1) Exposition

The exposition portion of the story arc involves acclimating the reader into the context of the book with relevant details regarding story and character. The way to show rather than tell your readers the exposition of your novel is by interspersing the details within character action. Rather than beginning your novel with this long history of the world, your story is set in, begin with a scene where your character is in action in some way. They could be running late for work, dreading a first date, or even preparing for a battle in more action-based novels.

These details help ground the story in the ‘present’ of the novel and they allow the reader to learn about the character in the ‘now’ as we’re hearing about the relevant parts of their past. For example, let’s say we’re getting exposition about how your character used to be more jaded but we’re seeing them helping an elderly person cross the street as they’re rushing to work. The reader can directly see that the character has changed over time and this poses a question of what has changed, which you can then answer in the exposition.

2) Inciting Incident

The next stage of your story arc is the inciting incident, or the event that sets your story in motion. This is the event that should answer the question ‘why does your story take place now? Why today?’ There has to be something major going on in the life of your protagonist in order for your story to start where it does. And if you’re thinking to yourself that a major event or character moment doesn’t happen in the beginning of your story, then you haven’t found your beginning yet.

When it comes to showing rather than telling your inciting incident, focus on describing the action and emotion of the scene. The event should be obvious enough to the reader for them to know it’s the inciting incident (again, if it’s not your story needs a rewrite). But to help them along, make sure you’re writing ‘in-scene’ and playing up the drama, emotion, dialogue, and action of the moment. This way your reader will know for sure that this is where the story arc that they’ll follow for the entire novel begins.

3) Rising Action

The rising action involves a series of events (connected to the original inciting incident) that continue to further the plot of the story towards the eventual climax. So, for example, if the inciting incident was an announcement that a tornado will hit the protagonist’s town, the rising action would involve trying to stock up on supplies, trying to create a bunker to hide in, and even the beginning effects of the tornado. And your protagonist will have obstacles along each plot point, so when they go to the store everything they need will be sold out.

In order to show your readers the rising action of your novel, focus on plotting out these points prior to writing them. Make sure your plot doesn’t go through too long of a lull without the rising action coming into play. And, when you’re writing a scene with a rising action plot point, make sure the stakes are high and clear to the reader. The most obvious stakes are life or death, but perhaps one of your rising action plot points is that a character overhears his best friend talking badly about him behind his back. Without even needing to state it, the reader can infer that it’s their friendship that is at stake in this moment.

4) Climax

The climax of the story should contain two elements: action and choice. The main plot of your story should eventually lead to a choice that your protagonist must make. Then, the climax and/or resolution of your story should be a direct result of the choice they end up making. You, therefore, must make sure that both the choice and action of your climax make sense for your character and the rest of the plot points in your story.

If you’ve done your job write, the choice should be obvious to the reader at this point. All of the plot points should build-up to this moment and, although the reader may not know what the protagonist will choose, they should know what the choice will be between. When it comes to the climax, however, the way to make it obvious to the reader is to write in-scene. Forgo using exposition, limit any internal monologues, and don’t use long scene descriptors. Instead, focus on using short sentences to increase the pace and urgency. Use lots of dialogue and action in this moment as well.

5) Resolution

Finally, the resolution involves wrapping up the plot of the story. This is a calm point after the high action of the climax of your story where things are falling into place (for better or worse). Focus on tying up any loose ends in your story here. Make sure any consequences of your protagonist’s choice are addressed.

Instead of directly telling your reader that things are being ‘resolved’, focus on dialogue here. Any important conversations that need to be had between characters with rising tension or characters with unresolved issues should be played out before the reader. You don’t need to wrap everything up in a bow for the reader to know this is the resolution of your story. You need only to make sure any leftover moments that need to happen, happen here.

The post Show Don’t Tell: Story Arc appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

1) Origins (Fact vs. Fiction)

To write a history for your fantasy world, you’ll have to start with the origins of the world. How did the world come to exist? Or, more importantly, how do the people of the world believe that the world came to exist? Similarly to our world, there are likely many different beliefs on how the world began and these beliefs can help shape the way the world grows and changes. Begin by writing a true or legendary origin or origins for the world.

