Working the Theory

Genre is the promise you make to your reader to give them the kind of story they want without annoying them by giving them information they don’t want.

So what happens when your premise, that brilliant story seed that came to you in a dream or while pacing your kitchen at 3:00 a.m. on a sleepless night, doesn’t fit neatly into one of those broad categories? What if the term genre makes you feel slightly nauseated or makes you fear you’ll have to kill too many darlings?

Let’s say you have an idea for a story involving a meteor streaking toward earth, a conflicted scientist, his crumbling marriage, and coworkers who make his life miserable. How do you decide what to do with it? There are hundreds of variations on the same premise. You develop the idea by choosing a story skeleton and dressing it up to suit your taste. Let’s start with choosing a story skeleton based on the central question. Every plot hinges on a central question. Posing the question at the beginning of the tale and answering it at the end is sound story architecture.

Let’s play with skeleton selection with a few broad options. We start with a story idea about protagonist Dick, love interest Sally, bossy Jane, jealous Ted, and a meteor streaking toward earth.

OPTION ONE: We can dress up the Literary skeleton and explore the theme that relationships are vulnerable to unexpected blows. The impending meteor strike could be real or imagined, past or present. The tension it creates, or the mystery that surrounds it, tests the bonds of the people involved. Threatening situations can bring out the best or worst in people. The central question becomes: What life altering decision will Dick make and how will it affect his life? He can decide to walk away from his chosen career, stay or leave an unsatisfying relationship, or come to terms with the fact that you can’t save everyone, especially from themselves.

OPTION TWO: We can take it on a Road Trip. Dick, Sally, Jane, and Ted travel to the crash site. What they find when they get there isn’t the main concern. It is what they learn along the way. The central question is: What is he feeling and how does it change? Dick can gain an important insight about himself, clear up a misunderstanding from the past. He can find out Sally is having an affair with Ted and Jane has always been in love with him. External obstacles make the destination difficult to reach and interpersonal squabbles bring the conflict to a head, but the internal journey is the focus. The Road Trip could be a slow psychological dissection or a hilarious Comedy.

OPTION THREE: We can wrangle it into a Western. Dick is the Sheriff. Ted owns the ranch where the meteor landed. Jane is the saloon girl who secretly pines for Dick while fighting off unwelcome advances from Ted. Sally is the new widow in town that Dick falls for. The Indians see the meteor as a sign that the white man must leave town or their world will be destroyed. The overall story question becomes: Will they overcome the challenges and stay or will they go?

OPTION FOUR: We can warp it into a Science Fiction future where the meteor is being controlled by savage Carpathians. Dick is the ship’s captain. Ted is his argumentative first officer. Jane is his communications director and is having an affair with Ted. Jane wants Ted to take the Captain’s seat so she can become first officer. Sally is the security chief and half Carpathian. Dick is intent on finding a way to turn the meteor against the Carpathians while Sally lobbies for a peaceful resolution. After all, not all Carpathians are evil. Ted and Jane realize at the last minute that if Dick fails, they all die along with promotional possibilities.  Sally forges a peace treaty while Ted and Jane live to plot another day and Dick is once again the hero in the eyes of the federation.

Which category do you want to explore with your premise? You may not be certain yet. There are subcategories to consider. You can mix genres. You can bend and twist genres. But at some point, you have to pick a main through line that gives a story direction and momentum.

You can have a historical thriller with romantic complications. If it is heavy on romance with the thriller threat as a complication, you market it as romance. If you follow the thriller skeleton, the romance complicates the threat they overcome at the end. The way you layer the genres affects the skeleton dressing, but the central question drives the marketing. 

Next week we look at the different layers of conflict that play a part in your decision making. Who is your hero and what complicates his mission? Who is your antagonist? Who are the friends and foes? Is there a love interest?

Next week, we look closer at the external conflict layer.

The four layer method is laid out in Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict, available in paperback and e-book if you wish to have a copy with all of the information. The theory information is also available on https://dianahurwitz.com/.

As always, if you find the information useful, please like and share.

 

The Four Layers of Conflict

"Every scene should contain conflict."

This advice led me on a journey to answer the question, “How do you come up with conflict for every scene?” 

