Plot & Structure

Bodacious!

Bodacious: “The word is a portmanteau of ‘bold’ and ‘audacious’ that means: remarkable, courageous, audacious, spirited.” – Wikipedia

Elizabeth Taylor marketed her brand expertly. While garnering an audience for books is a little different from garnering audiences for movies, and eager consumers for perfume sales, one lesson is clear: a bit of bodaciousness can take you far!

So how do we build bodacious-ness into our Novel’s opening chapters?

First, let’s look at the overview:

While it is common to think of a Novel as made up of a Beginning, Middle, and End ( or three Acts), it’s actually more helpful for authors to think of Novels as comprised of four Sections: (1 )Beginning, 2) First Half of the Middle, 3) Second Half of the Middle, and 4) Conclusion).

The reason it’s useful for authors to think of the Middle as made up of two distinct parts is because of something called the “Midpoint Shake-up,” (a crucial Milestone in your Novel). I’ll talk about the Midpoint Shake-up in a later post.

For now, let’s talk about Section 1 of your Novel, the Chapters that launch the Beginning of your Story.

We’ve already noted that your Novel should start with a Hook, and should be comprised of Scenes that draw your reader into your Story World.

Section 1 of your novel also should accomplish the following:

• It should be Bodacious. See definition above. Apply.
• Somewhere in the early pages of Section 1,  you need to introduce the What Starts It All (also known as The Catalyst, or The Inciting Incident).
• Somewhere, as you near the conclusion of Section 1, you need to introduce the Hero/Heroine’s “Okay, I’m In” Moment (also known as Plot Point 1, or the First Turning Point).

Make your early pages Bodacious,” is just another way of saying: make your novel as readable as your writerly gifts allow. Imbue it with mesmerizing Characters (more about Characterization later), intriguing Action, language “fire-new from the mint,” compelling Story, pitch perfect Tone, so-right Settings, and whatever else you can draw from your wordsmithy Wit to make your Novel a smashing good read.

Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited to all we now know and understand, while imagination embraces the entire world, and all there ever will be to know and understand.”

A grasp of Technique will speed you on your goal to crafting a Novel that makes for a hugely satisfying reading experience. But it’s your creativity as you exercise your mastery of Technique that will truly make your work stand out. And it’s the possibilities of that same creativity – exercised to a fare thee well – that levels the playing field for all writers; no matter how many established bestselling authors are out there, readers have always, and will always, eagerly seek out and respond to fantastic new authors.

Happy Writing!

In previous posts, we addressed how to craft Action Scenes and Reaction Scenes and noted some guidelines regarding length.

How long should a Scene be? The simple answer is, long enough to advance the Story effectively.

It is tempting, insofar as Scenes go, to say, “There really are no rules.” But it’s more accurate to say, “There is tremendous flexibility.”

Currently I am working on a Middle Grade Novel. It will be between 25,000 and 45,000 words long. As an average Scene is 1,000 words long (4 manuscript pages), I probably will write between 25 and 45 Scenes to get my Story told.

The average novel for general audiences (grown-up), as noted previously, contains 60 Scenes. Today, shorter Scenes are considered desirable in novels as they more readily push forward the narrative flow and the energy of the Story. So Scenes today run from four to ten pages in length, and trend to shorter rather than longer. (You would not, of course, want to create a novel in which every Scene is identical in length. It would feel stiff and forced. Keep in mind how florists arrange flowers – some are taller in the vase, some shorter; a bouquet in which all the flowers were cut to the exact same height would seem unnatural and lose considerable charm.*)

Here are the guidelines for when to end a Scene that will help you determine how long your Scenes will be.

A Scene ends:

• When the time frame changes. (It was morning. Now it’s night. It was July. Now it’s August.)
• When the location changes. (We were in the heroine’s workplace. Now we are in her apartment. We were on the beach with the hero. Now we are flying to Dallas with him.)
• When something changes in a way that moves the plot forward. (Heroine discovers a body. Hero is fired from a job. Villain hires a hit man. Serial killer hides on a jogging path.)

* That said, some genre publishing houses have worked out guidelines that are quite specific about chapter length. (Remember there are three Scenes, on average, in a chapter.) One romantic suspense publisher asks authors to write 20 chapters, each 3,000 words in length. However, the publisher leaves Scene length up to the authors.

