Is it Story or Structure?

I may not have any business writing about the story/structure dilemma, because I wrestle with both. Some would say this is the difference between pantsers and plotters (the former said to be writing by the seat of their pants). I do a bit of both.

My philosophy is a writer should never let a good story get away from them because they can't fathom the ending when they start. Got an idea? Grab a keyboard or a napkin and write for a few minutes. You might get an opening scene on paper or a few bullet points about how you want the story to develop. If you don't jot down the ideas, they will be gone or diluted.

Here are some recommendations for putting together a novel To be clear, all authors start with the story in mind, it's simply a question of what they do with that initial idea.

Craft of Writing
Jane Cleland
Jane has been offering some free seminars lately. Click on Events on her site. Her books on structure and plot twists are very helpful.

Helping Writers Become Authors
K.M. Weiland
Her website and blog have years of material. People roll their eyes at the word outline, but her material on it may change your mind.

Story Trumps Structure
Steven James
His focus is more on his own writing than teaching, but this book makes his preference clear.

There is still the basic point. No story is written until you put your buns in a chair (or on a bar stool, as Hemingway might have said). I address that in my book, Writing When Time is Scarce and Getting the Work Published.

Get started. Don't stop. Don't get discouraged. Tomorrow is another day.

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For more information on Elaine's 30+ books, go to https://www.elaineorr.com or subscribe to her newsletter.

Jazz Would Like Your Vote

       They say not to judge a book by its cover but I need you to do just that. If you like the new cover of my book, Rekindling Motives (Jolie Gentil Cozy Mystery Series Book 2), please vote for it for the Cover of the Month contest on AllAuthor.com!
              What's the significance of the cover? Covers are rarely literal; they bring aspects of the book to image form. In this book, Jolie makes an unexpected discovery in an old wardrobe. The family that owned it sold bootlegged whiskey in Ocean Alley during Prohibition. And as usual, Jolie's cat, Jazz, has to be on every cover.
              Last month I submitted When the Carny Comes to Town, and it needed to be at position 100 to go to the next level. It was 101!! I'd like to see Rekindling Motives get into the top 100 so I can go into high gear to get it selected.
              You can head over to All Author to cast your ballot.
               Thanks for your support. It means a lot.
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For more information on Elaine's 30+ books, go to https://www.elaineorr.com or subscribe to her newsletter.