Story Structure: And The Crowd Roars, An Unforgettable Ending

Have you ever watched a basketball game and your team was down by a few points? They have possession of the ball and the clock is winding down fast. Whether you are sitting in the bleachers or on your living room couch, the anticipation of the final outcome has you riveted. All is quiet as the crowd watches a player throw the ball from what seems like miles from the basket. Swoosh! And the crowd goes wild! “We won! We won!”

Okay, so what does this sports analogy have do with writing the ending of a novel? Well, I do have a few “points” for you. By the time a reader reaches the last third of your book, there should have been some emotional highs and lows. As the writer, you are the player who has everything riding on his shoulders as he attempts to make the winning shot – that an unforgettable ending.

Think back to a book you’ve read where you closed the book in disgust. There have been a few books in the last few months, if it wasn’t for the fact I’m a mature adult, I would’ve thrown it across the room. The endings were either rushed, didn’t make a bit of sense or just left me hanging with questions.

Let’s review a few elements you can use to please your crowd (readers).

1)  Increase the Tension

Keep the tension tight by creating page-turning scenes that flow. You want to keep the reader on the edge of their seat (bed, wherever they are reading). Now, creating tension can be a bit tricky. You can either make the story move too fast or painfully slow.

Lately, I have been reading romance novels, which I rarely read, but I am now for research purposes. In a few of these novels, the tension towards the end was a tad bit on the soap opera side. The “drama” slowed down the reading experience for me. While your novel is meant to entertain, keep it realistic and keep in mind your readers wants a good story, but also don’t want to be insulted in the process.

If you write suspense or mystery, don’t drop too many surprise or twists as a way to create tension. You might leave the reader scratching her head, trying to figure out where you’re going with this drastic turn of events. The ending is NOT the time to lose your reader’s focus (Well, actually you never want to do that).

2) Don’t Forget to Tie Up Loose Ends

You are going to have to tie up loose ends, especially those created through subplots. Don’t be tempted to overload the reader in the last few pages. If you are plotter, you might want to really review your outline to see where you can wrap-up minor story lines. A pantser (seat-of-the-pants writer), should review previous scenes to make sure there is a flow to the story.

When a few of my critique partners started asking similar questions about my manuscript, it dawned on me, that I had not fully developed and completed a subplot, even though my ending made sense. So, remember if you don’t resolve loose ends, the reader will have questions even after the conclusion of the book.

In some cases, no matter what you do, readers will still be curious about characters. I know many authors who have completed a novel, but those characters (or fans insisted) wanted to come back to life. It’s quite possible a minor character may receive the starring role in a future book.

3) The Defining Moment

In every story, ever written, the protagonist (main character) has a defining moment. The reader will find out if your character is a hero/heroine or a wimp. If he/she are going to stay the same or burst forth into a new level of maturity.

This particular moment works very closely with the tension you’ve created up until this point. Your character may have to make a life-changing decision. She could be fighting for her life. The antagonist (or villain) may have the advantage and there’s just no possible way for the outcome to turn out in the protagonist’s favor.

You can visually see this moment demonstrated in movies and television. Think about your favorite movie or recent episode. Were you on the edge of your seat (remember the basketball scenario earlier)? Did you start crying or fussing at the screen (like they can hear you)?

Brainstorm some ideas and work on writing something fresh. A defining moment can really push the reading experience up a notch or dash it to pieces.

4) Provide Closure for Your Readers

The overriding motivation for a reader to finish a book is to find out the conclusion. Who was the killer? Will John and Jane finally be together forever? Will Karen experience freedom from her childhood secret?

However you are led to end a novel, try to bring some closure to the reader. I’ve noticed with serial books, where the author will be publishing book two or three in a few months, they may leave some unanswered questions on purpose. I personally don’t like this because some publishers pump out these series books so fast, it’s hard to keep up with them. I’d rather read a book and have a satisfying ending with the choice of continuing to read the series.

With all that said, I must add there is nothing quite like typing “The End.” I don’t know about other writers, but for my first time, I felt like I heard “a crowd” roaring in my ear, “You did it!”

This concludes the Story Structure Series. Next month, I will start a series on points of view.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is the editor of WrittenVoicesBlog.com where she features “African American Literature that Edifies the Soul.”  Known simply as “Ty” in many circles, she’s also a writer, blogger, and the owner of Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company.  Follow her journey to publication on TyoraMoody.com.