Spoiler warning: If you haven’t read Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, you may want to do so before reading further.

Your novel will be built with around 60 Scenes – fewer for a shorter novel, more for a longer novel. As noted in previous posts on Scene structure, each of these Scenes should contain a rhythm that both intrigues and satisfies the reader on a standalone basis – whether it is an Action Scene, or a Reaction Scene.

Each Scene also should propel the Story forward – and “propel” is the right word here. You should aim to imbue your Scenes with a magnetic energy that draws readers into the Story, and that glues those baby blues, gemstone greens, or brilliant browns to the page.  Construct your Scenes right, and the reader won’t be able to stop turning pages!

This is where Setting Up your Scenes becomes important.

Your novel is comprised of four Sections.

• Section One: Describes your hero’s normal world; shows how the hero is drawn into the action of the Story.
• Section Two:  Describes how your hero resourcefully struggles against the antagonistic force that is keeping him from what he is trying to achieve.
• Section Three:  Something happens that points the hero in the direction of resolving the conflict. Hero – now smarter and tougher because of all he’s learned on his journey so far – goes after the antagonist more ably and forcefully – but only to meet with Defeat yet again – in fact, with a Black Moment when all seems lost and the hero has, apparently, run out of options.
• Section  Four: Things get even worse for the hero. Then, the hero brings together all he has learned, all his growth, all his capacity to act resourcefully; he arrives at a way to make one last ditch effort;, he has a Showdown with the antagonist – the Climactic Battle – and he loses or (hopefully) wins!

The Scenes in your novel’s first three Sections should maintain the Story Tension – and ratchet it up higher and higher as the Story progresses. The Scenes in those first three Sections also should contain Setups for the key concluding Scenes in Section Four.

Neil Gaiman used Setup very well in his novel, The Graveyard Book. Spoiler warning: If you haven’t read Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, you may want to do so before reading further.

In Section Four of The Graveyard Book, the hero, 15-year-old Bod Owens – a teen who has grown up in a cemetery, protected by its ghostly inhabitants – has a showdown with one of the men who is part of an organization that murdered his family when he was an infant, and which has been stalking him with murderous intent ever since. The organization, the Jacks of All Trades, finally learns where Bod lives and four of its members go to the cemetery to murder him. Bod defeats them all. He defeats the second from last Antagonist by setting a trap. Bod knows that one of the graves in the cemetery is a ghoul gate – that it opens up to a hell-like nether world. Bod positions himself on the ghoul gate grave. When the Antagonist finds him and tries to kill him, Bod utters an incantation that opens the ghoul gate which pulls his adversary into the nether world.

Now, described as it is above, the Scene is mildly interesting. But, read as one of the concluding Scenes in The Graveyard Book, the Scene is truly compelling. That is because Neil Gaiman Set Up this Scene to maximize the tension in the cat and mouse game that has been transpiring between Bod Owns and the murderous Jacks throughout the first three Sections of the novel.

Here’s how Gaiman uses some of those earlier Section Scenes to Set Up this Section Four Scene:

• Gaiman plays fair with readers. In other words, the “weapon” Bod uses to finally defeat one of the Jacks – his knowledge of the incantations that open and close the ghoul gate – are prefigured. Gaiman achieves this prefiguring by showing us how Bod gets lessons from the graveyard’s ghostly and otherworldly denizens – not only his ABC’s, but also lessons in how to call for help in French and Morse code, and how to call for help from Night Gaunts. But Gaiman doesn’t hit readers over the head with, “Oh, this arcane bit of knowledge is what will help Bod win the day when he’s up against it with the Antagonist.” He just plants with the reader the idea that Bod is learning some things that might come in handy when fending off dark forces.
• In a Scene in Section One, Gaiman shows Bod actually falling into the ghouls’ ghastly world – and using the call to the Night Gaunts to help him escape. It’s an interesting story in and of itself, but also provides a wonderful Setup for the concluding Scene where Bod springs his ghoul gate trap.
• In the opening Scene of the book, Gaiman ratchets up the tension by showing us that the Jacks are formidable foes. One of the Jacks kills Bod’s family. In several Scenes throughout Sections One through Three, Gaiman shows how the Jacks prevent Bod from living a normal life: each time Bod ventures outside the graveyard refuge, the Jacks sense his presence and try to kill him.
• Gaiman also shows us that Bod is massively courageous, most clearly in a Mid-section Scene in which Bod faces off against an ancient Druidic monstrosity fearlessly.

