As we consider story structure, we’ve compared it to laying the groundwork and frame for a house. We’ve planned (plotted), followed the blueprint (kept theme in mind), searched for incongruities in structure (those scenes, voices, or characters that just don’t fit), and revealed backstory clues. But when we get to the re-writing or self-editing stage, writing a novel is more like remodeling a tilted, old farmhouse.

My husband and I have been remodeling our old farmhouse for a number of years now. It’s slow going because whenever we rip into something, we find something hidden underneath that also needs re-doing. That’s what re-writing is like. It’s usually not until a story is finished and has been left to sit for a while that we come back and begin to notice things we didn’t see before. We take a closer look at what lies beneath the structure and realize that some wiring (plot lines) spiders off to nowhere. There are weak studs or cross beams (characters & themes) that don’t hold their weight. The plumbing (action) is rusty and clogged. We might even find rotten, bug-infested wood (useless dialogue) that needs to be torn out or replaced.

Is your work-in-progress looking like an old farm that needs a major remodel? Start by taking a look at what is precious enough and in repair to keep — the stuff that’s really supporting the old structure. But then carefully examine the underpinnings. Sometimes you don’t have to demolish a scene or a chapter, but just like the stairway and kitchen sink in our house, you have to move it to a place in which it will work better.

Exercise:

Let your finished story sit for as long as you can — a week, a month, a season if possible. (Work on something else!) When you come back to it, start peeling away the flooring and sheetrock — you know, the bare thrill of your idea — and take a good, revealing look at its underlying structure. Is it all solid, or does it need repair?

1. Getcha a big ol’ stack of Post-It Notes. It helps if you have stacks in three or more colors. We’ll get to the reason why in a bit.
2. Write down an idea to start your story–a setting, a character, and a desire or problem. Don’t obsess too much about this, because you can always change it later. Just write down the starting point that’s in your head and stick it at the top of the door.
3. Now cogitate a little about how you think the story ends. Again–a setting, character(s), and the desire fulfilled and/or problem solved. (That’s how we know the story’s over, right?) Jot it down and stick that note near the bottom of your door. Now you have a timeline, see?
4. What goes in the middle? Ah! There’s the rub and reason that most people never actually write though many dream of doing so. But you are not so easily dissuaded! You can’t be daunted; you’re dauntless! Besides, you have mad creative skilz and an (almost) unlimited supply of Post-It Notes (and there’s more at the store). This is the time where you write down any crazy idea that pops into your head. The ideas don’t even have to come in any particular order, because you can move the sticky notes around any way you like.
• Maybe you’re one of those organized thinkers who start at the beginning and outline what comes next and next and then next until you reach “The End.”
• Maybe you play both ends against the middle, alternating the chronology of your story from next to next-to-last until the beginning and ending meet up.
• Maybe it would help you to imagine a high-drama mid-point, then go back and figure out how your characters got into that mess and how they get themselves back out.
• Maybe you’re sold on the 3-act play format. Figure out where your plot turns–what throws your hero into an adventure he can’t escape, when he decides to quit running and start fighting, the moment when all seems lost and then the point where there’s a glimmer of hope if they can just pull the mad scheme off.
5. By this time, you know who those other people running around in your imagination are and how they fit into your story. THEIR story–where did they come from, what do they want, and what are they thinking–goes on the different colored Post-Its. You can also use the alternate colors to sketch out the dramatic sub-plot if you’re writing a romance or the romantic sub-plot if you’re writing an action drama.

Experiment all you like! If you don’t like the direction your story’s taking, or if it seems too “expected,” you can brainstorm brilliant new plot twists on Post-Its stuck right over the original notes so that you can always go back if things don’t work out. Or number the notes and then play around with the order of events.

Once you’ve got the main story line set up to your satisfaction, you can begin to intersperse the sub-plots. Is your hero smitten by the beautiful heroine from first meeting, or does he drag her along thinking she’s a nuisance until she saves his tail later in the tale?

