Writing: The In-depth Approach

Chapter 5: Structure

 Structure is one of the key building blocks every writer needs to manage when they are writing a story. The way you structure your story can impact the way your story might read on the page. When you want to add depth to your story, you need a solid foundation to apply these more complex building blocks. You need to consider the structure of your narrative. So let's start at how you might structure your narrative.

The way you structure your narrative can impact how the reader reads your story. Most of the time, you'll find narratives that are written chronologically. Some authors might choose to write their narratives backwards, or in a disjointed series of scenes. An author might use prolepsis (flash forwards) or analepsis (flashbacks) in their narratives to imply events happening in the future or that have already happened in the past. But no matter how you structure your story, it should make sense to the reader. Say if you wrote a narrative where you flitted between time periods. If your narrative is too disjointed, your readers will find it hard to follow along. They might get lost in the flow of the narrative. Be aware of time in the story. Be aware of the flow of the narrative. Does the structure make sense, or is it a jumbled mess?

Most stories will have a basic story structure. You have a beginning, a middle and a resolution. And generally, most stories build up to a climax, the moment when the hero has to save the day, or a character has to face his or her own problems. If you have trouble structuring your story, the simple three part story structure is a good, basic structure to follow by. Let's flesh it out a bit.

1) The Beginning/The Introduction

In the beginning of a narrative, we introduce some of the basics. Who. What , Where, When. Who is the protagonist? What is happening? When are the events of the narrative happening? And where is the narrative set? In the introduction, the writer introduces the characters. We meet the protagonist for the first time and we find out what is happening, in what time period and where in the world. In the introduction, we also get a general idea of what the character wants, or desires, and what he or she is like. In other words, the beginning is about establishing a general idea of your character and the setting , giving the reader something to go by when they continue reading your narrative.

For example:

Vincent is a young adult. He is fresh out of university. He lives in Sydney, Australia. It is January, 2016. He wants a girlfriend. He goes on a blind date.

Of course, you wouldn't state it all outright like this in your story, but this is a general idea of the information you'd find in an introduction.

Also make your introduction interesting, especially if you write short stories. Readers can be fussy about what they read, so if you don't hook them quickly, then you might lose them for good. As a writer, you want to write an introduction that intrigues the reader and that makes them want to read more. You want them to ask themselves: "I wonder what happens next?". You need to catch the reader's attention and hold it tight. So how do you do that? How can you create an interesting introduction?

Unless it's essential to the story, maybe avoid opening your story with your protagonist getting out of bed. Unless your character has suddenly sprouted a pair of gills or suddenly finds himself to be a giant cockroach, it might not be that interesting, or original. Make your introduction interesting and original. Present something of interest, something that makes the reader stop and wonder.

For instance:

'It was that time of month again. That time when Paul's skin began to crawl; When his blood boiled and every smell reeked high and ripe, and every sound boomed like the static thunder of speakers. The moon was high, and Paul could already taste blood...'