story from beginning to end? Which of them has the most to lose, the most to gain, and the most incredible ability to change as the story unfolds?
Sometimes, a character we initially think would be the ideal main character gets sidelined by one that captures our attention more effectively. This attention-seeking character might be a perfect candidate for the position of story protagonist. The protagonist should be someone capable of change, who is directly impacted by the events unfolding in the story, and who will engage in a confrontation with the story’s antagonist.
Look at your cast of characters and decide if the person you’ve chosen to be the main character is the best choice, or if there’s someone else waiting in the wings for their moment in the spotlight.
How Many POVs:
Some writers throw lots of points of view at their readers. James Patterson likes to do this, giving characters a single chapter to inform the reader of things the main character doesn’t know yet, so we’re ahead of them in the narrative.
Others stick with just the protagonist’s point of view; we find out information at the same time they do.
Others alternate, such as Nelson DeMille, who will give us the POV of the main character, then intersperse a few chapters from the antagonist’s POV so we understand their mindset and perspective, usually before the final showdown.
This is worth considering, since the more POVs you have, the more story you have to craft for these characters to have something to do that adds to the story and provides additional conflict or tension for the main character.
Even if these characters are embroiled in a subplot, they still must connect to the main character and story in some significant way; otherwise, their existence in the story is pointless.
Also, too many POVs could lead to confusion for the reader, which is the last thing you want to do.
If this is your first novel, I suggest sticking to one or two POVs to maintain your sanity as you write the story. Keep things simple and easy to follow. You’ll thank me when you begin the rewrite process and don’t have to keep track of eight different POVs!
A Character’s Purpose:
Step back and examine each character that will populate your story. What function do they provide in the overall narrative structure of the story?
Each character should exist to serve the story. If they’re just there, they need to go. It’s as simple as that.
From the main character to the people in a crowd, each character you include in your novel, short story, screenplay, or play needs to have a definite purpose. It can be simple or complex, but they need to have a reason to be there.
Let’s break things down:
Main Character: They drive the story forward; without them actively pursuing a goal, the story has nowhere to go.
Antagonist: The person opposing the main character and trying to prevent them from reaching their stated goal.
Secondary Characters: These can be friends, love interests, sidekicks, pets, or anyone who is around the main character or antagonist, offering them advice, support, or assistance.
Tertiary Characters: Minor characters your main character meets along their journey. They may be in only one chapter or scene, but the information they provide or the actions they take assist the main character positively or negatively and can contribute to the story’s direction.
Utility Characters: A crowd at a concert. Protesters. Campers. Patrons at a biker bar. These are usually nameless characters that help give a location atmosphere and personality. These are extras (aka background artists) that can be described to enhance the location currently inhabited by your other characters.
As you add characters to your story, ask yourself what purpose they serve. If their presence doesn’t enhance or help move the story forward, then it might be wise to remove them from the narrative.
Final Thoughts…
I know it’s a lot to consider. Still, by taking the time to think about and establish the basic Technical, Narrative, and Character Rules for your story, you will give yourself a great advantage as you begin writing. Since these rules have already been set, you can now focus on the creative side of things and get into the creative side of things: the drafting process.
Happy writing, and I’ll see you next time!
Let’s dive in and explore the world of…
Character Rules
They are an essential element of any story, but they should come with their own set of parameters before you toss them into the narrative chaos they are about to experience.
Who’s in Charge of the Story?:
Which of your characters should shoulder the burden of carrying the reader through the story from beginning to end? Which of them has the most to lose, the most to gain, and the most incredible ability to change as the story unfolds?
Sometimes, a character we initially think would be the ideal main character gets sidelined by one that captures our attention more effectively. This attention-seeking character might be a perfect candidate for the position of story protagonist. The protagonist should be someone capable of change, who is directly impacted by the events unfolding in the story, and who will engage in a confrontation with the story’s antagonist.
Look at your cast of characters and decide if the person you’ve chosen to be the main character is the best choice, or if there’s someone else waiting in the wings for their moment in the spotlight.
How Many POVs:
Some writers throw lots of points of view at their readers. James Patterson likes to do this, giving characters a single chapter to inform the reader of things the main character doesn’t know yet, so we’re ahead of them in the narrative.
Others stick with just the protagonist’s point of view; we find out information at the same time they do.
Others alternate, such as Nelson DeMille, who will give us the POV of the main character, then intersperse a few chapters from the antagonist’s POV so we understand their mindset and perspective, usually before the final showdown.
This is worth considering, since the more POVs you have, the more story you have to craft for these characters to have something to do that adds to the story and provides additional conflict or tension for the main character.
Even if these characters are embroiled in a subplot, they still must connect to the main character and story in some significant way; otherwise, their existence in the story is pointless.
Also, too many POVs could lead to confusion for the reader, which is the last thing you want to do.
If this is your first novel, I suggest sticking to one or two POVs to maintain your sanity as you write the story. Keep things simple and easy to follow. You’ll thank me when you begin the rewrite process and don’t have to keep track of eight different POVs!
A Character’s Purpose:
Step back and examine each character that will populate your story. What function do they provide in the overall narrative structure of the story?
Each character should exist to serve the story. If they’re just there, they need to go. It’s as simple as that.
From the main character to the people in a crowd, each character you include in your novel, short story, screenplay, or play needs to have a definite purpose. It can be simple or complex, but they need to have a reason to be there.
Let’s break things down:
Main Character: They drive the story forward; without them actively pursuing a goal, the story has nowhere to go.
Antagonist: The person opposing the main character and trying to prevent them from reaching their stated goal.
Secondary Characters: These can be friends, love interests, sidekicks, pets, or anyone who is around the main character or antagonist, offering them advice, support, or assistance.
Tertiary Characters: Minor characters your main character meets along their journey. They may be in only one chapter or scene, but the information they provide or the actions they take assist the main character positively or negatively and can contribute to the story’s direction.
Utility Characters: A crowd at a concert. Protesters. Campers. Patrons at a biker bar. These are usually nameless characters that help give a location atmosphere and personality. These are extras (aka background artists) that can be described to enhance the location currently inhabited by your other characters.
As you add characters to your story, ask yourself what purpose they serve. If their presence doesn’t enhance or help move the story forward, then it might be wise to remove them from the narrative.
Final Thoughts…
I know it’s a lot to consider. Still, by taking the time to think about and establish the basic Technical, Narrative, and Character Rules for your story, you will give yourself a great advantage as you begin writing. Since these rules have already been set, you can now focus on the creative side of things and get into the creative side of things: the drafting process.
Happy writing, and I’ll see you next time!