When you think you’re done, do take a snapshot or transfer the notes to something more permanent. It would be a shame if the best-selling book of the year were blown away by a stiff breeze or mistakenly tossed in a frenzy of housekeeping!

Lots of us do. It is fun to imagine a string of stories spun out of one group of characters or out of a single, long storyline like Lord of the Rings. On October 15^th, my new novel The Red Fury released from Desert Breeze Publishing. It is the second book in my historical series Empire in Pine. It’s been a thrill ride, but I’ve also discovered a few things about writing a book series along the way.

Writing a series involves some preparation and organizational techniques that differ from writing a single book, but for the most part, it’s still just writing a great story . . . or two.

Here are four basic starter tips to keep in mind if you have a series churning up ideas in your imagination.

• Give your all to one book at a time. In other words, concentrate on Book One. You have to begin with One Great Idea before you can move onto the next. But it’s very easy to get distracted trying to plan for the bigger picture.

For Empire in Pine, I began with The Green Veil, a book I’d had mulling about in my mind for years and couldn’t let go of. I focused all my energy on building and writing the story of Colette who married impulsively just before the fellow she’d always cared for showed up. It wasn’t until near the end that I realized another story was waiting to be told, and I allowed myself the freedom to explore its possibilities. It’s easy to get mired down in planning a long chronicle of narratives before you even know if you’ve succeeded writing a great story in the first one, so focus on that and get it down. First things first. Write Book 1. Make it the best it can be on its own, just in case that series never develops.

• Decide if your series is going to be based around a single character whose adventures continue from book to book, a group of people with each person’s story being told in a separate volume, multiple generations, or around an event or theme. For instance, Empire in Pine is generational. I wanted to tell the story of several women’s lives (mothers & daughters) — their adventures and romances — during the rise of Wisconsin’s rich logging era. Book 2 is about the main character’s daughter from Book 1. Book 3 (coming next July) is about the daughter of the main character from Book 2. I have another book series in mind based around different women who come to the United States as King’s Girls, or Casket Girls, from France. Each one would be a separate story. The only relation between the books would be that thread that they are all Casket Girls.

It may seem like a simple decision, but when you begin to examine the possibilities, you might find that stories can be told a better way from a different person’s POV or from another angle.

• Get a bird’s eye view of the number of books in your series. This outcome might change as you go, but if you’re certain you have a series on your hands, think in terms of a manageable goal and number. Not too many writers tell themselves they’re going to write an ongoing series like Harry Potter or some of the detective heroes that have shown up in book after book. And as a new writer, your chances of finding a publishing home for a long series is also slim. So be reasonable.

I knew fairly soon that Empire in Pine would span three books because of the timeline I was covering. Each book is set approximately 20 years apart, from about the late 1840s to the early 1890s — the time it took for Wisconsin’s logging era to begin and rise to its peak.

• Use a reliable system for organizing your notes. For each book, I use a separate composition notebook in which I generate research, ideas, character traits, plot, scene, goals & motivations, and structural ideas as they come to mind. Some of this gets transferred to a computer file once I start writing the story. These bits and pieces will be easy to reference later. Each composition book is also a different color for each book I write. I can yank them off the shelf quickly when I need to. They’re cheap, sturdy, and just about the perfect size.

There’s much more to writing a series. I’m going to explore this topic further in the days ahead on my blog. Join me, won’t you? http://www.naomimusch.com/apps/blog While you’re at my site, please stop in and investigate my Empire in Pine series. It’s available as an eBook online everywhere. http://www.naomimusch.com/empireinpineseries.htm

Desert Breeze Publishing

The Red Fury – Empire in Pine – Book 1 http://tinyurl.com/3qkt4c9

The Green Veil – Empire in Pine – Book 2 http://tinyurl.com/3ktb54j

And while I’m on the topic, may I just say that Go Teen Writers is an amazingly appealing and enlightening blog? I spent quite a while browsing over there and loved everything I saw.

