Writing Elements Mix – Is There a Right Balance?

By Karen Cioffi

Writing can be thought of as a recipe, a handful of plot, a quarter cup of setting, a third to a half cup of dialogue, and a half cup of action and forward movement. Then you also need to add just the right amount of theme, character, and style. Stir it all together and bake for several months (might be longer, depending on your oven), and that’s it.

Ah, if it were only that simple.

Today, there are a number of rules to writing that didn’t plague writers years ago when the world was slower and people actually had time to sit and read at a leisurely pace. Writers had the luxury of setting scenes in detail and didn’t have to worry about ‘telling’ too much.

Now, publishers want your story to begin with a BAM. Grab the reader right away, or you’ll lose her. And, it’s important that setting and telling are limited. In addition, don’t forget to magically weave backstory for your characters seamlessly into the mix.

So, what is the right balance of writing elements that will create a successful story?

Well, there really isn’t a pat formula. Each story will call for its own particular amounts of elements, and each publisher will have her own set of rules that the author must adhere to. But there are certain basics that all stories must contain.

The five basic elements of a story are:

Plot: The arrangement of circumstances and/or events in the story, including conflicts and resolution.

Character: Without the main character and supporting characters the plot is useless. It is the character’s struggle to overcome the conflicts or obstacles in his path that gives the plot life.

Setting: This element includes the physical backdrop of the story, the time period and location.

Atmosphere or Tone: The mood, including the setting, characters and their clothing, weather, and other elements within the story, determines the tone of the story.

Style: The author’s way of expressing herself is the style. Sentence structure, diction, choice of words, point of view, imagery, and symbols are all means of conveying a story that is unique to the author.

In regard to the amounts or balance of each element, the objective is to create a story that continually moves forward toward a satisfying conclusion while holding the reader’s attention.

You can have a plot driven story or a character driven story. You can also have a story with a lot of dialogue, but you need to be sure the story is focused, coherent, and engaging.

Often, as you self-edit you won’t be able to see if the elements are just right, You should have your manuscript critiqued and have an editor take a look at it to see if you’re on the mark. And, then after all that, it will be up to the acquistion editor to give the final say on whether you have just the right balance of writing elements for a successful story.

Karen Cioffi is an award-winning author, ghost-writer, and online platform instructor with WOW! Women on Writing. For must-know writing and marketing tips, get free access to The Writing World.

Reprinted from 2012.

Before You Write, You Need a Plot

Image Copyright © 2013 Joan Y. Edwards

"Before You Write, You Need a Plot." by Joan Y. Edwards

In 2007 I discovered that it is important to have the plot for your story before you write it. The expression on my face was similar to the girl with the wide eyes in the picture above. "What? I need a plot? 

I knew beginning, middle, and end.   

I had problems. 

However, I didn't have all the other pieces neatly laid out in a plan for my story in a plot before I wrote it.

A plot is a chain of events in a story that goes from the beginning to the end to prove or show a particular universal theme that shows emotional and physical actions and reactions of a main character and how he reorganizes his ideas after several setbacks in order to win and survive happily.

You must have a problem to have a plot. No problem - no plot - no story.
A good plot puts complications in motion that stop the main character from solving his problem and reaching his goal.
A good plot uses the best logical order for events that makes a story easy to understand.

1. cause and effect relationship in chronological order
2. cause and effect relationship in flashback and foreshadowing - not chronological order (can start in the middle of things and go forward, backward, or into the future
3. events that happen in chronological order, but are coincidence, not cause and effect

PLOT

Ordinary Day Exposition (Beginning)

1. Start your story with a day that starts out ordinary. Start it out on a day and time when your character is happy. It describes the way it is. It explains the existing setting, order of things; present customs, practices, and power relations with other characters.
2. Don’t put all of the backstory on one page. Backstory includes the events that happened before your story began. It's the background information about your characters. Spread your backstory out in your novel. Give the readers only what they need to know to understand a particular action or reaction.If the reader doesn't need to know your character failed a math test in third grade at the beginning of the story, take it out and put it in right before he takes a math test. This will show the motive of why he’s scared to take the test.

Rising Action (Problems)

1. Call to Action. The inciting incident. What happened to cause the character to want to reach this new goal. What conflicts/obstacles face the main character if he is to reach his goal?
2. Dream Stage, Event happens that your main character can't ignore. It affects his life in more ways than he ever imagined it could.
3. Frustration Stage, Each try gets him deeper in despair.
4. Nightmare Stage It's his worst nightmare. This is the bottom of the barrel for the character.