I developed the four layer method when crafting my YA series Mythikas Island. There were four books. Each character (Diana, Athena, Persephone, and Aphrodite) had their own story arc and acted as the point of view character in their installment of the four book journey. However, there was no one "bad guy" in the book. So how could I make the story tense without a villain or major battle scenes between good and evil?

As I read and studied, I realized there was another way of looking at conflict in a story. There were different types of conflict in the books, movies, and TV shows I dissected. Many did not have a central villain.

The result is the Four Layer of Conflict method which takes writers from “I have an idea” to the actual nuts and bolts of “I have the required scenes and all pull their weight.” This method can help new writers complete their first novel and offers experienced writers another way of looking at structure.

The first layer is the External conflict layer which focuses on the central conflict of the story. There are times when the characters make progress toward the goal and times when they fail and have to regroup. These are the big battle scenes or the high tension emotional tipping points. They include the inciting event that starts the story ball rolling and all the key scenes that encompass the twists and turning points and the climactic moment.

The Antagonist layer involves scenes where the antagonist and his minions are enacting or plotting their side of the battle or the protagonist and antagonist are in direct conflict. It can be antagonist forces such as weather, terrain, organizations, etc. Whatever, or whoever, is the main source of resistance that stands in the protagonist's way. The POV used depends on the focus of the scene. If you follow only the protagonist, then this is their encounter with minions or friction with the antagonist leading to the main turning points. If you follow the antagonist or other characters, these scenes can follow the antagonist working their plan or interacting with other characters.

The Interpersonal layer involves the friends and foes, perhaps the love interest if it isn't a Romance. These cast members aid and abet or derail the protagonist's efforts to reach the overall problem goal. Sometimes secondary characters have their own arc. This layer follows their detours which will require extra interpersonal scenes.

The Internal layer follows the inner conflict of the protagonist. They often have internal resistance to taking on the challenge. It follows the hero wrestling with his conscience. He may not feel worthy or strong enough. Sometimes their personal life interferes with the challenge, an illness or addiction that makes winning seem unlikely. It is sometimes divided loyalties or a problematic relationship. This is the protagonist's personal crisis moment. Do they have what it takes? Should they quit? Should they leave it alone and take care of other problems? Not all stories have an internal layer. This is often left out of Horror stories. I think it is stronger if present.

If you interweave multiple story threads, each may have its own four layers. Perhaps it is a past versus present story or multiple characters that come together at the end. There are many ways to utilize the building blocks. Later we will look at how they play out in each genre.

Next, we look at how the layers can be utilized to develop a story.

The four layer method is laid out in Story Building Blocks: The Four Layers of Conflict, available in paperback and e-book if you wish to have a copy with all of the information. The theory information is also available on http://dianahurwitz.com.

As always, if you find the information useful, please like and share. 

 

What Is The Central Question Of Your Story?

Every plot hinges on a central question. Posing the question at the beginning of the tale and answering it at the end is sound story architecture. Does that task make your head spin? It shouldn’t. It’s as easy as choosing a story skeleton. Let's look at the fourteen genre's I present in Story Building Blocks.

The Comedy skeleton poses the central question: What do I think and how has this changed it?  

The goal is to make your reader laugh while subtly exploring ideas such as ethnicity, relationships, prejudices, social practices, politics, religion, or manners. Any genre can be written with a comic flair. But a true comedy often uses humor to talk about difficult things or express uncomfortable truths.

The Con, Heist & Prison Break poses the central question: Will they succeed? 

There is often an assembly of a team, but the protagonist has a goal that he considers noble. He can be exacting revenge or payback, seeking justice, righting a wrong, etc.

The Fantasy skeleton poses the central question: Will the hero obtain or learn to use the power to defeat the evil that has disrupted his world in time?

The force is usually with the hero. The wicked witch gets her just due. Lord Voldemort is defeated. If you plan a sequel, the villain can live to fight the hero another day, but the story must show a resolution to a skirmish in the battle. There are many subgenres of fantasy and each puts a twist on the overall story problem. There is often a romantic layer. But the difference here is the overall story is about the conflicts not whether the couple ends up together.

The Gothic story is related the Horror story, but it has specific elements that make it stand out. 

The overall story problem is a deep, dark secret threatening to break free. The reader asks will they realize the danger in time and will they escape?