Be sure to read the comment section, too. You’ll be encouraged to see how many others enjoy writing!

Not that it’s bad to depict goodness in characters — but there has to be conflict — even among good people. Story is conflict. It can be simple and understated. You might introduce it through an underlying way that words are spoken over tea. Or perhaps it can be troubled thought, though all seems well on the outside. It can be the fun time that two characters are sharing which the reader senses will result in severe repercussions later on. (Think of Anne of Green Gables attempting to dye her hair.)

When you’ve written a scene, go through it and try to define the point of conflict. What is it? Is it clear? Is it compelling enough to move the story forward? Every scene should make the reader turn the page, not lay the book down.

Exercises:

• Go through one of your stories you haven’t looked at lately so that you have a fresh, unbiased eye. Examine each scene. Is it boring? Is something happening to move the story onward? If not, fix it by adding conflict or get rid of it.

• Take a book you’re currently reading and begin to make mental notes of what conflict is happening in each scene. What is causing you to turn the page? Make note if a scene is boring to you and why. Would the story have been better – stronger – if the author had gotten rid of that scene, or heightened it with stronger conflict?

A good story takes a bit of planning.

The first sentence ought to have something to do with the second one, don’t you think? The paragraph you’re reading now should tell you a bit more about the paragraph you just read. When you reflect on a book, you can see how each chapter—each scene—stepped toward the climactic ending like footprints leading to an ocean of discovery. The conclusion lingers in the sand of your mind because the author helped you discover the ending for yourself.

When you set out to write a story, begin with the end in mind.

Knowing where you want to go can help you figure out how to get there. When you begin your story, it helps to know what you’re trying to say. Take time in the beginning to figure out your story’s destination. What do you want readers to remember about your book? Is there a message? A moral?

Exercise:

• Think about the story you are writing or planning now. Does it have a clear destination?
• What do the characters learn from what happens to them?
• Express the main point of your story in a sentence of 25 words or less.
• Write down the main point and post it where you can see it while you write to keep your focus sharp!

Read, read, read! Reading builds your writing skills in powerful and sometimes subtle ways. You begin to pick up on the rhythm of good writing by expanding your sense of pacing, beats in dialogue, chapter endings or beginnings, and so on. Your vocabulary grows with more powerful verb choices. You discover areas of interest you yourself might like to write about someday. There are hosts of other ways reading can improve your writing, and over time you’ll figure them out.

Then, since you are reading good books, do this: become a book reviewer. Learn the art of writing book reviews. This will not only get you some good, and often free, material for reading, but it will make you really focus on what made the book work — or not.

On my blog, Write Reason, I have a section heading I call my Book Exams. These are books that I review for the casual and discerning reader. Then, strictly for the benefit of writers, I go one step farther by pointing out what writing skills or techniques we can learn from that particular author. Perhaps the author was very good at character development. I tell why. Perhaps they were really, really good at “world building”. I point out how. Maybe they had a simple yet beautiful way of writing prose.

Anyway, if I like a book, doing an “exam” causes me to look closer at the whys. By writing the review, I expand another aspect of my writing ability.

Exercises:

• Visit authors’ web sites and blogs. Many of them, and I do mean MANY, offer the chance to win free books in drawings. I can’t tell you how many books I’ve won through blog drawings. It’s a great way to build your library.

• Make friends with authors. They love to hear from you. New authors, especially, and those from smaller, lesser known publishing houses, are looking for ways to get word of their book out. Many have copies to distribute for review. You, of course, would have to follow through and do the review.

• Start a blog. You can start a blog for free. There are many places – Blogger, WordPress, or others. Or, if you are on Facebook, you can post book reviews in your “notes” section.  Go to your library or grab some books off your shelf, roll up your sleeves, and start writing reviews. After a while, when you’ve written enough of them, and perhaps even developed a small following, more authors or publishers will be willing to send you their books.

• And homeschoolers, your parents might consider letting you write book reviews as part of your language arts program. Wouldn’t that rock?