Climax (Middle) (The Fight, Face to Face Encounter with Problem)

1. Main Character changes for the better. The main character has an inner realization of the true meaning of all the events in the story leading up to this moment. This spiritual “aha” moment promotes a significant change in his ways of thinking and his behavior.
2. Climax is the major conflict. This is the big scene that decides whether the main character gets what he wants or needs.
3. Main character must face the problem. He can’t ignore it any more. This is the battle scene.
4. It is the peak of suspense. 
5. The main character experiences the height of anxiety, nervousness, and tension both mentally and physically.
6. For the readers, this is the most exciting part of the story because of the uncertainty of how everything is going to turn out. There is a mixture of fear, danger, and hope. There is an air of “It can’t work out for him. It’s going to be bad." Followed by the amazement and surprise: “Oh my gosh, he’s doing it. Everything will be better.”

Falling Action (Result of Climax Encounter)

1. The protagonist wins or loses. I was always confused by this. I thought this was still in the climax. However, the fight, the face to face confrontation is the climax.  The result of the fight or face to face, head-on confrontation is the falling action.
2. Falling Action shows the changes to the characters who are affected by the solution to the main problem.
3. Shows what happens to the main character after overcoming all obstacles
4. Shows what happens to the main character if he fails to get his wishes.
5. Shows what happens to both the good dudes and the bad dudes after the protagonist wins or loses.
6. Things begin to be normal again.

Resolution (End)

1. It shows the effects of his winning or losing with the other characters and shows what happens to untie the subplots, too.
2. It shows that the main character has solved all problems and mysteries.
3. It brings satisfying closure to the situation.
4. The outcome turns the protagonist’s life into all new and better ordinary day. He's happy once again.
5. If it’s a tragedy, it ends with a catastrophe where the main character dies.

Enjoy writing good stories. Build a strong plot for your next story. A good story shows the emotional highs and lows of the character(s). A good story has tension on every page. Make it the best plot you've ever designed for a picture book, young adult, or adult novel. Go ahead. Write the next Best-Selling Book. You can do it.

**********************************************

Joan's Elder Care Guide, 4RV Publishing, June 2014.
Joan's website: www.joanyedwards.com 

Writing Elements Mix - Is There a Right Balance?

Writing Elements Mix – Is There a Right Balance?

By Karen Cioffi

Writing can be thought of as a recipe, a handful of plot, a quarter cup of setting, a third to a half cup of dialogue, and a half cup of action and forward movement. Then you also need to add just the right amount of theme, character, and style. Stir it all together and bake for several months (might be longer, depending on your oven), and that’s it.

Ah, if it were only that simple.

Today, there are a number of rules to writing that didn’t plague writers years ago when the world was slower and people actually had time to sit and read at a leisurely pace. Writers had the luxury of setting scenes in detail and didn’t have to worry about ‘telling’ too much.

Now, publishers want your story to begin with a BAM. Grab the reader right away, or you’ll lose her. And, it’s important that setting and telling are limited. In addition, don’t forget to magically weave backstory for your characters seamlessly into the mix.

So, what is the right balance of writing elements that will create a successful story?

Well, there really isn’t a pat formula. Each story will call for its own particular amounts of elements, and each publisher will have her own set of rules that the author must adhere to. But there are certain basics that all stories must contain.

The five basic elements of a story are:

Plot: The arrangement of circumstances and/or events in the story, including conflicts and resolution.

Character: Without the main character and supporting characters the plot is useless. It is the character’s struggle to overcome the conflicts or obstacles in his path that gives the plot life.

Setting: This element includes the physical backdrop of the story, the time period and location.

Atmosphere or Tone: The mood, including the setting, characters and their clothing, weather, and other elements within the story, determines the tone of the story.

Style: The author’s way of expressing herself is the style. Sentence structure, diction, choice of words, point of view, imagery, and symbols are all means of conveying a story that is unique to the author.

In regard to the amounts or balance of each element, the objective is to create a story that continually moves forward toward a satisfying conclusion while holding the reader’s attention.

You can have a plot driven story or a character driven story. You can also have a story with a lot of dialogue, but you need to be sure the story is focused, coherent, and engaging.

