I wanted to ask you something about storystructure. To be honest, I haven’t read your e-books. They’re quite difficult to come by here in the Netherlands, especially without a creditcard, but that’s not the point. I’ve eagerly read every post you’ve entered on this website and from them I’ve learned a lot. Or so I think

What I understand storystructure to be, is that what gets Luke to the final confrontation with the Emperor. It is the whole of decisions he needs to make, the council and influences of others that enable him to make those decisions, the adversaries that try and stop him. Certain things need doing, certain feelings need to be felt so certain events take place. Right? (Damn, this is hard to put into words in another language)

It has to do with the Joseph Campbell business? I’m using Star Wars as an example now, but using, lets say, the Lord of the Rings trilogy would yield the same results?

Thanks,
Martijn

That point is: yes, structure serves you in TWO ways. First, as a targeted checklist of the elements you need in a good story, which means it’s a tool to be referenced before you have anthing more than a hint of an idea… and then, when you have most of the elements identified, structure becomes your guide to sequencing them effectively.

You ask this: “We should come up with our concept, characters, and theme (and maybe even some ideas for scenes) before we look at aranging our story on the 4-Part paradigm?”

Well, if you don’t have those things in your head, you don’t yet have anything to arrange over the 4 parts. The very things you cite here must exist in some form… otherwise, what is there to arrange? Nothing yet. That said… see my ending paragraph below.

I’m glad to hear the book is helping. Structure is powerful, liberating stuff.

In terms of pre-draft character planning, I usually do that in context to some awareness of what the story will be about in terms of plot. Then I explore the type of character that would make that journey interesting. Doesn’t always work this way, I’ve written books where the character came first, in which case I then developed a story to give that character an agenda and an adventure to live through.

Both of those are valid, but they are different. In either case, I develop their real-time agenda in life, their world view, then I develop a backstory to understand what made them into this person we will meet. Also, I pay attention to the inner demons that will hinder their progress toward their story goal. From there, the character evolves for me as the other elements grow and evolve during the pre-writing development phase. How you do it — write it out, make notes, keep it in your head — is less important that IF you do it. Whatever works for you.

It’s always a back and forth process, never completely precise in nature, much more like pantsing than I’d readily admit (only, I’m not writing a draft yet, I’m creating/pantsing a story plan — big difference).

Hope this helps. Stay in the struggle, embrace the challenge of it, be patient with it, but keep the questions that are nagging you front and center. The answers will come.

But, at the same time, it helps to know about structure first so we’ll know the kinds of characters, themes, and scenes that work with it?

Or am I’m totally missing the point?

BTW: Just got S2D (Story Structure Demystified) and I’m loving it. Especially the Dan Brown examples. I’m a big-time example person who needs to see concepts in action in order to understand them.

I’m using the book to help me structure my current novel before I write it. I thought I understood structure just fine, but the kinds of rejections I was getting from agents for my last book are along the lines of “The concept is great, the writing is solid, but…” I’m thinking that “but” has a lot to do with broken story structure.

Finally, a question: When it comes to the prewriting (which, as an ex-panster, I’m totally on board with now) what sort of work do you recomend for characters? Long biographies? Charts?

I’ve tried some of these methods, and they often feel tedious and not exactly helpful when it comes to plotting/writing the story. Often, the demands of the story change what I need from the characters, and there goes 20 pages of character biographies out the window. What are your thoughts?

Thanks!