Plot & Structure

A plot is technically defined as a “sequence of events that moves a story forward”, which doesn’t in itself sound difficult. But when you put those events down on paper for your reader, it must done in the proper way. Plot and structure is so integral to our work as writers, and I love the James Scott Bell book by the same name (see my review here).

I’m critiquing some short stories, and most of them have a plot with proper structure. Every once in a while, I run into a story that has a sequence of events, but doesn’t move the story along. Just because something happened doesn’t mean you report it, if it is insignificant. I have to remind some writers that we only need to set forth the sentences that will make a difference, and we don’t need a blow-by-blow account of what Ann did from the moment she opened her eyes until she got to the office and found her boss dead.

Who cares that she measured her coffee, put the water in the coffeemaker, turned on the machine, put bread in the toaster and buttered it when it popped up? Who cares that she got in the shower, blow-dried her hair, put on mascara, eyeliner, and blush before brushing her teeth? I don’t, unless she is doing this because this routine is her post-kill habit.

It’s a good reminder for me as well. I’m still editing the second book in my science fiction trilogy, and after I read a scene, I ask myself what its purpose is. Does it need to be there? Or is it a passage of pretty words that the reader will have to slog through? I’m cutting and slashing my hard work, but doing so makes my novel that much better. The plot moves, the scenes and overall storyline are structured, and the book is more enjoyable.

By taking a hard look at my plot and structure before I write, I end up with a better result when it comes time to edit. Every scene seems important at the time, but after careful consideration, I realize some do nothing for my audience. Keeping my readers happy is the goal, and paying attention to the sequence of events that matter makes that happen.

Plot and structure are two of the most basic foundations of writing, so review your own work to be sure that you’ve done it just right!

Breaking Rules

Being a lawyer, I generally like to follow rules. Doing so makes my life easier, and keeps me out of trouble. The legal term “precedence” means to follow what has come before, and when a court uses precedence in deciding a case, it makes the outcome relatively predictable.

In my non-legal world, I love to break rules if there are no dire consequences. There is something about defying authority that has allure. Remember breaking your curfew? Remember driving over the speed limit and not getting caught? Remember cheating on a diet?

Who is making the rules anyway—parents, government, yourself? If you break a rule and don’t hurt yourself or anyone else, is that a bad thing? Rules have a purpose in every aspect of our life. They keep our society functioning, they guide us in the right direction, and they tell us what is acceptable.

What about the rules of writing? At one time, it was taboo to start a word with “and” or “but”—your high school teacher put big red marks on your paper if you did. But the rules have changed. And you even see best-selling authors doing the previously unthinkable.

Some writing rules should never be broken, but there are several that can be. Robert Masello has his own set of rules (see my review of Robert ’s Rules of Writing here) that will make you think about what you’ve learned or heard along your writing journey. When you read his book, sometimes you’ll feel validation because you’ve already experienced his rule, and other times you’ll feel like you’ve got to try playing his way because it sounds like more fun than you’ve been having.

I always thought my writing rules were basic: 1) get something onto paper, 2) edit, 3) submit. After reading Mr. Masello’s book, I realized my rules go deeper than that, but just never put much consideration into what they are.

Maybe you have your personal set of writing rules that work for you. If so, please share them!

Monkey Mind

I read a great article in the April 2013 issue of Runner’s World, called “The Zen Zone.” It starts off eavesdropping on what a runner might be thinking to himself. Those thoughts are scattered from running gear to food, to scenery, what Buddhists call “monkey mind.”

Monkey mind, or those random thoughts that keep popping up, happen to writers too. It might be something like this: Need to write. What about the dishes? I’m hungry. Next time I go to the grocery store, I need to remember to buy tofu. I wonder what my neighbor is doing? Maybe I should brush the dog.

Don’t worry; monkey mind is normal—to a point. When the monkeys are noisy and start saying mean, nasty things (You think you’re a writer? You have nothing to say that anyone will want to read. You can’t finish a novel. This is crap and you’ll be laughed off the face of this Earth!), it’s time to throw the monkeys a banana or two.

Buddhists recommend meditation to cure monkey mind. Now don’t get me wrong, meditation is great, and it can clear your mind and bring focus. Runners need to bring their mind and body into balance, and meditation helps with that. But I think writers have a lot of other tools as well, to bring their mind to their writing.

Some writers have certain music that motivates, others journal. Some use a timer and write anything for thirty minutes to see if it gets the creativity going, others mind map. Some writers research, others interview characters. Some edit what’s already been written, others grit their teeth and just write, knowing they can toss it out with the garbage if they need to.

A little monkey is okay. But when the monkey is wild, do whatever you need to, whatever works for you, to get that monkey off your back.

 

Writing With Joy

Bella the boxer. At a year and half old, she is spunky, and cuter than words can describe. Believe me, I’ve tried! Bella has a terrible underbite, and she has to adjust her head when she eats, so the food doesn't fall out of her mouth. When she thinks she's in trouble, she wags her little tail as hard as she can, which in turn wags her whole body. Then she makes little squeaky noises, and because we find it so irresistible, we forget we’re mad.

Bella loves her brothers and sister. She loves people--even the vet. She is happy, carefree, and simply enjoys being herself. When I watch her outside in the yard playing with the other dogs, snuggling up in the same bed as Zeb, or looking out the window at what she's missing in the world, I can't help but think of how much joy she brings us.

For writers, joy can be hard to find. We put all sorts of constraints on ourselves, which makes it hard to be happy and carefree. I decided to try writing the way Bella plays—with recklessness and freedom.

Nothing happened.

For some reason, I couldn’t write. I had all kinds of thoughts, but my mind stopped me from putting any of it down. I could hear my inner critic telling me, “It isn’t good enough”, “You really wouldn’t say that”, “No one will like that”, “It’s garbage.”

The mind is so powerful, yet so limiting. I tried again the next day, and took a chance on the words in my head. I reached for the Backspace key several times, but decided to let the words flow. After a few minutes, I relaxed and got some good writing in for the day.

It’s hard not to edit as I write, but I’m training myself to get out whatever is on my mind, and delete later. This method brings more days of joy because I can be myself and say what I want.

 

Bella taught me that my writing doesn’t have to be neat and pretty on the first pass. It just has to be real.

My Rottweiler, Isamu, is a beautiful dog. He has golden eyes that look at me with wonder when I talk to him, and a square chin that rivals Superman.

Isamu, or Sami, as we call him, is a large dog with many fears. There are certain parts of the floor that he's afraid of, and if he perceives a barrier is in his way, he gets frightened and won't walk around it. However, when he is outside, and sees a person, a car, or an animal, he is fierce. He barks, raises the hair on his back, and acts as if he is the protector of the world.

We have tried to help him overcome his fears, but at seven years of age, it doesn't appear that he will conquer them.

Conquering fears can be difficult. When I started writing, I had an incredible fear of rejection. I still worry about what people will say about my writing, but it isn't a paralyzing fear that stops me. If I want to be successful as an author, I must conquer my fears and realize that I can't please everyone.

Mean words hurt. As writers, we work hard. We write, edit, polish, and love our prose. No one wants to publish only to have others tear them down. But inevitably someone is going to make a comment that rips out your heart and makes you feel inadequate, worthless, or incompetent.

Somehow you must overcome that hurt, and write because you love it, and because your supporting audience loves it.

If you never conquer your fear, branch out, and put yourself out there, you'll never know success. Like Sami, I will always have fears, but will put on my bravest and fiercest face when I submit or publish anything.