I moved into my new place last week. Hence why you haven’t seen me in the comment section. It took two weeks to pack. I’m now unpacking. I found a cozy little abode on the New Hampshire seacoast, near the Massachusetts border. It’s the best of both worlds — two minutes from anything I might need, yet a quiet country setting with plenty of wildlife.
As I gazed out my kitchen window for the first time, five huge male turkeys stood sentinel in the yard. Soon, twenty-five more joined them to socialize, feast, and play. The original five Toms guard the property all day. There’s also an adorable opossum and three albino skunks — stunning all white fur — who come nightly to eat alongside the resident stray cat. All four share the same bowl.
Why can’t humans put aside their differences like animals can?
For my fellow crow lovers out there, a murder of crows arrived on day two. Or Poe and the gang followed me. Sure sounds like Poe’s voice, but I can’t be certain until I set up their feeding spot and take a closer look. My murder has white dots, each in different spots, which helps me tell them apart. Plus, Poe has one droopy wing.
As I watched the five Toms this morning, it reminded me of a post I’d written back in 2017 (time flies on TKZ, doesn’t it?). So, I thought I’d revamp that post a bit, and tweak for our pantser friends.
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Clare’s recent post got me thinking about craft and how, as we write, the story inflates like a Tom turkey. If you think about it long enough and throw in a looming deadline, Tom Turkey and story structure have a lot in common.
Stay with me. I promise it’ll make sense, but I will ask you to take one small leap of faith — I need you to picture Tom Turkey as the sum of his parts, constructed by craft. And yes, this light bulb blazed on over the Thanksgiving holiday. We are now having spiral ham for Christmas dinner.
But I digress.
Story beats build Tom’s spine. Think of each milestone as vertebrae. Pantsers, let the story unfold as it flows. You can always check the beat placement after the drafting stage.
The ribs that extend from Tom’s spine liken to the equal parts that expand our beats and tell us how our characters should react before, during, and after the quest.
Broken into four equal parts, 25% percent each, this is the dramatic arc. It’s a natural progression that many writers do instinctually. If you want to check your work after the drafting stage, pantsers, the dramatic arc should look like this…
- Setup (Page 1 – 25% mark): Introduce protagonist, hook the reader, setup First Plot Point through foreshadowing, stakes, and establish empathy (not necessarily likability) for the MC.
- Response (25% – 50% mark): The MC’s reaction to the new goal/stakes/obstacles revealed by the First Plot Point. MC doesn’t need to be heroic yet. They retreat, regroup, and have doomed attempts at reaching their goal. Also include a reminder of antagonistic forces at work.
- Attack (50% – 75% mark): Midpoint information/awareness causes the MC to change course in how to approach the obstacles; the hero is now empowered with information on how to proceed, not merely reacting anymore.
- Resolution (75% – The End): MC summons the courage, inner strength, and growth to find a solution to overcome inner obstacles and conquer the antagonistic force. All new information must have been referenced, foreshadowed, or already in play by 2nd Plot Point or we’re guilty of deus ex machina.
Tom Turkey is beginning to take shape.
Characterization adds meat to his bones, and conflict-driven sub-plots supply tendons and ligaments. When we layer in dramatic tension in the form of a need, goal, quest, and challenges to overcome, Tom’s skin forms and thickens.
With obstacle after obstacle, and inner and outer conflict, Tom strengthens enough to sprout feathers. At the micro-level, MRUs (Motivation-Reaction-Units) — for every action there’s a reaction — establish our story rhythm and pace. They also help heighten and maintain suspense. If you remember every action has a reaction, MRUs come naturally to many writers. Still good to check on the first read through.
MRUs fluff Tom Turkey’s feathers. He even grew a beak!
Providing a vicarious experience, our emotions splashed across the page, makes Tom fan his tail-feathers. The rising stakes add to Tom’s glee (he’s a sadist), and he prances for a potential mate. He believes he’s ready to score with the ladies. Tom may actually get lucky this year.
Then again, we know better. Don’t we, dear writers? Poor Tom is still missing a few crucial elements to close the deal.
By structuring our scenes — don’t groan, pantsers! — Tom grew an impressive snood. See it dangling over his beak? The wattle under his chin needs help, though. Hens are shallow creatures. 😉 Quick! We need a narrative structure.
Narrative structure refers to the way in which a story is organized and presented to the reader. It includes the plot, subplot, characters, setting, and theme, as well as techniques and devices used by the author to convey these elements.
Now, Tom looks sharp. What an impressive bird. Watch him prance, full and fluffy, head held high, tail feathers fanned in perfect formation.
Uh-oh. Joe Hunter sets Tom in his rifle scope. We can’t let him die before he finds a mate! But how can we save him? We’ve already given him all the tools he needs, right?
Well, not quite.
Did we choose the right point of view to tell our story? If we didn’t, Tom could wind up on a holiday table surrounded by drooling humans in bibs. We can’t let that happen! Nor can we afford to lose the reader before we get a chance to dazzle ’em.
Tom needs extra oomph — aka Voice. Without it, Joe Hunter will murder poor Tom.
Voice is an elusive beast for new writers because it develops over time. To quote JSB:
It comes from knowing each character intimately and writing with the “voice” that is a combo of character and author and craft on the page.
That added oomph makes your story special. No one can write like you. No one. Remember that when self-doubt or imposter syndrome creeps in.
If Tom hopes to escape Joe Hunter’s bullet, he needs wings in the form of context. Did we veer outside readers’ expectations for the genre we’re writing in? Did we give Tom a heart and soul by subtly infusing theme? Can we boil down the plot to its core story, Tom’s innards? What about dialogue? Does Tom gobble or quack?