Story Stucture: Pressing Through the Middle

For my first manuscript, When Rain Falls, it took me months to get past Chapter 10. I kept revisiting the previous scenes and trying to figure out where to take the story next. I eventually pressed my way through to the end.  I will share a few techniques that helped me keep the story flowing.

1. Adding Conflict

Life is messy. You really can’t avoid conflict. I recently re-read the Book of Job. If you are familiar with this Old Testament story, you will recall life was all good in the neighborhood for Job. He was wealthy, blessed with ten children, well-respected among his colleagues and he loved God. The antagonist (or villain) stepped forward to spice the story up. With permission from God, the greatest adversary of all time, the devil, brought one catastrophe after another on poor Job. The chain of events happened with such swiftness, Job barely had time to catch his breath. There are many biblical lessons from this story, but the one a writer can take away is the art of making life difficult for your protagonist (main character).

For a mystery or a suspense thriller, the villain, may appear periodically, sharing their diabolical plot. The reader can see what the killer is plotting, having knowledge that the protagonist doesn’t have.  In a suspense book I read recently, the author took the time to introduce a character in the first few chapters. To my horror, in the middle of the book, this really likable character was killed. The plot twist upset me, but it also motivated me to really want to find out who was the villain.

Now, it’s not necessary to have a bad guy or villain to bring in conflict. If you write romance, you know even with love at first sight, a man and a woman are going to bump heads at some point. Maybe the man misleads the woman by not revealing the whole truth about his past. What if the woman’s ex-boyfriend returns town? There are a variety of ways to keep this couple apart, even though they are clearly attracted to each other. Just be creative and think of new ways to write the storyline with a twist.

2. Add Subplots

Subplots help strengthen the main plot as well as lengthen the word count.  By the time I started the second draft of When Rain Falls, I realized that I could work in more scenes with my protagonist, Candace, and her two children. She is widow who has become attracted to the male protagonist in the story. The problem. Her teenagers are old enough to remember their dad very well. Accepting another man in their mom’s life would not be easy, especially since the tragedy was still in the not too distant past. The addition of this subplot, allowed me to deepen the character development as well.

One thing about subplots, you don’t want to get too far off course from the main plot. I ran into that trouble and needed to remove scenes so I still kept the “who-dunnit” part of the story in focus.

Just remember your characters have families, friends, jobs, co-workers, etc. Use current events like the economy or global warming to add depth to the storyline and make it relatable.

3. Add Supporting Characters

You can probably think of a movie where the supporting character almost stole (or did steal) the scene from the main character. You don’t want that to happen, but don’t forget you can use supporting characters to strengthen the story. I mentioned adding more scenes with my protagonist’ children above. I also included two older women in the protagonist’ life, with one woman bringing comic relief and the other one sharing wisdom. Each woman had their role in Candace’s life during certain pivotal moments of the story.

Now you have to be careful not to build a cast of characters until you acquire enough skills to not confuse yourself and the reader. Not many authors can write multiple points of view without at some point confusing the reader. There are some books I’ve read where I have had to flip to previous chapters to figure out where this character come from and what was his/her purpose in the scene.

Keep in mind that word, “purpose.” Don’t add characters just to lengthen the story. Be sure all scenes relate back to the main plot.

4. Take a break.

Okay, so this suggestion isn’t very literary. Sometimes you have to put the story down. Maybe you need to revise your outline. You might need to cut a character. Get a notebook and brainstorm scenarios. Read books and study how particular authors keep the momentum going in the middle.

One of my favorite references for structuring a novel is Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell. He provides way more tips for beefing up the middle than I do in this article.

A lot of writers mention they already know the ending of the novels. It’s just getting there is hard. Next month, I will talk about endings. Even if it is a rough draft, it’s always exhilarating to be able to type “The End.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is the editor of WrittenVoicesBlog.com where she features “African American Literature that Edifies the Soul.”  Known simply as “Ty” in many circles, she’s also a writer, blogger, and the owner of Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company.  Follow her journey to publication on TyoraMoody.com.

Story Structure: Beginnings

In The Beginning …

Anyone familiar with the first chapter of the first book in the Bible, Genesis, will recall these three words. While simple, the words in one breath dramatically draw the reader’s attention into a powerful event. With further reading, God is center stage and He “speaks” the world into existence. As a writer, it should be noted the power of words, and especially the awesome task of writing the beginning or if you want to think in theatrical terms, Act I.