2) Locations

Next, you’ll need a map of your fantasy world. In order for the world to feel as real as possible, the readers needs to be able to understand the boundaries and locations and how they logistically relate to one another. For example, vaguely naming new places as you get to them won’t feel as real as a reader being able to see how far one place is from another through distance and visualization. If your fantasy story, as many often do, begins with the proposition of a quest from one place to another, the weight of the journey the character will be going on can’t sink in if we don’t understand what the world looks like. Work on drawing a map for your world with the different cities included. In addition, consider hiring an artist to draw a map to appear in the front cover of your book as has become common practice for fantasy writers.

3) Parallels

When beginning to think about the current state of your fantasy world, it’s important to remember to draw comparisons and contrasts between our world and this world. People don’t want to read about a world that they can’t relate to at all, inserting human problems into this world will allow readers to gain valuable insights from your manuscript. So, when writing about the current state of the fantasy world, think about issues in our world and how a fantasy world could highlight them. Take the classic Harry Potter novels for example. Author J.K. Rowling used different magical creatures to address different issues. Through the introduction of House Elves she tackled the concept of slavery, through werewolves she addressed stigmatic diseases like AIDS, and through the idea of pure-blood elites, she showed discrimination.

4) Politics

Now that you have all of your different territories drawn up, consider how they relate to one another. Does one city hate another city because of a war that happened centuries ago? Does one city trade goods with another city? Is one city poorer and rougher while the other is rich and elitist? Does one city have a king and another a democratically elected committee of leaders? Creating political structures around each city not only helps make them more realistic, but it will also allow the reader to anticipate what a character may experience as they journey through each city.

5) Traditions & Culture

Similarly to politics, consider how each city in the realm is either similar or different in their traditions and culture. Perhaps one city has a certain religious group ruling it while another simply has some holiday traditions. Maybe there are certain words or sayings that everyone in the realm will understand, but then also cities have some of their own that pertain only to them. Maybe there are some food dishes or decorations that pertain specifically to a certain territory as well.

6) Sociology

Again, when considering building your fantasy world, it’s helpful to compare it to our world. There are certain sociological concepts that are cultural here. While in one area of the world something can be considered polite, in another area of the world it could be incredibly rude. In addition, take idioms. These are the bane of existence for any non-English speaker trying to learn English since their literal meaning and their culturally understood meanings are completely different. Consider these sorts of sociological concepts when building your fantasy world. The more specific detailed things like this that one adds, the richer the world will feel.

7) Characters

Finally, when creating a history for your fantasy world, consider the specific characters one is writing about. What was their upbringing like? Where did it take place? How has their past shaped them to the person that they will be at the start of your book? Write a short backstory for each of the central characters in your story. Knowing the different areas they grew up in and their specific sociological and economic circumstances can help you get to know them in a new way.

The post How to Write a History for Your Fantasy Novel appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Elements of a Story Arc

The first element of a story arc is the exposition or scenes in the beginning that are meant to introduce the reader to the characters, world, and tone of the story. Next, there is the inciting incident which is the event that sets the story into motion. The rising action involves the plot moving toward the climax through a series of events and character decisions made by your protagonist. The climax involves the protagonist making the choice that the story has been leading to, and the action that follows this choice. Finally, the resolution of the story is when the conflict comes to a close and the outcome of the story is revealed. All of these elements are present in every story arc (or should be), but they take many forms depending on which story arc is being utilized.

Story Arc Types

The story arc involves the ups and downs (or positive rises and negative falls) that occur over the course of your plot. Primarily there are six different types of story arcs used. The first is the Zero to hero (or rags to riches) story arc which involves the story starting in the negative access or the character having humble beginnings and it moves up to the positive access. Next is the Hero to zero story arc which involves just the opposite and goes from positive to negative, like a devolution story. Next, there is Man in the hole which involves a story that goes from positive down to negative then back up to positive. So, in this version, a character would hit a low point in the middle of the story and then swing back up for a happy ending. Then there’s the Icarus story arc where the character goes from the negative, up to the positive, then back down to negative. So, for example, Icarus himself who started imprisoned, then learned to fly, then fell.

Next is the Cinderella arc where the story starts in the negative, then goes to the positive, back down to negative, then positive. Sounds confusing, but just look at the story of Cinderella. She starts as a slave to her stepmother & siblings, then she goes to the ball, then she gets locked away as the prince is searching for her, then she lives happily ever after. Finally, we have the Oedipus arc, which is the opposite of Cinderella’s. This one starts in the positive, then goes negative, back up to positive, and finishes negative.