Often, as you self-edit you won’t be able to see if the elements are just right, You should have you manuscript critiqued and have an editor take a look at it to see if you’re on the mark. And, then after all that, it will be up to the publisher’s editor to give the final say on whether you have just the right balance of writing elements for a successful story.

~~~~~
Karen Cioffi is an award-winning author, freelance/ghostwriter, editor, and marketer. For more on writing and marketing visit http://karencioffiwritingandmarketing.com and sign up for her FREE newsletter, A Writer’s World - you’ll get 2 FREE ebooks: Book Promotion: The Bare Basics and Power Queries.

Make a protagonist live

by Vivian Zabel  

         Every plot needs a protagonist, a hero or heroine, maybe one of each. How do we make them real, not caricatures?

          All stories and novels, even many poems, have a hero or heroine. More and more heroines fill the bookshelves, too. What characteristics do we want in our protagonist? For what do we search when we read, use when we write? Let’s examine creating a hero (I’ll just use the term hero for the rest of the editorial, but everything applies to a heroine, too).

         A hero needs to be believable.

         "Okay, fine," someone says. "How does a writer make a hero believable?"

         One way is to pay attention to the small stuff, the details. That doesn’t mean as writers we have to include everything possible in the story or novel, but we should have the hero so developed, in our minds, that he or she lives.

          Natashya Wilson, www.aresix.blogspot.com, as well as numerous composition books and my notes from writing classes, workshops, and clinics include the following information when examining the components of a hero:

1. The hero should be appealing and should inspire.

         Reading about him/her should give readers a feelings that they, the readers, too can achieve their goals. The hero should help readers to find courage and the will to continue. Any hero needs to be strong and intelligent, as well as be human with flaws that readers can understand, but with the ability needed to succeed.

         No matter what, the reader must be able to relate to the hero on some level.

2. The writer needs to develop the hero completely.

         I noted earlier that the heroes should be developed in our minds until they are real. We should have a background, childhood, friends, family, home, and likes and dislikes all in our mental files. We need to note his motivations, phobias, the people he respects. Not all the information will go into our stories or novels, but the details are there, making our hero real. If we made our heroes live for us, they are more likely to live for readers.

3. Every hero needs a special skill or quality.

         We should ask ourselves what gives him an advantage over the bad guy or guys, and why he doesn’t give up? Then we use those answers to enhance our hero.

4. The characters around the hero need to be interesting and fully developed, too.

         Those around our hero should be worthy of him. The love interest and the villains should have depth, be realistic and believable. The hero should have a reason to love the other person; the heroine should be in love with someone worth loving. The villain should test the merit of the hero.

5. The plot should grab the reader’s attention and challenge the hero.

         Readers have to care what happens and want to continue reading.

6. Make sure the hero has an emotional stake in the outcome.

         Another way to help the reader care is to create an emotional stake for the hero. He shouldn’t want to “win” just because it’s his job or is the “right” thing to do.

7. Add a touch of romance.

         A bit of romance enlivens the plot and makes the hero more human. The romance should not be the main focus or just thrown it, but it should be a natural part of the story.

         Many of today's stories and novels throw in romance and/or sex scenes without ryhyme or reason (used a cliché, I know). Anything inserted in a story, including romance, needs to add to the plot, move the story on, and/or enhance our interest in the hero or another character.

8. Write for your audience.

         Who do you want to read and enjoy the story or novel? The plot and characters should appeal to those people.

9. Make dialogue believable.

          Nothing ruins a hero, or a story, for a reader faster than stilted or contrived dialogue. Practice what you write. Speak it aloud. Try it out. Is there unnecessary profanity? Do characters “talk” so that readers understand as well as other characters? Listen to people talk, and then clarify for readers.

          The tips above will help make our protagonists live in our writings.

4RV Publishing  
4RV Bookstore   Remodeling complete and sale is still in effect.

How to Improve Mysteries

by Vivian Zabel  

          I take and read several writing magazines: The Writer, WRITERS' Journal, and Writer's Digest. All of them give me ideas and advice that helps me be a better writer. As I read some of the current issues, I realized that some of the articles included suggestions that definitely apply to writing mysteries, thrillers, crime, and/or suspense novels and/or stories.

          In my reading, and from my experiences over the years, I found some writing tips that definitely apply to writing mysteries and sub-genres.

          Some of the suggestions apply to any writing; some perhaps more to the mystery genres. However, all are usable to us. At the end of this article, I'll give the sources for the information I'm using, besides my own expertise. I highly recommend that everyone read all the articles.

