Raise your hand if you’ve ever had a positively delicious concept for a book, only to feel completely disenchanted when you read back your writing.
We see you. And we’ve been there.
In our latest workshop, acclaimed author Damyanti Biswas covered a range of novel writing topics from character development to point of view to story structure. This class was jam-packed with information, so this is by no means a summary. You’ll just have to claim your access to How to Turn Your Marvelous Idea Into an Unputdownable Novel and all its glory to see for yourself!
Takeaway #1: The most interesting and complex character with the longest journey is the protagonist.
I have definitely caught myself struggling to flesh out who I thought was the main character. Meanwhile, a side character was knocking on the door with complex thoughts and desires ready to unpack!
Does this mean we need to completely abandon the story we’re on? Not necessarily. We can always add more to a main character. But it might mean we have to set aside that more interesting character and give them their own story later.
The rule of thumb is this: the protagonist can never feel boring.
Takeaway #2: Plots are about cause and effect.
If you’ve ever come across the Pixar “Once Upon a Time” story structure, this will feel familiar.
When crafting stories, it’s not enough to have breathtaking settings and exciting incidents. There has to be a logic to the chain of events (and a logic to how your protagonist reacts and grows throughout them), or else your story will feel less like one cohesive narrative and more like a series of episodes.
One brilliant little tip Damyanti gave us was this: “The correlation between two events is not and then. It is and so.” I will absolutely be using this little phrase the next time I’m building a plot or revising a project!
This tip is especially helpful to keep in mind when writing without an outline (which Damyanti also discusses in this workshop!). As long as you have a clear idea of what your character is pursuing and how your character is going to be changed by that pursuit, you have the core of your story, and you can go from there.
Takeaway #3: Tension and conflict go hand in hand.
On paper (or onscreen), this sounds like an obvious connection to make. But if you’ve ever found yourself struggling with how to increase the tension in your novel, you know this is easier said than understood (and then there’s the execution!).
Put simply, tension is the threat of something bad happening (or a conflict). Conflict is the something bad that happens. So the way to increase tension is by increasing curiosity and concern surrounding what’s going to happen next in regards to the conflict happening or that could happen.
Curious to hear what else Damyanti Biswas had to say? You can still catch the replay!
Plus, once you claim your access, you’ll also become part of our online writing community!
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