2 Novels that Taught Me How to Make a Story Hum

Inspiration can be everywhere: in music, in movies, in books… This month, we’re spotlighting inspiration in its many forms. Today, Wrimo Michael Roberts , shares where he learned the importance of elegant story construction:

As a kid, I really loved Farley Mowat books, especially Lost in the Barrens. Reading it as a ten-year-old, I was entranced by the story and the characters and the “exotic” Canadian wilderness setting. Now, as a writer, I can appreciate the pacing and narrative tricks that Mowat used to tighten the story and make it hum.

 When I was an adult, I found Altered States, screenwriter/playwright Paddy Chayefsky’s only novel, and a densely packed thriller set in the world of scientific research. I was surprised to learn later that Chayefsky had no background in science but had researched everything in that book over two years and incorporated it seamlessly into the story. From that I learned the importance of research disappearing into good storytelling.

As a reader, I love the stories; as a writer I admire the technical skills of the writers and how they hide all the hard work they put into the writing. Now, when I send my work out to beta readers, one of things I ask for is feedback on how well I construct the story and then how successful I am at hiding that construction in the story.

Michael Roberts has a B.A. and B. Ed. from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. An occasional teacher and stay-at-home dad, his November 2014 NaNoWriMo novel, The Ghost, is making its way through the editing/beta-reader cycle as we speak. He is also writing the mystery-thriller Descending Angel, a multi-generational story of religion and deceit set in the mountains of Colorado and Washington State. He lives in Frontenac County, with his wife, two kids, and three cats.