“It isn’t a story until something goes wrong.” Wow, that’s a one-line course in writing a novel that will hold the attention of the reader. But surely there’s more to it than that.
After I read those words about what makes a story, I started thinking about all the elements that really do make a story. How do you put words and thoughts together to produce something a reader can’t put down even though the clock says morning will come in a hurry. Is it the plot line? Could it be the story arc? Are the characters holding the reader’s attention—does he or she identify with them? The answer to all these questions is, “Yes, and—“
One of the first Christian writers’ conferences I attended was held at Mount Hermon, California. I could name all the great writers from whom I learned at that conference and later, and there were a lot of them, but I’d probably forget and leave someone out. Let’s just say that I owe any success I’ve enjoyed in my journey along this road to writing to lots of people. But let me focus on one person and one phrase because this helps illustrate the point I’m trying to make.
I asked Jeff Gerke to take a look at my work in progress and give me some suggestions to improve it. We sat down on a sofa in the lounge, and I began to sketch out what I visualized. Jeff listened attentively for a couple of minutes, and then said, “So what?”
I tried harder to explain what the novel was about, and again, Jeff said, “So what?”
This went on for ten or fifteen minutes, with me going into greater detail on the storyline, telling him more and more about all the things that were going to happen, and Jeff responding with those two words that, by now, infuriated me. “So what?”
Then, as though a light bulb had been lit above my head, I got it. What Jeff was saying was the same thing other mentors have said in different words. What was at stake? If the hero or heroine failed at their task, what would happen? And, just as important, would the reader care?
In his excellent book The Writer’s Journey, Vogler says that every good story, from the time of Beowulf onward, includes most of the twelve steps he lists. At the beginning, we see the problem or the prize that stands before the hero (and here I’ll use the masculine form but we’re talking heroine also). They must achieve a goal, overcome a flaw, learn a lesson, do something or there are consequences. In some of our stories, they must succeed or die. In others, they have to navigate stormy waters to achieve true love. But whatever the driving situation of the story, the reader must quickly see the answer to the question Jeff Gerke posed to me: “So what?”
Looking at it another way, the reader fairly quickly must be invested to the point that they are rooting for (or in rare cases, against) the central character. The goal must be one that’s fairly obvious, not only to the hero or heroine but also to the person reading about it. This brings up another characteristic of a great story, one that’s as important as “so what?” A good story must be populated by characters with whom the reader can readily identify.
In my case, romance doesn’t drive my story—suspense or mystery does. In my genre, the protagonist faces “death” in a number of ways—physical, emotional, or professional, to name the most common forms. In one of my books, the physician has allegedly made a mistake in a prescription that may kill a patient and/or cause the doctor’s suspension. In another, the female physician finds that someone wants to do away with her—but she doesn’t know who or why. In a third, the protagonist finds that her fiancé isn’t actually who he seems to be—he’s in the witness protection program, and his true identity can’t be leaked.
The stakes are such that if the hero or heroine doesn’t succeed, they’ll be “dead” in one of the ways I have listed. The problem may be presented fairly quickly, or if we are to follow the outline presented by Vogler, there may be an initial refusal before the protagonist’s hand is forced and the plot moves forward. But whenever and however it’s made clear, the goal must be achieved, or…so what?
Although I’m a confirmed devotee of “writing by the seat of my pants,” I generally start with a one-line hook: something like “A disillusioned sea captain continues his lifelong search for a white whale.” Then I populate the story with the hero and/or heroine as well as other major characters. I pick an inciting incident, craft what Jim Bell calls a “knockout ending,” and decide on a couple of twists along the way to keep the reader interested. These may change, but I can’t start a novel without them. And I’d recommend that—whether plotter or pantser—the individual who wants to write a compelling story do the same.
Sometimes after I’ve written several thousand words, I find that my opening scene or even the initial chapter don’t hold my attention, despite the brilliant prose I’ve written. So I look into the first several scenes or chapters, find one that grabs me, and (with a great deal of anguish) start over in media res. In other words, the best first scene is often the second or third scene, or even the second chapter. What went before can either be inserted as backstory or consigned to the trash bin, thus upholding the oft-repeated advice to “murder your darlings.” To reiterate, write something that will get your reader’s attention, even if it means starting over a couple of times. The end result will be worth it.