Because of the above Setup Scenes, when the Section Four Battle Scenes finally occur, the reader:

• Knows the Jacks are formidable foes. Knows Bod is equally formidable and hugely motivated to defeat the Jacks.
• Is rooting for Bod, but is in no way certain Bod will win.
• Feels the author plays fair when Bod resourcefully sets and springs the ghoul gate trap that defeats one of the Jacks.

And the Section Four ghoul gate Scene beautifully sets up the Final Confrontation: the Battle between Jack Frost, the Jack who killed Bod’s family, and Bod. The Final Confrontation Scene opens with the Antagonist holding the upper hand: he holds a friend Bod loves dearly hostage.  But – in a manner that is very satisfying to the reader – Bod resourcefully applies several threads of knowledge he’s gained in previous Scenes to free Jack’s hostage and to finally defeat his adversary.

Note: Do not despair if you feel you are not setting up your final scenes as effectively as you would like. That’s what the second and third drafts of your novel are for. The lovely thing about novel writing is you can always “go back under the hood” and “rewire” your novel’s engine (Story) to ensure its maximum power!

Creating properly structured Reaction Scenes is another key skill novelists who create pageturners have mastered.

Three elements comprise a properly structured Reaction Scene. They are as follows:

– Reaction – Hero reacts emotionally to the frustration of his key goal as it played out in the Scene immediately preceding.

– Rumination – Hero reacts logically to his frustration. He thinks through what his options are.

– Decision – Hero decides on his next course of action.

You will note that this sequence corresponds to the normal human reaction to a frustration or disappointment. We don’t immediately swing into Plan B, when Plan A fizzles. We usually have a moment of anger, sorrow, or some other emotion, or combination of emotions. When we sort out our emotions, the ability to think clearly returns and we formulate Plan B. As we sort through our options, we then decide to act on what appears to be the best of those options.

Note: Reaction Scenes are generally shorter than Action Scenes. This is because Scenes that feature thought and rumination are intrinsically less compelling than Scenes that feature action.

Here’s an example of a memorable Reaction Scene. It’s from near the conclusion of Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook. Spoiler warning: If you haven’t read The Notebook, you may want to do so before reading further.

Here’s the setup for the Reaction Scene we’ll highlight from The Notebook: The hero, Noah Calhoun, lives with his wife Allie in an assisted living facility. His wife has Alzheimer’s and despite the fact that Noah and Allie’s love for each other was extraordinarily passionate, the disease causes Allie to often be unable to remember Noah, and even to react in violent fear to his presence. Noah persists in patiently caring for Allie, despite the episodes in which she rejects him. Then a further disaster strikes: Noah suffers a stroke.

Below is the structure of the Reaction Scene following the Scene in which Noah is hospitalized with a stroke:

– Reaction – Noah’s stroke has left him half paralyzed on one side of his body. He reacts by labeling himself “only half a man now.”

– Rumination – As evening falls, Noah takes stock of his now diminished physical capacities as they will affect his key concern in life: his ability to care for Allie. He worries that he will predecease her, an eventuality that had not occurred to him before. He re-assesses and reaffirms the extraordinary love he and Allie share. The love he feels wells up within and he feels impelled to see her again.

– Decision – Despite the fact that the rules of the care facility forbid night visits, as Allie’s tendency to react fearfully to Noah is worse after sundown, and despite the great difficulty he now has walking, Noah decides he will visit Allie in her room to leave a love letter under her pillow.

This Reaction Scene sets up the Action Scene to follow, in which Noah must struggle with antagonistic forces (the facility’s rules and his own physical weakness) to try to achieve his goal of visiting Allie to affirm the great love which binds these two souls.

Does Nicholas Sparks succeed in creating a pageturner Reaction Scene? Countless readers who were deeply moved by this bestselling romantic story would seem to affirm that he did.

