Do we need to know about story structures?

[jhmcmullen]

My own unasked-for take is that, for me, there are only a few bits of structure that are useful in the original creation. It is useful (again, for me) to know what the end is and the beginning. Sometimes I have something in mind (”this is going to be circular”), sometimes I don’t. For the most part, re-moulding the story into a story structure is better at one of the early revision stages. I read it, and go, “Oh, right — this really a journey story, so the proper end is when the main character comes home. But it’s short, so I can elide most of that…”

But that’s the same sort of editing for me as saying, “Hey, am I doing a scene-sequel thing? Am I giving the emotional responses room to happen, or is it just event-event-event?“

 

[Letterdust]

Like driving a car. You learn the theory and practice with a teacher who teaches you the 'model' way to drive. You think all the time about your driving technique. Then you pass, get out on the open road and drive the way you want, not thinking about technique anymore because it's just instinct now.

Alternatively, you could learn to drive by just going out there and giving it a go, making loads of mistakes and crashing the occasional car, but it'll take longer and it'll be a lot messier at the start!

 

[Prince of Spires]

>I'd argue that for a lot of beginning writers, applying some structure to their work would make it a lot better.
But, of course, it's the beginning writer who is going to have the most difficulty with applying structure. The experienced writer knows not only stories, he knows *his* stories. Knows his own pacing. Ideal would be for the first-timer to have a writing instructor or developmental editor. They could agree ahead of time that some structural template would be used. The writer could make a try, the editor could point out adjustments, and overall I do think the writer would learn a great deal. Working in isolation, it would be easy to become overwhelmed by the many choices, by the differing opinions and implementations, by the use of jargon that many experienced writers no longer even think is jargon.

I've tried to use structures. In writing a first draft I find them utterly useless. In the planning phase, it feels artificial, like trying to paint from a photo. I keep thinking it would be most useful during early edits, but by that point, the things the structure appears to offer have little to do with the immediate and obvious challenges I can see on my own. That said, I'm confident that any critic can look at any of my works and declare they see this or that structure therein. That, however, says more about literary analysis than it does about writing.

This is where "every writer is different comes in"

From what I've read, you're very much a discovery writer, who writes scenes out of order as they come to you. I could never do that and end up with a finished story. My process is just too different from that. So indeed, for you working with or towards a specific structure doesn't work.

My process is very different. I need an outline. I need to know what will happen next, otherwise my mind simply goes blank and I'm stuck staring at a page without any idea of what to write. That means that for me using a story structure is pretty easy. I can just take the hero's journey and map out the different plot points that should happen and fit my story to that if I want to.

 

[skip.knox]

Oh, I do that, or something very like. Only, once I start writing, all that work just drifts away on the wind.

Or, not quite. The work I do in planning hangs around, like a castle ghost reminding me of the irrecoverable past when all seemed orderly and consequent. At various points I am inspired by the God of Outlining and address what I've written so far, outlining and summarizing all. It's an exercise somewhat akin to picking up the room of a three-year-old. At the end, everything appears to be in its place again, but it is doomed not to last. The moment I start writing, I lose all sight of the forest and go bounding through the trees. The castle ghost pursues, harping on forests.

What never seems to serve, though, is the business about heroes journeying or acts or pyramids. That is, I can make matches readily enough. It's just that doing so never seems to be of any help in making any writing decisions. Does this incident belong in Chapter 6 or 16? At this point, either seems to work, though each entails consequences for other writing. The structures, though, are silent, except on things that seem painfully obvious (don't put the climax in Act One!).

But I do plan. I do outline. I couldn't possibly start writing without some idea of where I'm headed, all the way up to the end. Of course, once the novel's done, the end actually written is some distance from the end originally planned. But that one was a bad job anyway. The one area where I fully agree I'm a discovery writer is with theme. I never set out with one in mind, and invariably discover there's one in there, usually not until I'm somewhere past the first draft.