So, to review, I believe the keys to a successful story are these:
(1) “So what?” There has to be something at stake so that if the hero or heroine doesn’t succeed, they “die”—physically, emotionally, professionally, or whatever.
(2) Characters with whom the reader can identify, making a journey that counts. We’re told that all protagonists are flawed, and the transition they make as the novel progresses is something that keeps the readers engaged. I’d add that it’s not always the central character that changes the most.
3) The hand of God. I know this is trite, but I believe it is true. There are times when I go back and read one of my earlier novels and think, “I don’t remember writing this—but it’s good.” Then it dawns on me—as Mother Teresa said, I am but a pencil in the hand of a writing God. And that’s an honor I feel fortunate to have. My prayer is that you will have that same honor. Now go write.
But first, tell me this—what do you think makes a story great?
* * *
Dr. Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now writing “medical suspense with heart.” His previous novels have garnered critical acclaim and been finalists for ACFW’s Carol Award, the Romantic Times’ Inspirational Book of the Year, the Inspirational Readers Choice, and the Selah Award. He is a proud member of the ACFW, the International Thriller Writers, the Christian Authors Network, and the FHL chapter of the RWA. Cardiac Event will be his eleventh published novel.
You can learn more about him at his website, his blog, his Facebook fan page and/or his Twitter page.
Seekerville is giving away a print or ebook copy of Richard's latest release, Medical Judgement to one commenter. Winner announced in the Weekend Edition.
Someone is after Dr. Sarah Gordon. It’s been tough trying to recover from the traumatic deaths of her husband and infant daughter, but now someone is stalking her and has even set fire to her home. Her late husband’s best friend and a recovering alcoholic detective assigned to the case are both trying to solve the mystery, but both are also vying for her affections. No wonder she continues to live in fear and distrust with her only help coming from unreliable suitors. As the threats on her life continue to escalate, so do the questions: Who is doing this? And why? And how will her faith help her through this time in her life?
with guest Mary Curry.
You've probably heard the story about Abraham Lincoln meeting Harriet Beecher Stowe, author of Uncle Tom's Cabin, and saying, "So this is the little lady who started this great war."
But did you also know that Adolf Hitler claimed to have drawn inspiration for his Aryan nation from Wagner's early opera Rienzi, which in turn was based on a book by Edward Bulwer-Lytton (of It was a dark and stormy night fame)?
Or how about the Cannibal Rat ship that's floating around the internet these days? Has that made you think of global responsibility? (Or maybe it's fed a plot idea.) True or false, the story has certainly infested Facebook and the Twitterverse.
Behold the power of story … for good or for ill.
Who remembers this scene from Romancing the Stone?
Kathleen Turner evoked the exhilaration writers feel when the writing is working. But I think readers also identify with the scene because they completely understand the sheer power of story to carry you out of your daily life. That's what we're talking about today. Story and the power it wields.
A month or so ago, I received an email from an organization called The Greater Good.
The email contained an article, by Paul J. Zak, called How Stories Change the Brain.
Since I had recently posted here at Seekerville about Wired for Story , I was interested to read the article and watch the accompanying video. Although Wired by Lisa Kron and the Greater Good article by Paul Zak, approach the topic differently, their conclusions are ultimately the same. Story is vital to our survival. The brain loves story, and stories change our brains.
What does this mean to us as writers?
Here's a video from Zak's article that shows you how story impacts your brain - literally shows you. It's only 5 minutes long so I encourage you to watch it. Then come back and we'll talk. Go ahead. I'll wait. It's fascinating stuff.
The part of the video I found most intriguing was at the 3:35 mark (through 4:31). If you weren't able to watch, through brain imaging, Zak's team was able to show brain activity in response to different types of stories. In response to the story of a father whose son is dying, brains lit up with empathy and understanding of what others are doing. In response to a story of a father having a fun day at the zoo with his son, nothing lit up. Nothing.
That's powerful imagery!
Imagine readers reading your stories. Do their brains light up in response to what you have written, thus keeping them invested in the story, or is there no response? If nothing is happening in your story, the reader's brain won't tune in. That's hard, cold science. Shudder.
Zak connects this brain imaging to the Dramatic Arc of story.
