Today kicks off the first day of the Go Teen Writers Book Club. I’m so excited to read a craft book with all of you. First, a couple items of business.
The winner of a copy of My Day at Disney is Adaline Griffiths. Congrats!
Also, I haven’t given you a Jill Report in ages, so I’ll do it super fast. I did not finish the fantasy novel I’d been working before school started, so I decided to put it aside for a while. It is broken, and I just don’t know why. (I can talk more about this decision another time.)
So, I decided, instead, to indie publish the THIRST duology instead, which I wrote on my blog back in 2015 and used as inspiration for the #WeWriteBooks series I did that year here on the Go Teen Writers blog. The first book, THIRST, will release this November, but first I’m planning a huge cover reveal on September 24 and a contest to go with it. If you are interested in the details of that, click here for more information. I’m so excited to publish this book (finally), and I can’t wait to show you all the cover!
Okay, contest winner chosen. Jill report given. It’s time for Book Club!
Story Trumps Structure–Chapter One: Desire
Chapter Recap:
This chapter was all about the importance of building tension in your story. You do that by knowing what your character wants (or desires, hence the chapter title).
Mr. James claims there is no such thing as either a plot-driven story or a character-driven story. He states that all stories are tension-driven. He gives the distinction that some stories are character-centered or plot-centered or even relationship-centered, the difference being that events center or revolve around plot, characters, or relationships but that none of it works if you aren’t maintaining tension. And according to Mr. James, your character’s unmet desire equals tension.
He urges writers not to get bogged down by the formula of three acts but to instead write a story in which the forward momentum continues to escalate “toward an inevitable and unexpected conclusion.” Hence the title of this book, Story Trumps Structure.
What Stood Out:
The Ceiling Fan Principle: “You do not have a story until something goes wrong.”
“When you strip everything away, what is story? A character in tension, caught between his present condition and his unmet desire for things to be different. You need a crisis, a struggle, a discovery, a transformation in the life of the main character, or a revelation of what life is really like.”
What I Found Helpful:
“To uncover the plot of your story, don’t ask what should happen, but what should go wrong. To uncover the meaning of your story, don’t ask what the theme is, but rather, what is discovered.”
“Tension is key.”
“At the heart of story is tension, and at the heart of tension is unmet desire. So at its core every story is about a character who wants something but cannot get it.”
What I Intend to Apply to My Writing:
One thing that jumped out to me as I was reading is that in THIRST, which I’m currently rewriting, it’s the end of the world (tension), but other than that (and one stolen truck), everything is going okay. Yeah, it’s scary, and yeah, my characters are fun, but I realized there wasn’t enough going wrong. I decided to take a good look at the chapter summaries and ask myself what else should go wrong? What does Eli want in each chapter, and how can I take it away (or keep it away) from him? I might not be able to change everything, but I think changing as much as I can will greatly up the tension in the story.
Tip of the week:
“Stop trying to decide if your story is “plot driven” or “character driven,” and focus instead on your protagonist’s unmet desires regarding his internal questions, external problems, and interpersonal relationships.” —Steven James
Go Teen Writers Archived Articles to Help You Go Deeper:
Creating Tension: Raise the Stakes
How to Add Tension to Your Plot
Shedding the Need for Comfort
Creating Tension: Character Conflicts
Questions:
Answer at least one of the following (or as many as you’d like).
•What stood out to you in this chapter?
•What do you think about Mr. James’s claim that there are no plot-driven or character-driven stories, only tension-driven stories?
•Do you know your character’s unmet desire for every scene? What internal questions, external problems, and interpersonal relationships issues does he or she have?
•Was there anything in this chapter you disliked?
•What, if anything do you intend to apply to your writing?
•Any questions?
For next week:
Read Chapter 2: Orientation.
What stood out to me (aka “Things I underlined”):
“You do not have a story until something goes wrong.” I’ve never heard it articulated this way, and I like it.
“When you discover your protagonist’s unmet desire, you find the essence of your story.” Again, a concept I’m familiar with, but articulated in a way that it struck me.
What do you think about Mr. James’s claim that there are no plot-driven or character-driven stories, only tension-driven stories?: The “plot vs. character” argument isn’t one I’ve ever really liked. I feel writers tend to focus more on one or the other and that a balance is needed.
Do you know your character’s unmet desire for every scene? What internal questions, external problems, and interpersonal relationships issues does he or she have?: This is something I want to be better about in first drafts. I think I get myself there by the final, but I don’t think it through well enough in the first because I’m so “get words on the page” focused.
Great book selection, Jill!
Me too, Steph. I liked the way he said things. I need to have more things go wrong in my stories, methinks…
Oh! This is exactly what I’ve been missing!!!
“At the heart of story is tension, and at the heart of tension is unmet desire. So at its core every story is about a character who wants something but cannot get it.”
Thank you soo much! I could tell my story needed something but I couldn’t put my finger on what. TENSION. Going to go read the older posts on tension now…
So glad that struck you, Camille. May your rewriting be filled with tension! Err–tension for your characters, not for you! LOL
What do you think about Mr. James’s claim that there are no plot-driven or character-driven stories?: I think the statement that there are only tension-driven stories is interesting––I like the way he backs it up by saying that without tension, there’s no story, which makes sense.
What, if anything, do you intend to apply to your writing?: I think characters’ unmet desires is something I would benefit from focusing on a little more. It’ll help not just increase tension but also get me to understand my characters better.
I’m curious if (and how) you would differentiate between unmet desires and characters’ goals. I’m inclined to say the two might overlap but don’t necessarily have to be the same––do they influence each other, then? And how?
*but also get me to understand my characters better.* –So much yes!
As to unmet desire/goals, I think they are pretty much the same. Some can be external and stated out loud “We have to find the crystal key!” and some the character might think about “I have to get an A in Mr. Simon’s class. I just have to!” and some might be more internal like a longing for acceptance (from a certain people group) or attention (from a certain person) or praise from a parent… I think the key here is that by keeping one or more of these desires unmet by your character as he progresses through the story, you keep up the tension, which will keep the reader flipping the pages.
This seems really fun. I’ve spent the past few days settling in to college, so I haven’t gotten a chance to read the book yet, but it seems really interesting and insightful. I just bought it and I’m gonna jump in next week!
Hooray! Excited to have you join in. 🙂
Yay, Em! Fortunately, it’s just a few pages, so it should be easy to catch up!
There were several things I wanted to highlight but since I’m reading from a borrowed ebook, it didn’t work out haha. I really like the idea of tension motivating the story. Its a bit eye opening to see a difference from the usual idea about plot structure and it actually makes a lot of sense. I will have to up the stakes for my characters for sure.
Yeah, me too. 🙂
I liked the Ceiling Fan Principle. I love reading books that have the most unexpected obstacles and the best twists, but I never write that way. I have plenty of twists but not enough obstacles, you know? What will prevent Matthew from getting _____?
It was very interesting to read and know how to correct my writing to make it more interesting for the readers. Thanks, Jill!
You’re welcome, Macey. So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Yeah, me too. Even if my copy took a week to come in. I only received it yesterday!