I am clearly one of those writers who rather overexplain or goes on a telling spree in my stories.
To be fair, I don’t read enough to tell the difference between how show & tell and not just tell and repeat things. I also don’t practice enough either in a way where my tenses and grammar aren’t terrible.
Back then I wasn’t sure about making as a published author with these issues, even though I wanted to be published someday, regardless of not making the effort, since I am trying to my hardest to take my love for writing as seriously as I can to get published, I have to change things for the better.
I got to do some extensive reading fiction and helpful non-fiction, along with practicing on a daily basis.
I don’t have a life so I can do that and for as long as I can.
One of the things that’s going to teach you the most is tearing through an edit with an Alpha or Beta reader who is willing to be honest about what doesn’t work, and explains WHY something needs to change. When that happens, show vs tell starts to sort itself out…as well as other issues.
Fair warning, the ego doesn’t like people disliking what they wrote, so expect to have to feel exposed in that situation.
I’ve never heard of ergodic literature before, so I had to look it up on Wiki. Unfortunately I’ve never read any of those books, although I keep hearing good things about House of Leaves. Did you like it? Maybe I’ll add it to my wishlist for Christmas. ¯\_(ﭢ)_/¯
So who’s hung up about story structure? Are you watching YouTube videos or something?
I didn’t finish it I started it a long time ago. I forgot that I even had, until I saw a video about ergodic literature
All the squares who “write books” that “sell”, and the people who take after them, and don’t vary anything. This is why people like Coleen Hoover are bestsellers. They can game these kinda systems, and everyone will lap up their sameish stories. This is why things never change.
To be honest, that’s what puts me off 90% of books. The predictability of the three-act structure. It means you know what’s gonna happen in the end most of the time.
When people talk story structure they don’t meant to make a highbrow puzzle book about a house that defies the law of reality. Churro is talking about 3-act structure, turning points and pinch points, etc.
Yeah but it doesn’t mean that people can’t take inspiration from it and write something interesting or excitingly refreshing with a beginning, middle and an end of a story without needed to hit all the traditional pinch points and still make sense.
Now that’s not fair I am a writer who happens to write romances and dramas that end up on Wattpad.
But who follows the three-act structure that rigidly? If you try to squeeze most of the world’s most famous classic novels into that structure, they likely wouldn’t fit. The only one I can think of that does is the movie version of The Wizard of Oz and that was actually a pretty damn good story. I didn’t know ahead of time how it was going to come out, did you?
I think those pinch points and things are mostly for screenplays; at least, I don’t read many books that are that predictable. What in the world are you reading?
I think that it’s mostly just the mainstream garbage books that are predictable (now, not all mainstream books are garbage, obviously but the ones that are I call them “mainstream garbage”). I have gotten rid of most of them, and am keeping a lot of the books I want to actually read/look interesting. I am doing a clearout of all the books in my room and just keeping the ones I actually want to read.
Yeah, I think that you just need an introduction, a middle, and an end in some way. Whatever works for the story and its flow. You can’t go against the current, or it won’t work. They don’t fit. But people still insist and shove the “3 Act Structure” as the norm for Western stories especially because they think that act 1 = beginning 2 = middle 3 = end to make sense of it. But it’s not always that way.
A beginning, middle, and end can run over as many “Acts” as you need it to.
To be honest, stuff like Save The Cat Writes A Novel blurs the lines when it comes to popular structure, and because someone wrote a book about it, they think it’s the norm.
People are brainwashed by stuff like that because they pick up on the hype because “it worked once before” and they keep buying the book, and making it popular. Same with K.M. Weiland (nothing against her at all just saying that’s how trends start, the same thing happened to her).
For Gus’s story, I’m using a loose version of the “Fichtean Curve” because it works. Gus has a quick hook, a series of disasters, a climax, and a resolution. It’s nothing like the “hero’s journey” or whatever. It doesn’t work for my story. You can’t squeeze Gus into that, the same way you can’t bs a fantasy or sci-fi story totally without doing research and groundwork first.
Max’s story (when I finish writing it) will be completely different from Gus’s because it’s a different topic and a different kinda story. I also think that the whole “plan your story with X structure and stick to it for these results” is kinda toxic in a way. Yes, you can use the templates but don’t get hung up on them. Work them with your story. Change it if you need to. Make your own version of it. Play about and make things work for you. Don’t be so rigid .
/thanksforcomingtomyTEDTalk TEDxChurroverse signing out
I am going to combine both story projects called Nirvana and Tenth Night.
Instead of one MC, I shall have five MAIN characters in this combined story.
So, I need to come up with names for the other characters who aren’t
Anjan Terris and Isilynor eins Naivin.
Once I do that, I do have to plot/plan/write a few sample of what the story is going to be about and whatever else. It can be hand written or typed on the computer.
Eventually, I have to come up with a title for this story too.
I have this issue too. With my first draft of DTDM, the only original novel I’ve actually completed to date, I realized it’s because I was still telling myself the story. As I wrote, new ideas/revisions would take the story in other directions or when it came time to write a “scene” that I thought I knew, I realized it takes a lot more fleshing out when writing the scene. Once I was done with the first draft and I knew everything that is supposed to happen, at least in general from that, as I started re-writing a second draft, I was able to drop in more hints/foreshadowing, doing more of the “show vs tell” part because it was easier for me to know what chapters I can drop those things in so they’ll build up to something later. I am a BIG info dumper. But I think once you have a general idea of the trajectory and your characters, show and tell becomes a bit easier through newer drafts.
Haven’t touched my original work since my laptop dilemma which has still yet to be resolved. It’s really killing my mojo. I’ve even had trouble trying to crank out a chapter or two of fanfiction. I hate this set up I have now. HATE. And yet, I’m stuck with it for a while. Computers are expensive.
Also the ADHD in me is taking me down the “What’s the point” spiral because I can’t stand the pattern that I start things and never finish them unless that “reward/dopamine hit” is there to keep me going. Without the right support system in my life, executive dysfunction seems to win most of the time when it comes to writing. I realize the only reason why I finish fanfiction and that one novel is because even having one reviewer who reads and comments feeds that dopamine machine. Without any kind of feedback whatsoever, no matter how much I try to feed my own fire, eventually I burn out and sizzle out. (sigh)
I started it a long time ago. I forgot that I even had, until I saw a video about ergodic literature
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