          Create believable and distinctive characters. Have you ever read more than one book where at least one character could be dropped into more than one story, even if the names aren't the same, and no one could notice? I mean other than in a series or a sequel that contains the same characters.

          Ways to make characters believable and distinctive are several, but a few include 1) to have characters not be predictable, 2) to make them three-dimensional rather than stereotypical or all good or all bad, 3) to "show" their personalities and characters rather than "tell" the reader what kind of person they are. An antagonist shouldn't be a "flat" all bad, evil person. A protagonist shouldn't be all good without any faults or short comings.

          Include the four elements. Every well-written novel or story needs to have 1) a strong hook at the beginning to grab the readers attention and keep it.

          2) Conflict is necessary to have a plot, a story. Of course without conflict, we would have only a narrative, and we wouldn't have anything to interest a reader.

          Conflict leads to a 3) struggle, according to Diane E. Robertson, both internal and external. The ups and downs of the struggle make the plot move forward to the 4) resolution, the end of the story. Authors need to be sure that that end is not a false finish. The end must make sense and satisfy the reader. A surprise ending should still be credible.

          Make sure the plot is plausible to the reader. Often, coincidences are thrown in to surprise a reader, but if credibility is stretched too far, the reader won't accept it. Hallie Ephron states, "... never, ever, ever make a coincident integral to the solution."

          Don't conceal clues from the reader. The reader should know all the clues as soon as the mystery solver or detective does.

         I gave a few of the many tips found in three articles and a bit of my own knowledge mixed in.

***
Sources, besides the information I've accumulated over the years:

The Writer, Hallie Ephron,October 2008 page 26-29; Paola Carso, December 2008 page 28-29.
WRITERS' Journal, Diane E. Robertson, January/February 2009 page 46-47.


4RV Publishing website
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Nothing New Under the Sun, But Writers Make It So

by Holly Jahangiri

 

I was telling someone about a story I recently wrote. "So, basically, it's 'The Little Boy Who Cried Wolf'?"

"Well, yes, actually - except that there's no wolf." A minor technicality. Ever feel like, no matter what you write, it's all been written before? Do you find that discouraging?

Did you know that there are some 27,000 variations on the Cinderella story?

Years ago, while lying on a concrete floor in the basement of the University of Tulsa's library, reading what I should've been reshelving, I ran across a book called The Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations by Georges Polti. I was fascinated by the notion that every story could be pigeonholed into one of thirty-six basic plots. Polti even suggests the necessary characters to pull it off; for example, in a storyline he calls "Rivalry of kin," we have the Preferred Kinsman; the Rejected Kinsman; and the Object of Rivalry. Sounds like the The Prodigal Son, doesn't it?

Since then, I've read there are only twenty - or, to simplify matters even further - seven. They can be summed up as follows:
[wo]man vs. nature
[wo]man vs. man
[wo]man vs. the environment
[wo]man vs. machines/technology
[wo]man vs. the supernatural
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion

I suppose you could combine them further and say that really, there are only four:
[wo]man vs. nature/the environment
[wo]man vs. man/machines/technology
[wo]man vs. self
[wo]man vs. god/religion/the supernatural

I'm tempted to say "three," but to combine "self" and "man" might be pushing a point. Besides, if you're looking for story ideas, Polti's thirty-six provide more food for thought.

Some years ago, I wrote a story called "Just a Little Peace and Quiet." After rereading it, I realized I'd written a modern, feminist version of Edgar Allan Poe's "Cask of Amontillado," With a wicked little twist all its own.

If we shut down and gave up every time we wrote something that's been "done before," we'd never write another word. For grins, read Cecil Adams' take on the whole notion at "What are the seven basic literary plots?"

One intriguing aspect of Polti's thirty-six dramatic situations is the notion that there are 36 emotions (I can run through half of them in two hours, if the movie is any good).

In exploring the basic plots and story structure, it is impossible not to stumble across folkloristics - the study of motifs in folklore. A motif is a recurring element having symbolic significance. It is not an ordinary, everyday thing or occurrence. A flying carpet, for example, is a motif. A mother is not a motif, but a cruel or murderous mother is. Transformation of people into animals or objects may also be a motif.

The trick, then, is to travel the well-worn trail, but to make it uniquely our own.

Just for Fun and Practice

• Choose five of your favorite books. Identify the basic plots each book fits into best.
  
• Write a short story (about 500-1500 words) using one of the basic plots identified above (or one of the thirty-six described by Polti)
  
• Post your response on your own blog - be sure to label it with the chosen plot or dramatic situation and leave a link in the comments here.
  

Do you think that recurring symbolism (use of motifs) is an effective storytelling device? Why or why not? Why do you think this features so prominently in folklore?