How to Structure your Novel

From Idea to Story: Part Five Making a Scene

How to Structure your Novel

There are any number of structures that have been developed by canny writers. The graphic images of these are all over the internet. They range from the simple inverted V, the W, and a number of rising and falling lines that resemble an ECG (EKG if you’re American). None of these are perfect. Some will work better for your story than others. This is one reason I suggest completing your first draft / outline before you pay any attention to the structure. Once you have an idea of all the important plot points, you can then make sure you have a good foundation already in place. I tend to do this instinctively, and I’m sure writers in ages past did, too. Before there were books on writing, videos explaining how to build tension and so forth, writers were guided by the books they’d read, and what kept readers reading.

You may prefer to select a structure before you begin writing, and use that as a guide. There’s nothing wrong with this approach. Just think of the structure as a road map.

Different approaches appeal to different writers. Also, you may find that what works for one novel doesn’t really cut it for another. This is one reason why I prefer to work instinctively and let the story guide me.

Types of Novel Structure

There are several types of structure — like the difference between the bungalow, the 2-story house, and the flat. You can’t say one is better than the other, it depends on your needs.

Here are the most common approaches:

Classical (or basic). This looks like a right angle triangle. Leading to the base on the left is the beginning or status quo. Then we go up the left side of the triangle to indicate the rising action. At the peak is the climax, then, coming down on the right, we have the falling action which levels on the bottom to suggest a resolution or return to the status quo.Freytag’s Pyramid is essentially the same as above, though some versions will use ‘exposition’ rather than ‘beginning’ or ‘status quo’. I’m not a fan of this because it suggests the writer can tell rather than show. However, this type of structure was used by the ancient Greeks and they had no problem having a chorus telling us what the situation is at the start of the play. Likewise, fairy tales generally begin with a summary of the situation. Also, some versions of this format will depict the final, line instead of being at the same level as the first,, is higher, indicating that nothing is exactly the same. Cinderella has married the prince, Antigone has died for her principles (and the king’s son has joined her). The Hero’s Journey. Whole books have been written about this, but it all began with the seminal Joseph Campbell book. Or you could go with Christopher Vogler’s more simplified version. The hero’s journey starts with the hero being offered an adventure of some sort. He refuses. Then he encounters someone who acts as a mentor. There follows a series of challenges, success or failure, and the return home. If you want to see this in action, almost any heroic tale with do, or for something less weighty, try The Hobbit.The Fichtean Curve. When I mentioned that some some graphs look like ECGs, this is the one I was thinking of. While I don’t set out to use any particular novels, my stories tend to end up this way. It starts with the action and gets right into things. Then, the rising action is a series of bumps as the hero faces complication after complication on the road to resolution. It culminates with the climax followed by the falling action. Many suspense novels use this structure. 27 Chapters. Some people like to take a methodical, mathematical approach to writing. Let me introduce you to the so-called 27 chapters method. As a more spontaneous writer, I’m not a fan. However, many writers like these sort of rules because they offer a sort of template to work from. If this this appeals to you, or if you’re curious to know more, click on the link.Three Act Structure. Possibly the most common today, if only because TV writers seem particularly fond of it. One of the things that works so well about it is its adaptability. Even the hero’s journey or the Fichtean Curve can work in the three act structure. You’ve heard that every story needs a beginning, a middle, and an end? Well, here’s what that looks like:ACT 1: The Status Quo

We enter the world of the story. This includes the physical environment, the time period, the main character(s) and what they want, and the general tone of the story. We meet the protagonist(s) and learn what his goal is. We also discover what he is up against.

Once we have established the status quo, we learn what has happened to disrupt it. For Harry Potter it’s discovering that he’s a wizard and has a place in Hogwarts. Frodo learns that the ring Bilbo gave him is most likely the One Ring created by Sauron. For Jane and Elizabeth Bennet it’s learning that the wealthy (and single!) Mr Bingley and his friend Mr Darcy have come to stay in the neighbourhood. This disruption to the status quo, even if it’s positive it’s still a disruption, is the inciting incident. It’s the first domino to be toppled.