Core Value

In order to determine the arc of your story, you’ll need to determine what the core value of your story will be (or the Y-axis of your arc diagram). So, to use a base example, in a horror the core value is simply survival and how close to that your character is will determine the Y-axis. So instances where they’re put into mortal peril, they’re in the negative. Instances where they’re safer or they escape from danger, they’ll swing back up into the positive.

Your story will likely have a more complicated and nuanced Y-axis. In order to determine what yours will be, think about the emotional journey your character will face throughout the story and what choices the story is leading toward forcing your character to make.

First Draft vs. Second Draft

When utilizing story arc, we don’t recommend attempting to chart it out at first. Of course you should be plotting your work, but don’t attempt to focus on what type of story arc you’re going for in your first draft- just let the story flow. Once you’ve completed your first draft and you’re re-examing your work, this is the point at which you can examine what story arc type your manuscript has become. Once you see what arc you’re either utilizing or you’re closest to, go back and emphasize those rises and falls in action and between the positive/negative access even further to give your story a better flow.

The post How to Use Story Arcs appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Character Arc

Even though you’re working with a fraction of the page length and word count that novelists work with, short story readers want to see some character arc- at least from your protagonist. If you’re including, let’s say, a group of friends in your short story, your audience won’t be expecting character arc from every single member of the group. That would be a ridiculous expectation for a 30-page story. Simply hone in on your protagonist’s story and brainstorm ways to make sure they’ve changed by the end of the story. Remember, your short story should be selected to take place during a time of character growth for your protagonist. Focus on how the events of the story will change your protagonist as a person- for better or worse.

As few characters as possible

Because your page length is very limited and there’s a lot that needs to happen, you’ll only be shooting yourself in the foot by trying to include dozens of characters. You won’t be able to fully realize your protagonist’s development and the plot of the story if you’re focusing on establishing all of these different characters and their unique traits. Not only that, but your readers will be frustrated. Even in a novel, it’s difficult to have several characters introduced at once- let alone in a story less than 1/4 the size.

Emotional Impact

It may not happen often, but have you ever watched a commercial or music video and found yourself bursting into tears? Even though you’ve been viewing this tiny story or advertisement for a mere few minutes, what you watched was so simple and touching with its own little story. You leave surprised something so short could impact you so much emotionally. That’s exactly how your short story should feel. All of the best short stories, similarly to these mediums, hone in on the emotional core of an experience and, because they’re short and can get right to the point, have a way of being extremely touching. Stories like Why the Sky Turns Red When the Sun Goes Down and Delicate Edible Birds are just a few of hundreds of stories to use as examples of how to do this well.

Clear theme

Whereas novel writers can touch on several themes or topics throughout their stories, short story writers are encouraged to hone in on one and focus on dissecting it. And it can’t be a general idea like simply love/relationships, politics, or war- hone in on a specific aspect of these big ideas. For example, Jhumpa Lahiri’s A Temporary Matter focuses on the relationship between a couple who suffered a miscarriage and how it affects their relationship.

Less exposition, more action/imagery

Though novel writing will inevitably involve some exposition, in a short story you should include as little as possible. Focus on showing the details of your character’s internal state and their feelings through setting, observations that the character makes, objects they see, people they interact with, and body language. For example, let’s say your protagonist’s dilemma is trying to decide whether they want to have kids. Maybe throughout the story, as they maneuver through life, they observe different kid/parent interactions- some sweet, some sad, some annoying. This way we aren’t being told how the protagonist feels, we get to see them noticing things and their body language or reactions can tell us how they’re feeling about what they’re observing.

The post Writing For Your Audience: Short Stories appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

1) Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

As Vonnegut points out, reading is a really intimate experience happening between your imagination and a complete stranger. A person you’ve never met (and likely never will meet) is taking precious moments of their life to dive into your work. Don’t waste a single moment of that engagement and make sure they walk away from your work with things to think about. Whether that be about morality, history, self-help or love, try to teach them something new so they walk away feeling they gained something positive from your book.

2) Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

This doesn’t mean every character has to be perfect. Heck, it doesn’t even mean that a single one of them has to be perfect…perfect is boring. It just means at least one of them has to be likable in some capacity. This could mean a super sweet character, but it could also mean a damaged or jaded character who is trying to get their life together. Imperfections don’t make people unlikeable (in fact, they often do the opposite). But if your book is filled to the brim with incredibly harsh, evil, or frustrating characters, your reader isn’t going to care what happens to them.