In the last article, I talked about the two writing styles. Whether you are a pantser or a plotter, you will spend quite a bit of time editing those first few chapters.  Why? Because these few chapters are not only crucial to potential readers, but you will eventually have to impress an editor at a publishing house or an agent.  Currently, the economy is struggling and publishers are trying to stay afloat. That means books are clearly being perceived as luxury items as people continue to monitor their budgets. Your writing has to stand out starting from the first page, the first line, and in some cases the first word.

I can honestly tell you, for my first manuscript, I spent way too much time crafting the first ten chapters. At some point, I realized I need to get past the first one-third of this book. Along the way, there were some key points I learned. Below you will find five checklist items you should keep in mind for the beginning of your novel.

1) Opening Lines – Hook Your Reader. The opening lines are really important not only for the first chapter, but every chapter. You need to write well-crafted sentences that will hook the reader. These sentences may take some work, requiring that you sharpen them over and over again until they flow with purpose. Here are a few first lines to ponder from some of my favorite authors:

Rachelle Mitchell Covington felt both giddy and guilty.
– First Line, Chapter 1 of The Someday List by Stacy Hawkins Adams

Rayna’s eyes welled with tears as feelings of loneliness and disappointment overtook her emotions.
– First Line, Chapter 1 of Married Strangers by Dwan Abrams

The worst day of my life was the day I caught my husband cheating on me.
– First Line, Chapter 1 of My Soul Cries Out by Sherri Lewis

I hate demons. A dang-gone demon kept me from eating my French fries.
– First Sentences, Chapter 1 of The Exorsistah by Claudia Mair Burney

No one would miss me. They never did. And that was okay because I’d made up my mind. I was never coming to the ballet class again.
– First Sentences, Chapter 1 of Rhythms of Grace by Marilynn Griffith

After reading the first lines above, you can probably tell the genre and without even flipping to the back of the book, you’ve been clued into some powerful events and emotions that are about to take place. Those are just a few lines! That’s what you need to aim for as you begin a chapter.

2) No Backstory. Most writers when they start a story for the first time, may be guilty of this one. Backstory is the events that happened off-stage or in the past. The first chapter is not the place to try to explain the character’s background. There are ways with well-crafted sentences to include a small tidbit here and there about the background information, but you don’t want to dump it all on the reader in the beginning.

Whether you write suspense or romance, just save the information, and try to include some mystery or suspense about the character. Information can be revealed later in the story where appropriate. Just remember your focus, in the beginning, is to draw the reader’s attention into what’s going on NOW!

3) Introduce your Protagonist. You may have a cast of characters, but usually there is going to be a main character or protagonist who really drives the story. How you present this person, whether through first or third person, plays an important role in the story set-up. Do you want the reader to empathize with the character? Or do you want the readers to love to hate the character? You definitely want to be sure to work on the character development.

Don’t start a character off being sassy and then later she starts acting mousy. Through the character development process, you should have a really good understanding of her personality, so you can keep the behavior consistent. Sometimes a conflict or struggle may cause a character to stumble, but the personality should still be recognizable.

4) Bring the scene to life. Learn the art of show, not tell. This technique is another whole article. I still find myself having to work on this when I edit.  You want to capture the reader’s imagination and bring them into the story. This is usually done by honing in on the senses (sight, touch, smell, hearing, taste).

You have to be careful about being too detailed. I discovered depending on the genre, some writers can get away with more description then others. For example, if you write speculative or fantasy fiction, you really have to paint a vivid picture because you created a fictional world.  If you are writing a historical, you are going to have to spend some time bringing that particular time period to life in the reader’s imagination.

5) Don’t Stop! Have you start the first few chapters of a novel and then stopped? Maybe you edited those first 50 pages so much that now you are not really sure what to do next. Most proposal or queries only require the first three chapters. Those pages you wrote are probably impressive enough to attract an agent to ask you for your completed manuscript. Can you see a problem here? Notice the word “completed.”

You have to push past the beginning. My advice is to write a rough draft, and then go back to edit. The more you write, the more you will develop editing skills along the way. What is most important is to TELL THE STORY, beginning to end.

Now these are just five pointers I’ve learned, but for a real expert, check out The First Five Pages: A Writer’s Guide to Staying Out of the Rejection Pile by Noah Lukeman.

Also during the beginning stages, it’s important to format your manuscript properly. Believe me, this was one of the first steps I took and it really helped. When I decided to submit my manuscript to a few contests, I didn’t have much to do as far as the formatting. As a matter of fact, I received great scores for the formatting if nothing else.

