Understanding the Importance of Story Structure

Lately I've been reading like a mad woman. Indie titles are always my go-to on the old Kindle shelf, but I'm seeing a bit of an alarming trend.

There's little to no structure in the storyline, especially in a series.

For our planner writers (or plotters), this comes as easy as shooting fish in a barrel. But pantsers ... not so much. Panters love the freedom of allowing a story to unfold. They love letting the characters guide the story. It feels like somehow channeling that inner genius, right?

That is, until your genius goes on crack and leads you on a freaking wild goose chase, causing enough loops and dips in the story to give the LA's crazy interchange a run for its money.



Don't get me wrong, I'm a panster at heart. But even the most authentic writers need to figure out the basics of their story before plowing through a plotline.

And no, you can't chop a 250K manuscript in thirds and call it a "series." That's how Kindles get flung across rooms and your name becomes a curse on the lips of readers everywhere.

Why?

Because it's ingrained in our DNA that every story must have one thing:

A beginning

A middle

and an end. 

Whether it's a short story, a novella, a serial that is part of a continuing saga, or a full blown novel, there must be a beginning, a middle, and an end for every section that is published.

Please forgive the caveman quality of the graphics below, but I'm working with a program that Bill Gates used as a teething ring.

At any rate, here's a standard story structure format that's been around for thousands of years. Having a basic understanding of this type of structure allows the reader to have a feeling of satisfaction at the end of the book.

Taking a sec to use this simple tool for your stand alone work alleviates hours of frustration for you, not to mention your content editor. :-)

So how does this structure vary for a series? 

It doesn't. 

Take a look at the chart below. 

Each book within the series must have its own 3 act structure. However, we have two conflicts going on in each work. One for the book's main conflict, and one conflict that spans the series. 

Here's what that looks like: 

While there are different types of series (which we'll explore another day) this is the basic premise of the structure needed. If you are hell-bent-for-glory to create a series from that idea churning in your head, please take a sec and plot out the major points in the story using this guide. 

When authors don't take the time to plan their story out, here's what generally happens. 

Instead of the series umbrella being used as an organized common thread, it's become a catch-all for those moments when your characters take a left turn into crazyville, leaving you with a vomtous mass of garbled words and a spaghetti bowl for a plot line. 

Now I ask you, which one would you rather read? 

Past or Present, Which Tense are You?

Trends in writing often come and go with popularity, especially in YA, it seems. Normally, the trend deals with subject matter ... everything from wizards to vampires to futuristic dystopian worlds. But lately, there is one trend I can't wrap my brain around. In these books, I loved the characters, and the action throughout is fast paced and engaging. But yet, I hated the book. Why?

It's not the storyline ... it's how it's written that's the problem.

I can't seem to get into first person/present books.

First person/present enthusiast will explain that the writing style forces the reader to stay in the moment; it's real time. My problem with it is that every book I've read in this style does nothing but tell, tell, tell, which drives me absolutely nuts!

Maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm completely wrong, or my brain doesn't work like the rest of the world's, but I can't lose myself in the storyline at all. I find myself gritting my teeth when I'm reading. The last book I actually read aloud on a nine-hour road trip. It was the only way I could get through it. The final book in the series isn't out yet, and already I'm dreading it. I shudder at the idea of having to sit through another 600 pages, but I want to see what happens to the characters.

In the interest of trying to understand the style, I've decided to do an experiment. Below are two short excerpts of the same scene. One is first person/present and the other is first person/past.

For the sake of consistency (and because I don't write first person/present), I've paralleled the writing style of one of the more popular authors of this genre. 

First person/present example:

That afternoon, I go back to my room while everyone else spends time outside. The sounds of laughter and the smell of barbeque follows me up the stairs. I open my door. I find Sam sitting on my bed, staring at the space where his picture used to hang. 

"There you are," I say.

He sighs. Silence.

I close the door and sit down next to him on the bed. My feet just meet his shins he's so tall.

"Everyone's been looking for you," I say. 

He puts his head on my shoulder, his hand reaching for mine. "I don't want to see them," he whispers. "I only want to be with you."

Same scene, first person past example:

The stairs creaked as I trudged to my room. Squeals of laughter and the sweet smell of barbeque followed me, trying to entice me back, but I needed some time alone. An arc of light swept across the wooden floor, and I startled to see Sam sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the space where his picture used to hang. 

"There you are."

He sighed. Cavernous silence stood between us, and I closed the door, engulfing the room in darkness once more.

Sam scooted over as I made my way to him. I sat down, smiling at the way my feet dangled next to his shins. He hit the six foot mark a few years back in the eighth grade. Much to his dismay, he was still growing.

I nudged him. "Everyone's looking for you, you know."    

Soft hair brushed my chin as Sam rested his head on my shoulder. Warmth enfolded my palm as his fingers laced with mine.

"I don't want to see them," he whispered. "I only want to be with you."   

If you've never done this as a writing exercise, you should try it. It's a lot harder than it looks!

Now I know some will say that the second scene has more detail, but I couldn't help it. The fact that there is no sensory, no detail, in the first scenario is what makes me want to punch bunnies.  

And so I'd like to know: Is it just me? Which one would you rather read? 

*Image taken from http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071010132314.htm