Wednesday 17 October 2012

Please Satisfy Me

My writing has shifted back to plays over recent months, BUT there is a universal thing that applies to writing in any genre, and that is to tell a great story and to satisfy your audience.
I ran a session at the Cheltenham Words on the Side Literary Festival called ‘Ten things that make a play work’, in which we discussed all aspects of playwriting, and came up with several useful tools, but spent the longest time discussing the structure of a good story.
I like tools - they’re useful for all writers.  But they’re tools not rules, and can be broken to great effect.  When we were discussing play structures in the ‘ten things’ session, the ending of the film ‘The Italian Job’ came up.  If you look at the 8 Point Arc I outlined in my last blog you could argue that there is no resolution to that film, but that’s the genius of it.  Audiences will argue forever over what ending would satisfy them! 
But sometimes rules do need to be followed.  Last night I went to see a play that I really wanted to like, but I struggled from the start as it was a bit slow and ponderous.  About a third of the way through I saw where the story was going.  Two thirds of the way through I could still see where I was being taken.  Towards the end I was starting to wriggle on the uncomfortable seat, but still held out hope that I was going to be surprised by an unexpected twist in the plot.  But the story just went where I’d thought it was going to go, and there was no surprise or interesting revelation.  It built to a climax and ended.  It was a perfect example of a story that followed only the first six phases of an 8 point arc, and really needed to give me the last two to fully satisfy me. 
You can’t build a house without tools, and the same applies to telling a good story!

Tuesday 2 October 2012

Sharing the magic

Sharing the magic.
I had a really enjoyable evening yesterday talking to the Cheltenham Writer’s Circle about e-publishing and Print on Demand opportunities for writers.  We talked about how to use Amazon and how to market your books, but the one piece of 'magic' information that I really enjoyed sharing was about making your book as good as you can get it before even thinking about publishing. 
One very simple thing that writer’s seem to think is some sort of wisdom of the ancients is the ‘Classic 8 Point Arc’.  Humans are coded to look for patterns in everything from clouds to collections of words.  When we find a recognisable pattern we feel satisfied, and that’s surely how you want your readers to feel.  This arc is a pattern that most fiction follows, so I thought I’d share it here also.
On last note - Stasis used to be a long section of introduction, but most books now jump straight in to the trigger moment, but the rest of the pattern still holds. 
A classic ‘8 POINT ARC’ Storyline
STASIS – Little Red Riding Hood is sitting at home feeling bored.
TRIGGER – Her granny is ill so she decides to take her some food.
QUEST – She travels through the woods.
(& gets up to all sorts on the way – sub plot).
SURPRISE – She meets the Big Bad Wolf
CRITICAL CHOICES & DECISIONS – She decides to tell him about her granny, and he decides not to eat her yet.
CLIMAX – When she arrives at her Granny’s house the wolf is there waiting to eat her!
REVERSAL – She knows something is not right and questions him, before running away when she realises the danger she is in.
RESOLUTION – The woodman comes to the rescue and kills the wolf.
And they all live happily ever after!