The Historical story explores events set in the past. The reader asks: what was it like and how did it change things?

It can involve historical characters in an historical situation, historical characters in fictional situations, or fictional characters in historical situations. There can be elements of Romance, Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction, and Fantasy, but the overall story problem focuses on the historical situation more so that the other genre elements. Otherwise, it is another genre story with a historical setting.

The Horror story involves a mortal threat to an individual or group. The reader asks what brought the danger near and how will they get away from it?

The horror story takes suspense to a higher, usually more explicit, level and generally contains more graphic material than the Thriller. No story makes your skin crawl more than the horror story. The answer can go either way as long as you reveal the reason why. Some horror stories ignore the first half of the question, but fans consider that a weak story. The mythology has to make sense. Fans usually want the main character to live to be frightened another day, even if every other character is knocked off by the tale's end.

The Literary story is usually a wrenching, life-altering, personal decision or life event. The reader asks:  what are they feeling and how will it change?

I use the term literary to cover the human drama genre, it is not a statement as to what constitutes "literature" with a capital L. Theme is key.  Literary can have a specific plot or be a slice of life vignette. Literary fiction does not always follow the traditional story arc,  but the protagonist must undergo a point of change no matter how minimal. The Literary story can be mixed with elements of any genre.

The Mystery skeleton poses the central question: Who did it and will they catch him? Sometimes it is a "howdunnit."

The answer is usually “yes.” The criminal may escape at the last moment to torment the detective another day, but the case that is the focus of the story is considered solved. Twists where someone other than the detective solves the crime or there wasn’t a crime after all should be rerouted to the Thriller section.

The Road Trip  overall story problem is a lesson that needs to be learned or a secret that needs to be revealed. The reader asks: how did this journey change them?

It can be mixed with any other genre with the caveat that two or more people (or a person and animal) are forced into traveling together. They can be trying to reach somewhere or running from something. It isn’t the end of the journey that matters as much as the friction between the characters and the obstacles or stops they overcome along the way. 

The Romance skeleton poses the central question: Will they or won’t they end up together?

The answer had better be “yes” or a satisfying equivalent. The girl can find out guy A isn’t what she wanted after all because she found guy B, but this is not the genre for an “I’m okay on my own” ending. That story uses the Literary or Women's Fiction skeleton. Romance readers want passion and fulfillment and are very disappointed if they don’t get it.

The Science Fiction skeleton poses the central question: Will the hero find, change, or stop something in time?

Most fans prefer an "up" ending. They want to believe that we can overcome the challenges to our existence, especially if you plan a sequel. There can be a romance layer here. Science Fiction needs to be rooted in science, nature, and physics. This sets SciFi apart from Fantasy where magic and paranormal events are possible.

The Team Victory story problem is an underdog who needs to win or achieve something. The reader asks will they win? 

Usually they do. If not, they should still feel really good about it: almost was good enough.  Usually the other coach or team needs to be taught a lesson. These are mostly action and plot-centered tales that make people feel good.

The Thriller & Suspense story problem is a threat to one or many. The reader asks: how will they, and by proxy we, survive the threat? 

For an "up" ending, the hero succeeds. If you want a "down" ending, the hero can fail and learn an ugly truth. It can have an up/down ending. Twists often provide an unexpected answer in this genre.

The Western story problem pits man against self, other men, or nature to survive in an unsettled land. The reader asks how will they overcome the difficulty and will they stay or go?

The conflicts weigh the morality and challenges of survival. Part history and part myth, they explore the people who are courageous enough to explore new frontiers and the obstacles they must overcome to do so.

Once you've chosen a skeleton, the challenge is providing riveting obstacles between question and answer to keep the reader glued to the page. The reader knows from the outset that the hero will most likely survive. Your mission is to make them question the outcome anyway. You do that by exploring believable obstacles.

Next week, we will take a look at the four layers of conflict that are the building blocks you can utilize to tell any tale. They help you fill up the murky middles and act as goal posts to keep the story flowing. They offer a lot of latitude for story development as opposed to the two twists and a finale formula.

If you want to learn more, you can check out Story Building Blocks at www.dianahurwitz.com for free information and forms. 

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You can check out the Master List of blog posts at  http://dianahurwitz.blogspot.com/2021/10/master-list-of-mini-courses.html

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