Have we shown the three dimensions of character to add oxygen to Tom’s lungs? You wouldn’t want to be responsible for suffocating Tom to death, would you?
- 1st Dimension of Character: The best version of who they are; the face the character shows to the world
- 2nd Dimension of Character: The person a character shows to friends and family
- 3rd Dimension of Character: The character’s true character. If a fire breaks out in a crowded theater, will they help others or elbow their way to the exit?
Lastly, Tom needs a way to wow the ladies. Better make sure our prose sings. If we don’t, Tom might die of loneliness. Do we really want to be responsible for that? To be safe, let’s review our word choices, sentence variations, paragraphing, white space, grammar, and how we string words together to ensure Tom lives a full and fruitful life.
Don’t forget to rewrite and edit. If readers love Tom, he and his new mate may bring chicks (sequels or prequels) into the world, and we, as Tom’s creator, have the honor of helping them flourish into full-fledged turkeys.
Aww… Tom’s story has a happy ending now. Good job, writers!
For fun, choose a name for Tom’s mate. Winner gets bragging rights.
A veritable feast of craft info, Sue. I gobbled it up! No matter how you slice it, turkey is an apt metaphor. Well done…and juicy.
Hahaha. Thank you, Jim!
Sue, your new home sounds like a perfect place to fuel your creativity. So glad for you!
You describe the process I use, starting with a skeleton then layering on meat, muscle, tendons, etc. But you did it in a way that had me smiling and chuckling, while also being concerned about Tom’s fate. Brava, my friend!
A name for Tom’s mate? Alice came to mind, as in “Alice Kramden.” Tom reminded me a bit of Jackie Gleason, all puffed up, strutting, and pompous. Then Alice would deflate him with a well-aimed skewer.
Hahaha! Alice Kramden is perfect, Debbie! Tom does resemble Jackie Gleason. LOL
I love my new place. Little by little, it’s beginning to feel like home. A wild bunny came to my bedroom window this morning. And yes, this environment not only feeds the soul but encourages creativity to soar.
Thanks again for covering for me last week, my friend. You’re a life saver. <3
Moving sucks, Sue. Glad you’re on the downhill side.
Yes, it does, Terry. Thanks! Me too.
Really, really (sorry!) love this, Sue! (And your new digs sounds wonderful…)
What a creative way to explain the creation of story. This one’s going into my read-again-later file.
Have a Tom Turkey week! 🙂
So glad the post resonated with you, Deb. As a fellow animal lover, I thought you’d enjoy the metaphor. 😉
Thanks. You too! 🙂
Your new home sounds idyllic, Sue. And I really loved your column today. Very helpful and entertaining.
Thanks, Dean. I am loving my new home. Still have more unpacking to do, mostly clothes, but I’m picking away at it.
Thrilled you enjoyed today’s post! Have a fabulous week.
Turkeys can be aggressive. I hope the crows can be your anti-turkey squad.
They sure can, Marilynn. But they’re so fun to watch. I used to have a pet turkey that we raised from the egg. Lou would sit for hours in a lounge chair, preening each strand of my hair. His sister, on the other hand, wouldn’t let us anywhere near her. She had an “accident” (let’s say) that ended her life quickly.
When circumstances changed and we had to find Lou a new home on a farm, Lou’s new dad entered him in the county fair. And Lou brought home the blue ribbon every year till his retirement. He became quite the local star.
Fantastic post, Sue, thank you so much for bringing it back. Learning story structure made all the difference for me as a novelist, and your points about the three dimensions of character and the power of voice are spot on, as well.
I just tried discovery writing the opening of a new book, and, upon going over the first four chapters yesterday, decided I still very much benefit from brainstorming and outlining, provided I don’t go overboard. I had mentioned in my comment on JSB’s post yesterday that I was relying on all the craft I’ve absorbed, but there’s no substitute for me in laying out the high-level view of a story and it’s structure.
I’m so glad to hear you’ve moved. Your new place sounds wonderful. Keep us posted about the wildlife and especially your crow friends. I hope you have a great week.
I agree, Dale. Having a high-level view of the story is immensely helpful. The few times I dove straight in without any plan didn’t go well. I had to stop and at least put the skeleton of the story into place. That way, if an unexpected twist spirals the story in a new direction (love when that happens!), I know how to get back on track, rather than writing myself into a corner.
Definitely will keep you posted, my friend. Wishing you a fantastic week!
Love this post, Sue, and it’s great to see you back. I’ve missed your comments lately.
Your new home sounds wonderful. Best wishes for many years of happiness in it.
My big takeaway from your post is the three dimensions of character. I can put this to good use in my WIP. Thanks!
We’ve moved more than a few times, so I can sympathize with you. Good luck with the unpacking.
Thank you, Kay! Yes, moving is the pits, but decorating a new place is a ton of fun.
My laptop charging cord got crushed in the move and I had to order a new one, so that delayed me, as well. Feels great to get back to work!
And thank you for the well wishes. I couldn’t’ve chosen a better spot for my fresh start. My guardian angels were hard at work when they led me here. 🙂
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Your new home sounds perfect, Sue. My husband and I were vacationing in Maryland and we saw a turkey come in the yard. “Look, Don,” I said. “That’s a wild turkey.”
“Looks just like the one on the label,” he said.
Hahaha! Perfect response from the hubster!
Thanks, Elaine. I couldn’t be more thrilled with my new home.
Moving is the pits. I loved this post. I hope you can quickly get settled in and that Poe and his murder followed you there!
My daughter has just started writing, and your breakdown is perfect for her to study.