The first act also shows the hero responding to the inciting incident. They decide to accept the challenge, whatever that challenge may be. And, of course, you may opt to have the hero refuse the challenge, but accept it later.

ACT 2: The Rising Action

This is, arguably, where most writers come unstuck. It’s not too difficult to imagine the beginning of the story, or the ending. But the middle bit? Yes, that’s often a challenge.

Act 2 is often called the rising action. This is when things get complicated. As the protagonist makes steps towards reaching his goal, he meets obstacles all along the way. It’s a one-step-forward-two-steps-back situation. After all, if the protagonist reaches their goal without much difficulty, it’s, first, not much of a challenge for him, and second, it makes for very boring reading.

Depending on the sort of story you’re writing, the following sort of things happen:

The boy and girl have a fight. Or she learns that he has (apparently) lied. Or has a wife locked up in the attic. Or is getting ready to emigrate to Australia. The list of suspects increases, the red herrings abound, and the bodies are piling up.The aliens that you were suspicious of now seem downright dangerous, but no one will believe you.

The middle point. This is where things all seem to fall apart. Elizabeth Bennet learns that Mr Darcy kept Bingley from seeing Jane, Elizabeth’s beloved sister, when both Jane and Bingley were in London. Or the suspect that everyone believed was the killer is proved conclusively to be innocent. Or the hero fails to win the scholarship he was counting on so he could get into university. It is, in short, a shambles.

Additional complications. You don’t have to offer this, but depending on the type of novel, you may find it useful. For instance, once it seems impossible for the prime suspect to be the killer, the detective is taken off the case. He’s still sure he’s right, but how can he prove it when someone else has taken over taken over the case? His case.

The lad whose scholarship has been denied has been helping an old man with some menial chore. This has seemed like comic relief up to this point. Then it turns out the old man is very wealthy or influential with the university, and thanks to him the lad is accepted. Or maybe the scholarship went to some underhanded rival of our hero. Someone hears the rival boasting about how he cheated, and the scholarship is taken from him and given to the hero instead. All that matters is that both the complication and the resolution arise plausibly from the elements you have already written.

What if you haven’t written it? Don’t panic! This happens more times than I’ve had hot dinners. Once you decide what your complication should be, you can go back and set it up several chapters earlier. Give readers a hint that the rival is going to cheat. And, by the same token, the elements of the resolution can also be inserted earlier, ready for you to use them at the proper moment. This is why you were leaving all those notes for yourself in the first draft. And, my, won’t you look clever!

Act 3: Crisis and Resolution

The crisis is when things seem to fall apart. The scholarship lad discovers he will have to pay for his own books, but he can’t afford it. The detective happens upon a piece of evidence that seems to prove conclusively that the killer could not be his suspect. Elizabeth Bennet learns that her young sister, Lydia, has eloped with the dastardly Mr Wickham. The family is ruined! How will she ever win Mr Darcy now? How will Jane find happiness with Mr Bingley? Oh, what a tragedy.

Once everything seems to fall apart, you can either fix it — that is, your character can — or you can let this calamity destroy the hero’s life. If you opt to take the latter approach, the last part of the novel shows the hero’s descent. Or, he could find a new direction with lessons learned from his failure. Or perhaps he can overcome the crisis and emerge victorious.

However you choose to resolve the climax, the resolution must arise from pre-established facts and characters. No fair introducing fairy godmothers or Greek gods unless they’re already part of the backstory. For instance, the schoolboy has been given a special skateboard that flies, he is told, as a birthday present. He’s never tested it because he’s a) scared and b) doesn’t believe it can fly. But he has it with him when he and his friend a trapped on the wrong side of a raging river. Now is the time to bring his courage to bear and rescue himself and his buddy.

The last part of the novel introduces the new status quo. This might be better than where we started, or it could be worse. You need to ask yourself how the hero has changed, and how he has impacted the people around him.

Finally, I had planned to discuss that essential building block of the novel, the scene, but this piece is already much too long. So, I shall cover that next week, and show how the scenes build the narrative.

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Published on February 20, 2024 22:31

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