We can’t overstate how crucial this one is to any and all writing. The character is the main driving force of any novel and character desire is what drives the character. A book where a character is just wandering about and events just fall into their lap isn’t an interesting read because they don’t have any stake in the events of the story. For example, a story about a character who gets rejected from a college isn’t interesting unless that character desperately wanted to get in. Perhaps it’s been their dream since they were a child and now we get to see how they react and cope with losing that dream. That’s far more interesting than a character getting a rejection letter, shrugging, and walking away.

4) Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.

This goes along with the first rule, this is just more specifically what needs to happen to make your book worth your readers time. Make every sentence matter in the arc of your book. As we’ve said before, even setting and character descriptors should reveal character in some capacity.

5) Start as close to the end as possible.

Novice writers have the tendency to start their book in the wrong place. The first chapter of their book gets bogged down with exposition and backstory or even pages of build-up before the real action/arc of the story begins. You should start your book immediately in the action of the story, cutting out as much exposition and build-up as possible.

6) Be a sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them, in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

We love our characters, it can be hard to make bad things befall them. But, as Vonnegut says, it’s in those times that we really see someone’s true self. That’s one of the key parts of any good story, revealing your characters (faults and all) to your readers.

7) Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

Write for you and for your characters- that’s it. If you’re constantly worrying about pleasing everyone your story is either going to be super jumbled and confusing or so general that it feels unrealistic and boring. Don’t be afraid to create characters with very specific quirks and personality traits instead of writing a protagonist that everyone could see themselves in. Trust us: your readers will thank you for it.

8) Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Very comically put, but also very true. Never convey suspense in a way that readers don’t understand what is happening to your protagonist. The story is driven by character and the choices your character makes is what defines them. Those choices should be very clear to the reader or the weight behind them will be lost. For example: let’s say you’re writing a suspense novel where your protagonist decides to seek revenge on the person he believes killed his father. Even if later it will be revealed that it wasn’t who our protagonist thinks it is, the reader needs to know that they had their mind made up. It says a lot about who they are and also will inform the guilt they’ll feel later upon realizing they’d been mistaken.

The post Kurt Vonnegut’s Rules for Writing appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.

Do Sweat the Small Stuff

Possibly the most important and complicated aspect of writing historical fiction is accuracy. You’re writing is set in a time that is tangible to us through history books and research. This means, unlike other forms of fiction where you have the freedom to improvise, you have to really stick to the facts. While there is still some room to be creative, when it comes to things like setting, clothing, items in use, etc.- you need to be incredibly accurate. In this genre, nothing will make a reader lose confidence in you quicker than if they spot historical inaccuracies.

Obviously, avoiding these mistakes involves conducting an immense amount of research- arguably more so than any other form of fiction. You want your readers to be able to see, smell, taste, hear and touch a time that has actually existed for us. You want to convey not only what that time looked like, but what the people were like, what they did for fun, and what their opinions were. We recommend not only conducting thorough research on your own but also working with experts on the topic you’re writing about. They may be able to pick up on some inaccuracies you may have missed so you can avoid potential reader backlash post-publication.

Don’t Go Overboard

While it’s important that you avoid inaccuracies and do the necessary research…don’t go overboard. Historical fiction writers tend to make the mistake of going too far in the opposite direction, including minute details on household items and wallpaper. Though you should always do your research, the last thing you want to do is bore your readers with a bunch of specific details just for the sake of showing your research skills. Include details- yes. But make sure you don’t focus too much on details that don’t pertain to your story. It’s a balancing act.

Stay True to Historical Figures

Often historical fiction or western novels will include characters based on real-life historical figures. If that is the case for you, make sure you’re staying true to the historical figures they’re based on. Historical fiction writers tend to make the mistake of pushing their own political or moral thoughts onto these people. You must remember that the figure you’re writing about is a person from that time- not ours. Allow them to be bigoted or politically backward or wrong. Don’t attempt to change them or have them make amends or make them forward thinking if they weren’t. Even great figures are allowed to be flawed and your readers will thank you for writing them with accuracy.

Pace Yourself Properly

This goes along with what we said earlier about not including too much detail. Historical fiction writers often make the mistake of getting too bogged down with exposition at the beginning of the novel. Your reader doesn’t need to understand everything about the era and your character’s place in the world right away. Pepper your relevant exposition throughout your novel as the information becomes relevant to your character and how they’re operating in the world.

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The post Genre Spotlight: Historical Fiction appeared first on Dorrance Publishing Company.