Story Craft Forum Story Craft 102

What are the elements that make good story craft?

Concept
Character
Flow
Review
Analysis

The concept of the story is usually what comes first, so your story concept must be thought out. What do you want to have happen? What is happening? Where is it going? What are you trying to say?

The second most common start to story crafting is with the character. Character development can be difficult. The most difficult part of character development is rounding out your initial concept of your character(s). Who is this character? What is this character like? What drives the character? What is the character�s back story?

The flow of a story must make sense. It must be a logical direction for the theme, plot, concept, and characters. It does not matter the genre. It can be fantastical in its fantasy but still contain a logical flow that will keep readers involved in the story. You want the reader to turn the page. You do that with flow.

Review is that dirty bit of writing that creative thinkers rarely want to do. It is for this reason there are so many editors out there and they are paid well. Editors think through your project for you. If the concept is good, the characters are developing nicely through the project, and flow is happening, the editor�s work is limited to language correction. If they are not there, the editor�s commentary will make the writer feel like they are losing control of their project. At this point, you the writer, have two choices: disregard the input, doing it yourself, or listen to your editor and improve as a writer. In school we never enjoyed the critique of our work by our teachers or professors. It felt personal. And, to some extent, it is. But, self review and analysis of your work will minimize their work. Take a step back from your project and re-read it. Does it flow? Does it make sense? Does it draw you into the story? Does it put you there? If it does not, do a �file save as� and edit the story. You may even restart from scratch. This is easier to do with computers than typewriters or paper and pen.

Now for the truly hard part that will greatly improve your story craft� analysis. I hated this part while in school. Analysis is taking a further step back and looking at the project as a whole and then dissecting it into its various pieces: concept, character, flow, theme, thesis, statement, plot and plot points, twists and turns, language usage, spelling, correct wording, sentence structure, grammar, vernacular (are you using the right words in the right way for your story, character, et cetera), read-ability, interest, et cetera. You may have a lot of things going for your story but if it does not capture the interest and keep it, you are wasting precious time and creativity on a project that needs reworking or scrapping.

Many writers start with an initial concept or character and start writing. No further real thought is put into the project other than what happens while writing. Then, the inevitable writer�s block happens or the story stops incompletely and is put out there as a finished work. When this occurs and the first reviews or suggested edits come along, the writer takes it personally and disregards the feedback or acts out in several ways: stop writing, vent / rant, digs in heels and continues putting out incomplete projects, or gets angry and goes somewhere else where they will be better appreciated. These are traits of the immature writer. To improve at anything, one must recognize strengths and weaknesses. Once identified, one must then work to improve in both areas. Talent will only get you so far. Hard work at perfecting what it is you like doing, are talented at doing, or wanting to do will greatly assist you in getting better. Such is the same with story craft.

After basking in the glow of a creative effort, you be your first critic. Review the work for the obvious� spelling and grammar. Review the work for story craft. Did you do a good job on this project or is it just a really good place to start to �hone� the story to a sharper edge? Hint: go with the latter.

We will develop these skills by doing an analysis on the �featured� project. One of the brave writers in the group will submit a project and we will analyze it per above. Then, in a positive, objective, without personal attacks, manner the writers in this group will review their own commentary prior to posting in the thread analyzing the project. The group will aid the writer so that the individual, brave soul putting up their work for analysis can improve in story craft. The hopeful side effect is that the analyzing group members will also grow in their knowledge and ability in story craft.

So submit your works to the moderator; knowing your project will be picked over like a Thanksgiving turkey by a family full of hungry boys.

Your submitted analysis should comment on the areas listed herein. If you have an additional idea or suggestion as to what else should be reviewed, please post it in this thread. The moderator will review your suggestion. If it is viable, the moderator will edit this post, adding your input as part of the process this group will use.

I desire and want your participation and input in this thread as well as in the review of the various projects featured for the group

Doc...

One thing I would like to touch on here that I have found helpful. When I finish a piece, I set it down a bit before I start my self-edit/review of it. Let the emotions involved in writing the story go cold. It varies from piece to piece from several days to a month or two. It just depends on how envolved I was in the writing phase of it. It sure makes it easier to "kill those babies" in the clear light of a new day.

I studied theatre in college and we discussed Aristotle's "Poetics" as the basis for all dramatic writing (poetry, prose, performance)... they are in order of importance:

1) Plot--the most important aspect of any drama is the concept. What is the conflict? What are the possible outcomes? What is the setting?

2) Character--who is involved? What type of person are they and what will they become?

3) Thought--How will the events flow together? Is there a backstory?

4) Diction--How do the words flow together? Are you accurate in your descriptive process? Is the imagery as powerful as you can possibly make it?

5) Song--How is the rhythm and pacing? Is it all action and too hurried, or are you draggin from scene to scene? Is the pacing balanced so that the energy builds properly? Do the words flow musically?

6) Spectacle--(more for theatre) How exciting is it too watch, but also, how does it "look"? If its not live-action, how would you imagine it? Does the imagery match the pacing? Basically how well does it all blend together to create a picture in the reader (spectators) mind?

I thought this might help shed a different light at storycraft. Its a little ancient, but I think it still holds true today for the most part. If you look at Hollywood films and most things on televeision (in which Sensationalism has taken over) the process is inverted. Its the reason why it is often difficult to find consistently entertaining fiction on television as well as on the big screen. I believe good writing follows some type of proven formula that acts as a checklist to make sure you leave nothing out.

