Story Structure, Character Structure

The past two weeks I've taken off from writing and planning book two in the Lizzie Peterson saga. In part that's because I just needed a break from editing, in part because I was deep into writing several articles for my day job as a writer and editor, and in part because I'm doing some serious research into story structure. Oh, and into publishing, but that's a different post.

I've been studying Larry Brooks' book, Story Engineering: Mastering the 6 Core Competencies of Successful Writing. You can see the cover to the right.

Larry has some very inventive ideas about what makes up a story, character, theme, conflict, concept, and structure. It's got me thinking and rethinking and thinking some more. That's the danger with doing too much research into how to craft stories!   ;-)

So, combine this with Dan Wells' presentation at BYU's LTUE symposium two years ago, and you have two very nice approaches to the craft of story. Add Katherine Farmer's research on characters (no direct link to her, but a summary at my friend, Matt Tandy's blog), and you have several key concepts to consider when writing.

What I like about Larry's book, especially when I incorporate my own ideas and others' on story, is that it has the potential to make writing much, much more efficient, powerful, and engaging on all levels.

I'm naturally gifted at plot and dialogue, but I struggle a bit with character (except strong female characters, interestingly enough) and theme.

Now, I'm beginning to see how to see, delve into, and craft an entire world story before I even begin to type it. It's a fascinating journey.

So, if you are interested in really improving your craft, I recommend studying (not reading) Larry's book, watching Dan's presentation a few times, and finding someone who can share with you Katherine's methods (I don't want to give too much because she's writing a book on it and that might preempt her. But if you want to get together sometime, I can teach you what I know.)

What you need to understand is that story is structure, as Tracy Hickman and so many have told me. I've blundered my way through enough free writing and enough outlines to story that still lacked something that I've realized there is a deep, compelling need for a story to work on multiple levels.

The master writer, the truly gifted writer, I believe, is gifted not because she just intrinsically knows all this, but because she learns the craft so deeply that she can apply it and exercise it and manipulate it in the creation of the story. And that means fewer revisions, better stories that people want to read, and greater success as a writer.

That's a fantastic goal.

E-Publish or National Publish? I'll Take Option 3

Two weeks ago, my wife and I spent about 20 minutes in Barnes and Noble, wiling away some time before meeting others for dinner. She had some things to find; I was doing research.

I wanted to find current middle grade and young adult fantasy books that target my current audience. I had two goals: 1. See what is currently competing successfully for market share; 2. Cover analysis.

It took me a while. Things have changed in Barnes and Noble in the last year. I did manage to find a display table toward the back of the store that had plenty to review, but I also noticed that there wasn't quite the selection I had wanted. There were too many nicknacks and doodads.

Still, I didn't think much of it until a conversation with Tracy Hickman this week in which he commented on the same thing. He said that Barnes and Noble, in an attempt to reinvent itself, is becoming a nicknack store as much as anything.

Then there was this interesting post by Kristine Kathryn Rusch: The Business Rusch: Bookstore Observations.

She makes essentially the same observation, only the implications are worse than I had considered. Her conservative estimate is that over the last 10 months (between visits to a B&N) 20% of shelf space has disappeared. But it might be as high as 30%, replaced by the nicknacks, fewer shelves, books placed face out instead of spine out, and much more physical space devoted to Nooks. The result is that there is a lot less room for new authors, older titles by current authors, and even back list by the major hitters.

Sure, more space for Nooks might help sales, despite the irony, but it means less space for physical books.

Woah.

Yeah. Makes me think long and hard about what I want out of a national publisher, or even if I want one. I mean, if I did manage to gain an agent, and then gain a national publisher, and did accept the likely paltry 4 digit advance with no advertising dollars, where would they place the book? Who would find it? How would they sell it?

People aren't browsing in Barnes and Noble like they used to, and the store isn't even catering to that clientele like they did even a year ago.