Recap: A novel of average length (75,00 words) is comprised of about 60 Scenes (Action Scenes and Reaction Scenes). Scenes can be anywhere from a paragraph long to several pages long, with the average Scene being about 600 words long. Reaction Scenes are generally shorter than Action Scenes. An Action Scene can be followed by another Action Scene. (i.e., Not every Action Scene needs to be followed by a Reaction Scene.) See previous posts for more on this.

Here’s the Checklist for an Action Scene that Works:

– Hero’s goal is clear

– Hero meets and resourcefully tries to overcome the antagonistic force (whatever it is that blocks him from his goal).

– Antagonistic force prevents hero from achieving his goal.

– or,

– Hero achieves goal, but immediately faces another complication.

– The action of the Scene takes place in one single flow of time.

Now let’s look at how one bestselling author meets the above requirements for creating an Action Scene that works. We’ll explore the opening Scene in Kate DiCamillo’s children’s book, Because of Winn-Dixie.

In Chapter One, the heroine, Opal, is shopping at her local Winn-Dixie supermarket when she notices a stray dog who is in sad shape running through the store, knocking things over (including the manager), and having a great ol’ time. Opal immediately falls in love with the dog.

Heroine’s goal? To get the dog and take him home.

The antagonistic force? the store manager, who has been literally knocked off his feet by the dog, is set on calling the pound.

Heroine’s resourceful response? Opal claims the dog belongs to her.

Antagonistic force’s response? The manager says, if the dog belongs to you, you know it’s name.

Heroine’s resourceful response? Opal makes up a name for the dog on the spot, and calls him by it. The name is the first thing that comes to her head, Winn-Dixie (the name of the supermarket).

Outcome? The dog bounds over to Opal and the manager reluctantly accepts that Opal owns the dog.

Residual suspense? Opal has saved Winn-Dixie from the pound – but will her father let her keep the dog?

Does the opening (Action) Scene of Because of Winn-Dixie fulfill the requirements noted above? Yes, it does. Had Kate DiCamillo chosen to write this Scene as an Event, she would have described Opal encountering the dog in the store and deciding to take it home. Opal would have met her goal without any opposition. The store manager would not have been set on calling the pound. The heroine would not have needed to think quickly to come up with a solution to the “antagonistic force” (the manager’s decision).

And the opening chapter would have been a bit of a snoozer, and the book would not have gone on to win a Newbery Award for excellence.

Pull a novel that has kept you glued to the pages from your shelves. Read a chapter or two with analytical eye, keeping the above guidelines for Action Scene structure in mind. Novelists who aspire to create pageturners absolutely need to master the art of structuring an Action Scene. Mastery of Action Scene structure enables a novelist to build a hypnotic rhythm into a work that compels a reader to keep turning pages.

Note: If you get a chance, read or re-read Because of Winn-Dixie and you also will appreciate and enjoy the additional “value add” (humor) that imbues this novel.

In an earlier post, “Construct Compelling Scenes,” we looked at how to structure an Action Scene, the key building block of your novel’s story.

It is important to always keep in mind that an Action Scene is an Action Scene only when it embodies conflict – i.e., an Action Scene should show the hero struggle against an antagonistic force.

For example: If your hero needs a job, and you show him applying for one and getting one, that’s an “Event” – not an Action Scene. If your teen heroine wants to take flying lessons, asks her parents for permission, and she receives it, that also is an Event, not an Action Scene.

Events may be mildly interesting, but they are fairly tepid in their ability to compel a reader to turn pages. Properly constructed Scenes comprise the engine that powers a pageturner – and you need to build your Action Scenes properly.

Checklist for a Action Scene that Works:

– Hero’s goal is clear

– Hero meets and resourcefully tries to overcome the antagonistic force (whatever it is that blocks him from his goal).

– Antagonistic force prevents hero from achieving his goal.

– or,

– Hero achieves goal, but immediately faces another complication.

– The action of the Scene takes place in one single flow of time.

How long should a Scene be?

A novel of average length – 75,000 words – is built with 60 Action and Reaction Scenes. (See the “Construct Compelling Scenes” post for more on Sequels.)