"This evidence supports the view of some narrative theorists that there is a universal story structure. These scholars claim every engaging story has this structure, called the dramatic arc. It starts with something new and surprising, and increases tension with difficulties that the characters must overcome, often because of some failure or crisis in their past, and then leads to a climax where the characters must look deep inside themselves to overcome the looming crisis, and once this transformation occurs, the story resolves itself. "
There's more, but I don't want to give away the whole story. If you'd like to read the full article, you can find it here.
So this is all well and good. Really interesting and very important to remember.
But what do we do with it?
Well, I could have just ended this post with the advice to write a really interesting story with lots going on.
But as I was reading the article and thinking about this post, a song kept playing in my head.
Five For Fighting's World.
What kind of world do you want?
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now...
So that brings me to a bigger question.
What kind of world do you want? And can you help build it with your stories?
Deeper into the Greater Good article, Zak goes on to say, "We also tested why stories can motivate us, like the characters in them, to look inside ourselves and make changes to become better people."
Without giving away the story on the video, Zak says chemicals are emitted in the brain in response to story. The people who were motivated by the story to donate "had more empathic concern of other people and were happier."
He goes on to say:
"This shows there is a virtuous cycle in which we first engage with others emotionally that leads to helping behaviors, that make us happier. Many philosophical and religious traditions advocate caring for strangers, and our research reveals why these traditions continue to influence us today—they resonate with our evolved brain systems that make social interactions rewarding. "
The story Zak worked with was true, but apparently that doesn't impact the brain's reaction. The down side for us is that in Zak's study, apparently the reaction was better with video than with written story. Let's take that as a challenge!
In the sidebar of the article, there was a link to another article - a review of Jonathan Gottschall's book The Storytelling Animal - How Stories Make Us Human. So of course I had to read that too. It's an interesting book (though some may find his views on religion to be insulting). Gottschall examines how stories (in all their varied forms from videos to printed stories to dreams and daydreams) saturate our lives. He uses what scientists have learned from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to explain why humans are addicted to stories.
The examples I used in the opening (not the Cannibal rats!) are discussed in his book.
In chapters respectively called The Moral of the Story and Ink People Changed the World, Gottschall discusses how people are "putty in a storyteller's hands". He cites evidence to show that the more deeply involved people are in a story, the more the story changes them. He writes about the fundamental power of story to enforce societal norms and values, to define people, to "tell us what is laudable and what is contemptible." Gottschall says "Stories are working on us all the time, reshaping us in the way that flowing water gradually reshapes a rock."
Zak's Center is using the understanding they have developed to "test stories that seek to motivate positive behavioral changes." He suggests we "go see a movie and laugh and cry. It’s good for your brain, and just might motivate you to make positive changes in your life and in others’ lives as well."
Gottschall ends his book with this advice. "Go get lost in a novel."
The message for authors seems clear - craft a compelling story and you can change people for the better.
So I'd love to hear from you. How do you think we can use our stories to build a better world? Can we deliberately craft a message in the hope of inspiring an empathetic reaction?
What kind of world do you want? Are you willing to help build it with your stories?
"World"
Got a package full of Wishes
A Time machine, a Magic Wand
A Globe made out of Gold
No Instructions or Commandments
Laws of Gravity or
Indecisions to uphold
Printed on the box I see
A.C.M.E.'s Build-a-World-to-be
Take a chance - Grab a piece
Help me to believe it
What kind of world do you want?
Think Anything
Let's start at the start
Build a masterpiece
Be careful what you wish for
History starts now...
In return for sharing your thoughts today, I'd like to offer a book of choice - any of the books on brains and writing or a Seeker book of choice. Take your pick, but be sure to let us know if you're interested.
Mary Curry
Mary is a teacher, mother, wife and writer. And a lifelong reader. That passion for reading transformed over time into a compulsion to create stories of her own. She’s been writing and contesting for many years and along the way has garnered a few writing credits including being a three time Golden Heart finalist and the 2011 Genesis winner for Contemporary Romance. She has recently won Duel on the Delta, Touched by Love, and the Laurie.
Mary can be found on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/M.M.Curry
Twitter: https://twitter.com/maryc2010
http://myplacebythesea.blogspot.com/ I'm reinventing my blog as a resource for readers to meet authors (published and pre-published) and get free books. If you're interested in being interviewed let me know.
I asked Jeff Gerke to take a look at my work in progress and give me some suggestions to improve it. We sat down on a sofa in the lounge, and I began to sketch out what I visualized. Jeff listened attentively for a couple of minutes, and then said, “So what?”
