Take It or Leave It

Everyone has a unique style and voice. That’s why I will begin this post by telling you: “This is a suggestion, but you don’t have to do it my way.”

Writing is a necessity for many. It is no wonder therapists recommend journaling to help their patients. In my case, writing is a form of expression—my favorite craft.

One of the first books on writing I read was Bird by Bird. In this guide, the author recommends that writers create a daily writing habit, as I mentioned in my post “Time to Write.” If you feel the call to write a book—whether to publish and sell it or to leave a legacy for your children—you need to begin by sitting down and writing every word that comes from your heart.

Annoying Rules

In addition to writing, we have to learn the Art of the Craft. Life is a game of rules; we either learn them or bend them. Either way, we must deal with those annoying requirements—specifically punctuation and spelling. I don’t think anybody enjoys a book filled with typos and misspelled words.

Now, I am by no means suggesting you have to become an expert editor to be a good writer. As a matter of fact, many early storytellers relied on others to transcribe their tales. Additionally, there are many AI tools today that can help you with those tedious “orthographic rules.” The main course on this menu is always the story.

Writing Techniques

Have you ever wondered why you can’t put a good book down? Writers like Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez, Liane Moriarty, Dan Brown, and the author of my most recent read, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, all use techniques to keep you reading until the end and wanting more.

Since I am not an expert on writing, I will share what experts have taught me. I’m not a bestselling author (yet), but I always strive for the best.

Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham

This book was recommended to me by my editor and by a writer and creative writing professor. To put it simply: think of structure as the roadmap of your story. Every story has a beginning where you introduce your main character and their situation. Then, something happens that changes everything, and your character has to work hard to bring their life back to balance. I would visualize it like this:

This basic structure graphic is just a guide. I encourage you to explore all the different Story structures out there.

“Structure is both logical and dramatic,” says Jack M. Bickham. When I thought I was being “creative,” I realized that the wheel had already been invented! But far from being disappointed, I was glad that someone had put these techniques and principles together to help me tell my story better.

Jumping Into the Scenes

We tend to think that a scene is just “everything we are telling,” when in truth, a scene starts when something happens that creates tension or changes the character’s routine. This is best seen in an example:

“Mary was sitting by the window, sipping hot tea and watching the birds fly by. She was wearing a blue lace dress. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, and a silk ribbon adorned her neat braid. She daydreamed about running through the yard chasing butterflies with her little sister.”

What happened here? Nothing, really—at least not yet. The story actually begins when:

“Suddenly, Mary hears an explosion. Her father runs into the room with a blanket. He covers Mary and pulls the wheelchair in which she is sitting, rushing her out of the room just as a second explosion rocks the house.”

My Suggestion

I realize that I’m truly passionate about writing. So, again, take it or leave it: Scene and Structure by Jack M. Bickham opened my eyes. It keeps me focused on a storyline and a structure. It might seem restricting, but it isn’t. These tools will transform your already beautiful craft into something irresistible. Remember my post about catching your audience? A well-structured book will keep your audience on their toes.

Au Revoir

That is it for this week! Thank you for reading; I hope this was helpful. Next week, let’s talk more about structuring your book. I want to draw a “story map” using Procreate and share it with you. A photo tells more than a million words.

‘Till the next post!Take It or Leave It