That means the average Scene is about 1,250 words long, or five typewritten pages. But this is just a guideline. Reaction Scenes should be shorter than Action Scenes, because Scenes that describe thought and reflection versus action are less compelling. In addition, the trend today is toward shorter and shorter Scenes. And it’s always a good idea to vary the length of Scenes now and again. Why? Because variation adds texture and interest to the structure of your novel.

What qualities should a writer build into the opening sentence or sentences (the Hook) of a pageturner novel?

Perhaps a good way to answer this question is to explore the qualities one writer (J.K. Rowling) built into the opening sentence of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, the first Harry Potter book – and one of the most successful pageturners ever.

Rowling’s first sentence is: “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much.” This accomplishes the goal of hooking the reader, and does so with added layers of value for the reader: a unique narrative voice, characterization, and humor and wit all packed into one short sentence. What reader wouldn’t want to read on and keep turning the pages?

– Wit and humor – Note that Rowling speaks with a delightfully variegated tone in her opening line. She doesn’t just bluntly state: “Mr. and Mrs. Dursley had something to hide.” In and of itself, that isn’t a bad hook, by the way. But what J.K. wrote is better. Her line both duplicates the smug self-satisfaction that typifies the Dursleys (as the reader will come to find out). At the same time, Rowling’s word choices in that first sentence skewer the Dursleys’ narcissistic and closed-minded outlook.

– Careful language choice – In Rowling’s opening sentence, the Dursleys don’t just see themselves as “normal.” They see themselves as perfectly normal. And the narrator adds the snarky, “thank you very much,” a verbal fillip that the Dursleys would undoubtedly offer to anyone audacious enough to question their status as they perceive it.

The choice of Privet Drive as their address serves two purposes: a privet hedge is a barrier homeowners erect between themselves and the public; it’s something that provides privacy, that can cloak the goings on in a given home or yard. In addition, the word “privet” sounds like the word “private.” Privet Drive for the Dursley’s address is an inspired language choice.

Note also that the Dursleys are “proud to say.” In British English, “I’m proud to say” is a common expression. It means you are about to share what you consider a bit of good news about yourself. But Rowling here uses the word to signal something more to us. The Dursleys aren’t just being conversational in using that phrase. They really are proud – and it’s the kind of pride that teeters into arrogance and edginess – which Rowling underscores with the addition of the snippy “thank you very much.”

– Hint of conflict/mystery– Rowling’s opening sentence lets the reader know that the Dursleys are edgy about the issue of normality. Why? the reader wonders. Why is it such a big deal to them? What might they be hiding?

– Enticement for the reader to read further – With the Dursleys putting such an emphasis on being “perfectly normal,” and combining that emphasis with edgy language designed to stop an inquirer from asking any further questions, Rowling has signaled they are hiding something. The reader wants to read to find out what that something is.

So there you have it. In the hands of a masterful writer, the Hook is packed with enticements to read on; it assures the reader he is in good hands, that he can safely entrust his precious time to this work, and – by doing so – will be rewarded with more moments of absorption, excitement, insight and delight.

And note how Rowling’s Hook achieves all this with very few words, and with a light deft touch.

Put yourself in a reader’s place.

You’re looking for a new book to read – specifically, a novel. You have about a kazillion novels from which to choose – classics, new imprints, self-pubbed, ebooks, hardcovers, softcovers, books that have been around for a while but that you’ve never gotten around to reading – books with enticing titles and/or covers, books with themes and subject matter that spark your interest.

You, the reader, need to make a decision. However, once you do, you know you will be investing hours of your precious leisure time – time you could use to get chores done, to perhaps earn overtime pay, to meet with friends, to watch that new movie everyone’s talking about, to attend that concert (rock or pop), to shop, to visit Gran, etc. You also know you’ll have to plunk down $10, $20, or $30 of your hard-earned cash.

So you want to pick a winner. You want quality and value for your investment of time and money.

Now, author person, how do you make a reader who is in this sitch, choose your book over the competition?

Here’s how:

Right from the start, right from the first page, you promise the reader an amazing journey, a journey she will kick herself for if it’s something she misses. You promise her a journey that includes wit, tears and laughter, action and depth, an emotional wallop, insight, suspense, and maybe even closure for her own psychic wounds via fictional surrogate.

