Publishing secret #2: structure
Structure matters, regardless of whether you're writing your story or any of the three marketing documents (or making a pitch to an agent). When you stick to an established format in telling and selling your story, this telegraphs that you know how to write and understand how to keep a consistent storyline readers can follow effortlessly.
The bottom line for fiction structure boils down to three very broad elements--goal, obstacle, and resolution.
ONE: Goal
Stories begin at the exact moment when something motivates your main character (protagonist) into action. They want something. This could be anything for acquiring a goose who lays a golden egg, staying out of the clutches of a headless horseman, or preventing a nuclear war. Their motivation becomes the goal, and also the purpose of writing your story.
Readers need a reason to become interested in your protagonist. This will keep them turning the pages from your story beginning to the end. Readers don't necessarily have to identify with the goal, but it has to be interesting enough to keep them reading to find out what happens.
The first page of your manuscript, when submitted to an agent, must tell, or hint at, what your protagonist wants.
Likewise, the first two or three lines of your query need to clarify the goal, along with the obstacle(s), and a resolution tease. Your goal in describing the goal, is to keep the agent reading the rest of your query letter.
TWO: Obstacle
The next structure point involves revealing what your protagonist must overcome in order to achieve their goal. In most fiction, there is one main goal, and several secondary ones that appear during the telling of the story.
For example: "Little Red Riding Hood"
Little Red's primary goal is to share lunch with her ailing grandmother. As the story
progresses, secondary goals appear. These include keeping herself off the lunch menu,
and extracting granny from the wolf's stomach.
THREE: Resolution
Obviously, your story has an ending in which the goal is achieved . . . or not.All stories do not end with happily ever after.
For example: "Gone With the Wind"
Rhett decides he's had enough of pain-in-the neck Scarlett and leaves her. Not
necessarily a "happy ending," but one that demonstrates Scarlett's pluck as she
declares, "Fiddle dee dee, tomorrow's another day." Which of course, left the door
open for a sequel. (Unfortunately, Margaret Mitchell didn't live long enough to write it.)
Another resolution example: "Little Red Riding Hood"
Little Red, although resourceful, is not strong enough to save herself from the wolf.
So, she does the next best thing, which is to summon an adult to help her out. That's
fine for children's fiction. However, in adult fiction, the resolution must be achieved by
the protagonist who has moved through/past the obstacles to succeed or fail.The bear
does not come out of the woods to eat the bad guys.
Never, ever, ever give your story resolution in your query letter. Only hint at it, and figure out a way to describe the terrible "what if" should your protagonist not be successful.
The synopsis tells the resolution of your story to show that you know how to bring a story full circle as it reveals the protagonist's goal, carries them through various obstacles to finally reach the resolution and the end of the story.
As always, your goal is to motivate the agent to want to know more about your story, regardless of whether you're writing a query, synopsis, first page, or your manuscript. A well thought out structure that is based on goal, obstacle, and resolution will help you achieve that goal.
The bottom line for fiction structure boils down to three very broad elements--goal, obstacle, and resolution.
ONE: Goal
Stories begin at the exact moment when something motivates your main character (protagonist) into action. They want something. This could be anything for acquiring a goose who lays a golden egg, staying out of the clutches of a headless horseman, or preventing a nuclear war. Their motivation becomes the goal, and also the purpose of writing your story.
Readers need a reason to become interested in your protagonist. This will keep them turning the pages from your story beginning to the end. Readers don't necessarily have to identify with the goal, but it has to be interesting enough to keep them reading to find out what happens.
The first page of your manuscript, when submitted to an agent, must tell, or hint at, what your protagonist wants.
Likewise, the first two or three lines of your query need to clarify the goal, along with the obstacle(s), and a resolution tease. Your goal in describing the goal, is to keep the agent reading the rest of your query letter.
TWO: Obstacle
The next structure point involves revealing what your protagonist must overcome in order to achieve their goal. In most fiction, there is one main goal, and several secondary ones that appear during the telling of the story.
For example: "Little Red Riding Hood"
Little Red's primary goal is to share lunch with her ailing grandmother. As the story
progresses, secondary goals appear. These include keeping herself off the lunch menu,
and extracting granny from the wolf's stomach.
THREE: Resolution
Obviously, your story has an ending in which the goal is achieved . . . or not.All stories do not end with happily ever after.
For example: "Gone With the Wind"
Rhett decides he's had enough of pain-in-the neck Scarlett and leaves her. Not
necessarily a "happy ending," but one that demonstrates Scarlett's pluck as she
declares, "Fiddle dee dee, tomorrow's another day." Which of course, left the door
open for a sequel. (Unfortunately, Margaret Mitchell didn't live long enough to write it.)
Another resolution example: "Little Red Riding Hood"
Little Red, although resourceful, is not strong enough to save herself from the wolf.
So, she does the next best thing, which is to summon an adult to help her out. That's
fine for children's fiction. However, in adult fiction, the resolution must be achieved by
the protagonist who has moved through/past the obstacles to succeed or fail.The bear
does not come out of the woods to eat the bad guys.
Never, ever, ever give your story resolution in your query letter. Only hint at it, and figure out a way to describe the terrible "what if" should your protagonist not be successful.
The synopsis tells the resolution of your story to show that you know how to bring a story full circle as it reveals the protagonist's goal, carries them through various obstacles to finally reach the resolution and the end of the story.
As always, your goal is to motivate the agent to want to know more about your story, regardless of whether you're writing a query, synopsis, first page, or your manuscript. A well thought out structure that is based on goal, obstacle, and resolution will help you achieve that goal.
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The information on this page is an excerpt from my 35-page "Query Workbook," which is included as part of my Jump-Start consultation program. Click Here for more information.
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