Plot hack or story development?
How to rescue a plot that's not firing on all cylinders—and an invitation to Office Hours craft calls in November and December.
One of the most rewarding parts of book coaching is introducing writers to the process of story development, the idea that their first draft isn’t just an unpolished version of the story but rather a framework for its ultimate potential. Writers are almost always surprised to discover that an early draft doesn’t need “fixing" yet—the story needs to be thoroughly developed in the first place.
While the first article in this week’s Writes purports to be a short list of “plot hacks,” I would propose to you that these things might best be considered part of a thorough story development process. In other words, don’t hoard these strategies as solutions for problem plots. Consider these points sooner rather than later, as part of the process of exploring your book’s full potential.
Step into the realm of possibilities as we deepen our practice of the Writes of Fiction.
5 plot hacks that just might save your novel
If you’ve written a novel that’s waaaaaaay tooooo loooong (and you can determine that pretty quickly … if you know your genre—and you should!), then this may be a hard one to hear, because people who write novels that are way too long tend to feel rather attached to absolutely everything that happens within that novel, and everyone it happens with or to.
But trust me when I say, you can take this one to the bank: If there are two different events in your novel that have both been included in order to show your protagonist lacking the courage to take a stand for herself in the face of oppression, it will generally strengthen your story if you cut one of those events (or even combine the strongest elements of both events into a single one).—Read the rest from Susan DeFreitas at JaneFriedman.com.
More on story development: In any discussion of story structure, the three-act model inevitably dominates the conversation. Even as plotting methods such as Save the Cat, the Hero’s Journey, and the Snowflake Method gain popularity, the classic beginning-middle-end form reaching back to the dramatic theories of Aristotle remains the essential core.
But here’s the rub: Three-act structure produces a disproportionately large act in the middle of a novel—the double-stuff cream in the three-act Oreo—leaving writers with a puffy, gooey act notoriously recognized as the most difficult section to write. Act 2 of a three-act story is twice the length of the other acts, forcing writers to combat the infamous “saggy middle” effect using a hodge-podge of plot tangents and pacing tricks.
But it’s not the writing that makes the double-stuffed Act 2 feel like such a slog; it’s the structure itself. The loss of momentum is a symptom of a missing component that flattens plot and character development: the midpoint complication.—Keep reading The missing link in three-act story structure.
The secret purpose of cover art
Whether you like it or not, readers do judge books by their cover.
And publishers know it.
That’s their big, unspoken secret. Authors want to believe that covers are artistic representations of the story inside, but contrary to popular belief, the main purpose of a book cover is to advertise the book at a glance.
Publishers create cover art with marketing, publicity, and sales as their top priority. … Therefore, cover art is like shorthand for people to understand what kind of book it is.—Read the rest from Creative, Inspired, Happy with Evelyn Skye.
More from behind the scenes of the publishing process: 10. Some editors consider work complete when they return the edited manuscript to you. This is typical for edits designed to inspire revision and new writing, such as developmental or line edits. Other editors ask that you review and approve or revise their edits and return the manuscript for final adjustments; this is more typical for polishing edits like copyediting or proofreading. These editors will review some or all of your changes; the first sort consider that a new round of editing. Neither way is wrong or superior. Included follow-up rounds generally mean higher rates; many editors who don’t include follow-up rounds offer deep discounts for additional rounds. Ask your editor what’s included.
… 12. Expect to work using Microsoft Word and tracked changes. Most editors use Word because it permits the use of editorial tools that increase the accuracy and quality of the edit, a benefit you very much want for your manuscript. Agents, editors, and other publishing professionals will also expect to receive your manuscript as a Word file, not as a PDF or “compatible” file. Word and tracked changes look intimidating but aren’t difficult to learn, and working with them is part of a writer’s baseline skills.—Read more at Best practices for working with an independent editor.
Thinking about fancy-pantsy fiction as simply a good book
When people don’t like very experimental and literary fiction (and many more thousands don’t like it, than do) it’s much more along the lines of Tony Slimmings’ comment on my post about reading like a writer: the writer is showing off, being fancy, trying to win prizes, and above all ignoring the reader’s desire for a story in favour of their own desire to sound clever.
There are undoubtedly some arrogant/snobbish/pleased-with-themselves** authors out there, no question, even if some of them do write books I love. But when we see a sports person or a musician trying to do something really difficult, even if they don’t quite pull it off, we don’t think they’re doing it to show off, do we? We don’t think they’re putting us down or making us feel stupid - let alone that we should therefore resist. It’s not personal, it’s just that person.—Keep reading from Emma Darwin at This Itch of Writing.