I would have to agree that stepping away for awhile really helps with the editing process. It often takes a fresh eye to notice my own lazy habits or easily-missed mistakes. I also find it refreshing to notice something that I did that I didn't realize I had done. It is quite reassuring when you read something that you wrote weeks before that leaves a profound impact on yourself. I know that probably sounds a bit pretentious and assumptive but, as I have been working on a memoir for the past five or six years, I often revisit it and amaze myself at some of my commentary. Yes, to step away and come back later is a powerful tool indeed.

Thanks, Keala.
The info from Aristotle is very helpful.

Doc.

I thought your contribution was very helpful, I approach story from a slightly different angle having studied Literature including literary theory. You may well have come across Vladimir Propps Morphology of the Folk Tale which was published in Russian in 1928; albeit not translated in the West until the 1950s. His character types are used in media education and can be applied to almost any film, television programme and story. The number of functions and characters has been reduced since but this remains the classic analysis.

For the rest I am being lazy and posting a Google site.
Vladimir Propp extended the Russian Formalist approach to narratology (the study of narrative structure). Where, in the Formalist approach, sentence structures had been broken down into analysable elements - morphemes - Propp used this method by analogy to analyse Russian fairy tales. By breaking down a large number of Russian folk tales into their smallest narrative units - narratemes - Propp was able to arrive at a typology of narrative structures. By analysing types of characters and kinds of action, Propp was able to arrive at the conclusion that there were thirty-one generic narratemes in the Russian folk tale. While not all are present, he found that all the tales he analysed displayed the functions in unvarying sequence.
Functions
After the initial situation is depicted, the tale takes the following sequence of functions:
� A member of a family leaves home (the hero is introduced);
� An interdiction is addressed to the hero ('don't go there', 'go to this place');
� The interdiction is violated (villain enters the tale);
� The villain makes an attempt at reconnaissance (either villain tries to find the children/jewels etc; or intended victim questions the villain);
� The villain gains information about the victim;
� The villain attempts to deceive the victim to take possession of victim or victim's belongings (trickery; villain disguised, tries to win confidence of victim);
� Victim taken in by deception, unwittingly helping the enemy;
� Villain causes harm/injury to family member (by abduction, theft of magical agent, spoiling crops, plunders in other forms, causes a disappearance, expels someone, casts spell on someone, substitutes child etc, comits murder, imprisons/detains someone, threatens forced marriage, provides nightly torments); Alternatively, a member of family lacks something or desires something (magical potion etc);
� Misfortune or lack is made known, (hero is dispatched, hears call for help etc/ alternative is that victimised hero is sent away, freed from imprisonment);
� Seeker agrees to, or decides upon counter-action;
� Hero leaves home;
� Hero is tested, interrogated, attacked etc, preparing the way for his/her receiving magical agent or helper (donor);
� Hero reacts to actions of future donor (withstands/fails the test, frees captive, reconciles disputants, performs service, uses adversary's powers against him);
� Hero acquires use of a magical agent (directly transferred, located, purchased, prepared, spontaneously appears, eaten/drunk, help offered by other characters);
� Hero is transferred, delivered or led to whereabouts of an object of the search;
� Hero and villain join in direct combat;
� Hero is branded (wounded/marked, receives ring or scarf);
� Villain is defeated (killed in combat, defeated in contest, killed while asleep, banished);
� Initial misfortune or lack is resolved (object of search distributed, spell broken, slain person revivied, captive freed);
� Hero returns;
� Hero is pursued (pursuer tries to kill, eat, undermine the hero);
� Hero is rescued from pursuit (obstacles delay pursuer, hero hides or is hidden, hero transforms unrecognisably, hero saved from attempt on his/her life);
� Hero unrecognised, arrives home or in another country;
� False hero presents unfounded claims;
� Difficult task proposed to the hero (trial by ordeal, riddles, test of strength/endurance, other tasks);
� Task is resolved;
� Hero is recognised (by mark, brand, or thing given to him/her);
� False hero or villain is exposed;
� Hero is given a new appearance (is made whole, handsome, new garments etc);
� Villain is punished;
� Hero marries and ascends the throne (is rewarded/promoted).
Occasionally, some of these functions are inverted, as when the hero receives something while still at home, the function of a donor occurring early. More often, a function is negated twiced, so that it must be repeated three times.
Characters
He also concluded that all the characters could be resolved into only 8 broad character types in the 100 tales he analysed:
1. The villain � struggles against the hero.
2. The donor - prepares the hero or gives the hero some magical object.
3. The (magical) helper � helps the hero in the quest.
4. The princess � person the hero marries, often sought for during the narrative.
5. Her father � Propp noted that functionally, the princess and the father can not be clearly distinguished.
6. The dispatcher � character who makes the lack known and sends the hero off.
7. The hero or victim/seeker hero � reacts to the donor, weds the princess.
8. False hero/anit-hero usurper � takes credit for the hero�s actions or tries to marry the princess.
These roles could sometimes be distributed among various characters, as the hero kills the villain dragon, and the dragon's sisters take on the villainous role of chasing him. Conversely, one character could engage in acts as more than one role, as a father could send his son on the quest and give him a sword, acting as both dispatcher and donor.

Thus the story craft is in the way that we retell the tale.

Letting the emotions go cold is EXACTLY what I have been doing for about two weeks.  I wrote two novels back to back in 6 weeks.  I went back and edited them for grammar and spelling, and then let them cool off so I could look at them more objectively when I edit them for flow and general storycrafting.  I am here now to make sure I get this next part right.