In the best case, you promise the reader all of the above.

How?

Here’s the tried and true way:

Create a compelling “Hook.” What is a Hook?

More specifically, what is a successful Hook?

– Simply stated, the Hook is/are the opening line(s) of your novel written in such a way that the reader is drawn to keep reading your work. It can be one sentence long, two or more sentences long, or a whole paragraph – or more – long. Shorter is better.

– The hook draws the reader in. This means it either enchants/charms the reader, tantalizes her, makes her laugh, puzzles her, piques her interest, and/or sparks her curiosity in such a way that she keeps on reading.

Here are some examples of great Hooks:

“When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. … Prim must have had bad dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did. This is the day of the reaping.” – Suzanne Collins, Hunger Games

“Mr. and Mrs. Dursley … were proud to say they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you’d expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn’t hold with such nonsense.” – J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

“Renowned curator Jacques Sauniere staggered through the … museum’s Grand Gallery. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see … heaved the masterpiece toward himself until it tore from the wall and Sauniere collapsed backward in a heap beneath the canvas.” – Dan Brown, The Da Vinci Code

“Tell me, O Muse, of that wily hero who traveled far and wide after he sacked the famous town of Troy. … He suffered much while trying to save his own life and bring his men safely home.” – Homer, The Odyssey

The above post is an excerpt from Jessica Hatchigan’s How to Write a Pageturner Novel, available via Amazon.com. All rights reserved.

Watch Jessica Hatchigan’s video tutorial – “How Bestselling Authors Create Pageturner Novels: Plot & Structure” instantly on your PC, Mac, compatible TV or device via Amazon.com’s instant video.

Now that you have your One-Sentence Summary , your One-Pager , and your Beat Sheet in hand, it’s time to actually begin writing your novel.

Here is where I need to explain that the 60 or so Scenes you will create to build your novel, are made up of two types: Action Scenes and Reaction Scenes.

And, before you begin, keep in mind that you are now creating a First Draft. That means, you will have an opportunity, when you have completed all 60 scenes, to rework them. You will, in fact, be able to revise them as many times as you need to to get them right. So, relax and enjoy the writing process.

That said, go to it!

Here’s how to create an Action Scene:

• Keep the acronym GCF in mind. It stands for Goal, Conflict, Frustration.
• Begin an Action Scene by making clear to the reader what your hero’s goal is (Win a contest? Win someone’s heart? Save the family farm? Make a fortune? Slay the dragon? Get a ship to port in a storm? etc.)
• Show how the hero is met with Resistance which means he Conflicts with another person, the Antagonist, or with a group of people (war narratives), or with Nature (The Perfect Storm), or with any other force that frustrates his ability to achieve his goal.
• Show how your hero’s efforts are defeated and so meet with Frustration.

Here’s how to create a Reaction Scene:

• Keep in mind the acronym RRD for Reaction Scenes. It’s short for Response, Rumination, Decision.
• So, after your hero’s efforts meet with Frustration, show your hero Responds to the frustration emotionally (anger, sorrow, resignation, disbelief, physical revulsion, etc.).
• Show how your hero reacts to his rationally, how he Ruminates (thinks through) his options as to what he can do to yet achieve his goal.
• Show how your hero reaches a Decision as to what he will now do to try again to achieve his desired outcome.

Keep in mind is that Action Scenes generally are longer than Reaction Scenes.

The reason for this is that writing that depicts action is more compelling than writing that depicts thinking – as Reaction Scenes do. So, to maintain a novel’s pace, you want to keep your Reaction Scenes shorter than your Action Scenes. Sometimes a Reaction Scene can be condensed to a few short sentences

Note: keep in mind that you can follow an Action Scene with another Action Scene. You do not need to always need to write a Reaction Scene.

How many Reaction Scenes do you need then? Enough to clarify the story – to explain the hero or heroine’s actions (how they make their choices) when it cannot be done through the preceding or following scene alone.

Important: In the first scene of the novel, remember to also create a “Hook” in the initial paragraph – and,  ideally, in the initial sentence – of your novel.

More about the Hook in the next post.