More on learning from other books and writers: I’m not quite sure why people who don’t read imagine that they’d like to write a book. If I succeed at nothing else as an editor and book coach, I hope that I inspire non-reading clients to pick up a book and see what they’ve been missing.
It’s all very romantic to claim that novelists are creative spirits with no taste for the stiff, unsubtle business of publishing. But whether you’re hoping to attract interest from an agent or you plan to self-publish, you’re not going to get very far if you’re clueless about the worlds of books, writing, and publishing.
Consider too the idea of developing fluency in your craft—fluency in storytelling and writing. You’ll have to reach outside your own sphere to learn going on in the outside world, learn how other authors write and how other readers think. That kind of fluency comes from reading.—Read more at How to read like a novelist.
15 bad habits that hold writers back
Issue 2. Your Time Is Better Spent on Activities Other Than Reading
First, if you don’t love reading so much you can’t stay away from it, you’ve probably signed the wrong job application. Second, if you aren’t absorbing storycraft through every pore, you’re missing your most important opportunity to better your understanding of what it takes to write an amazing story.…Issue 4: You’re Protecting Your Originality by Avoiding Instruction on the Craft
The techniques of writing and the theories of storytelling are so much bigger than anything you can realize all on your own. The more you study our craft, the better your art will be—and the sharper your ability to create original material.—Read more from K. M. Weiland at Helping Writers Become Authors.
More on picking up the basics: I’m a big fan of Malcolm Gladwell’s notion that it takes about 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to achieve mastery of a skill or field of endeavor. It’s fairly evident that this applies first and foremost to your writing itself. The only way to ratchet up your experience level is by writing more manuscripts, whether they go on to publication or not.
The hardest part of breaking into anything new—including writing—is that you’re not even aware of what you don’t yet know. So dig in. The list below is by no means a comprehensive plan of self-education, but these ideas will certainly help you spot some of the things you’ll want to learn and explore as an emerging novelist.—Keep reading Kick-start your writing career development plan.
Fiction Fuel
It’s not unusual for science to catch up to art, eventually. Nor is it unusual for art to catch up to the spiritual.—Rick Rubin, The Creative Act
You’re invited to Office Hours next week
Remember that time you woke up at 3 a.m. wondering if your protagonist's sudden interest in competitive alpaca shearing was actually moving the plot forward? Well, here’s something that might help with those late-night manuscript crises: Office Hours calls are now free for all subscribers through 2024.
Bring your writing conundrums to our virtual craft klatch at Office Hours. Whether you're wrestling with worldbuilding or dancing with dialogue, your fellow readers and I are here to help. Office Hours is like a writers' support group meets master class, minus the uncomfortable folding chairs and with significantly better coffee (because you're making it yourself).
📅 Mark your calendar for the evening of November 21:
Thursday, November 21 · 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. America/Chicago
Google Meet
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/tpy-msvc-uqg
Or dial: (US) +1 252-376-1680 PIN: 900 843 345#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/tpy-msvc-uqg?pin=2540460618110
📅 And for the weekends, come on December 14:
Saturday, December 14 · 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. America/Chicago
Google Meet
Video call link: https://meet.google.com/hhu-zxmz-pjo
Or dial: (US) +1 443-489-6389 PIN: 344 785 438#
More phone numbers: https://tel.meet/hhu-zxmz-pjo?pin=8675018241527
I’ve been pondering whether y’all feel more comfortable nestled behind the print of newsletters like this one than face to face in a call with me. That’s why I’m opening Office Hours to all subscribers during November and December, and then I’ll review whether to continue Office Hours calls as a Writes of Fiction benefit.
See you next Thursday evening at Office Hours?
Onward,
Lisa
P.S. Paid subscribers get more craft tips like the ones in this issue every single week on Wednesdays. Want to get more too? Upgrade your subscription today.
P.P.S. Still plugging away on a first draft? You could be ready to work with me right now!
We could review your book’s concept and outline to make sure its various elements are working together effectively. Want feedback that’s short, sweet, and to the point? Ask me about a Clarity Audit.
If you’re interested in drilling down to the darkest corners of your book, we could embark on coaching to fully develop your novel’s potential: story concept, plotting, character arcs, point of view, narrative drivetrain, themes, genre, commercial potential, scene effectiveness, and even your writing and publishing goals for this book. Ready to get under the hood and tinker? Ask me about Story Accelerator coaching.
This is The Writes of Fiction, a curated trove of old and new thinking about writing designed to help you get better at the craft of writing fiction. And this is your editorial assistant of the week, Sir Rémy of the Tongue—and no, that’s not an action shot. That’s how he rolls when he’s chillaxin’. 👇
🐾 Support your #editorialassistants via Greyhound Adoption League of Texas, now rehoming internationally from USA, Ireland, and Australia.