Here is another book you should have on your bookshelf. Formatting and Submitting Your Manuscript by Cynthia Laufenberg.

So, keep writing, push past the beginning and next month, we will discuss the dreaded middle.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is the editor of WrittenVoicesBlog.com where she features “African American Literature that Edifies the Soul.”  Known simply as “Ty” in many circles, she’s also a writer, blogger, and the owner of Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company.  Follow her journey to publication on TyoraMoody.com.

Story Structure: Getting Started

A few years ago, I was talking with a woman from my church. I made the mistake of confessing to her I wanted to write a book. She proceeded to ask me a question that put a damper on my spirit. “But Ty, there are so many books in the world, what could you write that’s any different?” Yeah, that’s a real “encouraging” statement. Thankfully, the pull to write led me to start developing stories anyway. 

There is really nothing new under the sun. As an avid bookworm, I’ve read books that are really quite similar as far as story structure, but each author added their own unique way of telling the story. So, if you’ve been discouraged about writing a book, this article will hopefully spark you to get that story out of your head and on paper.

Creating a Story (Main Plot and Subplots)

The main plot consist of the series of the events that drive the reader to turn the pages of the book. If you have a story idea and you are also a reader, you might have noticed there are quite a few similarities in most stories. Let’s look at two popular genres below.

1)      Romance

Boy meets girl. Boy falls in love with girl. Girl break-ups with boy. Boy and girl make-up and get married. How original is that story? Well, that’s the underlining plot for most romance novels. Still, romance remains the most popular genre.

2) Mystery/Suspense

Same with mystery. Somebody was killed. Several people are suspects. The real murderer is found.

According to some research, there are only 36 basic plots. Those novels that get published have something about them that set them apart from ever other story. Paying particular attention to your character development and adding subplots that support the main plot can set your future novel apart.

Exploring Writing Processes

Once I started letting people know I finished a manuscript, they wanted to know how I did it. In all honesty, just like DNA everybody has their own particular process for structuring a story. I discovered a process that worked for me, and made all the difference when it came to writing the second manuscript.

There are two main writing processes and in some cases the processes will overlap depending on the writer. Now what I’m introducing does not include all the little bitty “things” a writer might do (playing music, writing in a coffee shop, morning vs. night writing, etc.) to really set their process apart from another writer.

A. Seat of the Pants (Pantser)

This style I can say is NOT me and also happens to be the format I started with for the first manuscript. I think it’s safe to say most writers start out this way when presented with a blank screen or notebook paper. With this process, the writer types up the scenes as they appear in their minds. They can sit at the keyboard for hours and write a reasonable set of chapters. Somehow the action flows from one scene to the next, making up a believable story. 

I admire writers who write not really knowing what’s coming next. For the past few years, in November, I’ve tried this style for the NaNoWrimo contest.  Each time, I cranked out three chapters and then quickly ran out of steam. The reason. I am NOT a seat of the pants writer. I fit in the other category and you may too.

B. The Plotter (Planner)

I write mysteries. It’s important to keep up with clues and suspects. Some of those clues point to the real suspect, while other clues, known as red herrings, point to possible suspects.  It took me a while, but I learned it helped me to keep track of the main plot and subplots by keeping a detailed chapter outline. Now when I start a manuscript, I have a pretty good idea of how many chapters and scenes I will need.

Now remember, I said earlier that sometimes the processes overlap. While I outline the chapters, I still have a blank canvas in front of me. This means my characters are still going to tell the story. They might decide to throw a wrench in the plot. That’s okay, I will stop and refer back to the chapter outline and make adjustments.

So, Let’s Do This!

I encourage you to grab a notebook and write down a few ideas. Write a few chapters. It’s okay to write badly. Don’t worry about editing.  You may start to notice a pattern or a sense of ease as you write.

• Does the story flow easily from one scene to the next (seat of the pants)?
• Do you need to think about the scenes a little more with a chart or an outline (plotter)?

Once you have established the style of writing that works for you, writing a manuscript will not be quite so daunting.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Tyora Moody is the editor of WrittenVoicesBlog.com where she features “African American Literature that Edifies the Soul.”  Known simply as “Ty” in many circles, she’s also a writer, blogger, and the owner of Tywebbin Creations, a marketing and design company.  Follow her journey to publication on TyoraMoody.com.