On the other hand, e-publishing still requires a readership and a target audience of some size. There are some challenges for newbie writers. Even after footing the bill for a professional, market-quality cover (for middle grade fantasy, the market demands art, and that can run $3,000 or more), editing, page layout, and more, I may not have enough e-readers to make a difference or to sell to.

And, my marketing plan needs to get really ramped up to make inroads into buyers.

These are challenges we all face.

So what's the next best option if national publishing isn't going to happen, and e-publishing on its own, even with a POD hard copy available through a source like Createspace.com?

I believe the answer lies somewhere else. One possible solution is a subscription-based serial version of my product.

But I'm not so sure that would work for this age audience. I think they need the benefit of the entire product. Or rather, that's what they will want, whether as a hard copy or e-version.

Option 3? Well, it's a highly unusual venture, something I'd not thought about at all until talking it over with my guru.

I'm not quite ready to tell you what it is--I need a couple of weeks of research and strategic planning to see how viable it is. But I think I may have just found an opportunity that will change the current field. Revolutionary? Yes, and no, and perhaps not a permanent solution, either. But it might be the silver lining I've been looking for--and if it works for me, it should work for you.

New Post on Publishing Possibilities Coming

Hi Folks,

I've been derailed from posting for a few days due to recovery from the flu last week. Nevertheless, I'll be back with a more detailed post in the next 2 days. I've had a great conversation with Tracy Hickman, which has reinvigorated my thoughts about the Indie publishing world. Still heavily invested in the national scene, but I've made some new in-roads elsewhere I'll share in the upcoming post.

For now, thank you to all you new followers! And thanks for those leaving comments on Lisa Mangum's interview. She's quite the fantastic author, editor, and person. Good for you to meet her.

Okay, folks, all for now.

Character and Purpose

In my previous post on character, I talked about motivations of developing a good character and why that is important to story. In this post, I want to take that concept a little further.

The power of character in a story lies in our ability to relate to that character or the character's adventure or story. It is through our common experience with that character that the story itself resonates with us. The plot and setting create the milieu and circumstance for excitement. They also provide the element of fantasy common to all story, it is the place where our minds go when we read.

But the character itself is who we see, or who we see ourselves as being, or the person we don't want to be. That person exists through the process of story, but only as through the interaction with the reader.

I've heard Tracy Hickman say that story exists only when the reader reads it (he may have been quoting someone else, I can't recall, but he shared it so intimately that it was definitely part of his personal feelings of writing). That means that stories, whether they be in books, songs, or good, old fashioned tales told out loud, come to life when they are transmitted to another person.

That interaction is why I believe that characters have power to influence other people. It is why we have a responsibility when we write to ensure that our characters are not just believable, but that we are aware of what their existence will do to those who read. Everything we do, everything we write, everything we create, will have an impact on other people, whether we are aware of it or not. That is the way of things, the way the world works.

And so what we say, do, and write, can either be an influence for good or an influence for bad.

I don't mean that we have to be moralistic or preachy, or cynical or some other opposite. I mean that we need to be aware and purposeful.

That's why I don't believe that art for art's sake is sufficient of an excuse for creating story that may in some way lessons or weakens or in some way cheapens humanity. In fact, we have a responsibility to see that its impact is as good as it can be.

The challenge for writers is to build a better world but do it in a way that is subtle enough that readers still enjoy the journey. In fact, it may have to be so subtle that they aren't aware it is there. Again, I don't mean subliminal coercion. It is something deeper that lies at the heart of our work.

This is a concept I'm still developing. More next time.

LTUE and ePublishing

I attended LTUE this weekend. That's a writing conference at BYU. I learned a ton about writing, spent time with some fantastic friends, including Lisa Mangum, author of the Hourglass Door trilogy, author and entrepreneur Dave Farland, Tracy Hickman, and a host of others.

Talked about how my book is in a positive holding pattern at Shadow Mountain.

And learned a great deal about how the publishing market, especially ePublishing, is changing. With Amanda Hawking selling 450,000 some-odd books online only in the last few months, I'm impressed and giving serious consideration to going that route myself. Thoughts on the road to self publishing?