Truth Is the Arrow, Mercy Is the Bow: A DIY Manual for the Construction of Stories

As E. M. Forster reminds us, in Aspects of the Novel, certain characters are intentionally one-dimensional. Still others serve a functional role in our stories. But the characters we are meant to care about must be round: complex, contradictory, capable of evolving, and thus surprising the reader in a convincing way. This standard applies not just

Plot shouldn’t just spur external action. It should expose the internal conflicts that plague your characters.

Plot, in other words, resides in establishing a clear chain of consequence. Not this happens and this happens and this happens. But: this happens, therefore that happens. And because that happened, this next thing happens. My scenes needed to expose hidden truths (Recognition), upend expectations (Reversal), escalate tension, and instigate further

you’re confused about which scenes belong in your story, start by asking the elemental question: What work is this scene doing? Is there Recognition? Is there Reversal? Are you introducing or escalating conflict? Instigating subsequent action? That

We should approach our characters with a passionate curiosity, asking not just What would they do in this situation? But Why are they behaving in this way?

the people I’m reading about (I don’t really think of them as characters) are behaving precisely as their motives dictate. Even the ones who act cruel and destructive have constructed a worldview in which their actions are justified, even heroic. The author’s job isn’t to absolve any of her major characters, but to reveal them in sufficient depth t

HOW TO MANAGE CHRONOLOGY

MEET YOUR GREATEST GIFT TO READERS, THE NARRATOR

This may be the most lucrative question we can ask when it comes to our characters: Where are they in conflict with themselves? More precisely: What are the dangers bound to their desires? Once you’ve figured that out, you have the link that connects character to plot.