Since I started this blog I have often visited the subject of story structure. It's one of those subjects that excites me. Some writers will throw their hands in the air in horror at the idea of structure. Story is emotion and there is no unique formula that will emote a feeling in reader. It …
Tag: storytelling
Taking inspiration from the movies
As a writer and story-teller I have often taken inspiration from the movies. When I write I create a movie in my head and write what I see and experience. I'm not sure all writers necessarily think the same way. To me the words on the page are just a medium by which I can …
Beginnings and Endings
One of the first books I ever read on the art of writing emphasised the need for a good opening line, opening paragraph and at least ten opening pages to catch the reader's attention. It's advice I find difficult to disagree with. Writers need to arouse their readers' curiosity. Here are some of the best …
Simple story patterns
In my blog over the years, I have written a lot about story structure. Story structure is all about the foundations of a story. From childhood we are introduced to stories and quickly understand their patterns. Once-upon-a-time… and they all lived happily every after. Remember this one: Jack takes his family cow to sell, but …
Eliminating the saggy middle
Choosing a topic for this month's blog was a difficult choice. During the month I finally managed to see the Star Wars The Rise of Skywalker and commenting on the unbelievable bizarre ending could easily fill at least one blog post on story design. But I don't like to give negative reviews and there are …
Finding a story from chaos
One of the tasks I have been putting off for some time is a limited re-edit of my debut novel, Collision. After its release in 2012, I noticed some irritating typos had crept into the final proof. Well, as you can see it's taken me quite some time to get around to doing it. But …
Daydeam Believer
Not many people are old enough to remember Daydream Believer. It was a single released by the Monkees in 1968 with lead singer Davy Jones and headed the US charts for four weeks. It's a catchy tune, with cryptic lyrics about a daydream believer and his homecoming queen. But I can still remember the chorus. …
Heroes and Villains
After the Christmas break, it's been difficult for me to get back into a writing routine again. Not that I ever switch off completely from the writing process -- I'm always thinking about my current novel and where the story is heading. And that's just as important as time spent at the keyboard. But one the …
Story, Plot, Arc and Theme — how they work together
Any new writer might well be confused by some of the terms used in writing such as story, plot, arc and theme. Aren't they interchangeable terms? It's easy to see why the terms might be confused. The first person to distinguish story from plot was E. M. Forster in Aspects of the Novel (1927). Forster wrote …
Continue reading Story, Plot, Arc and Theme — how they work together
Character Arc
As a writer, if you want to study story telling there is no better source than world of screenwriting where Hollywood has turned the art of story telling into a science. Of course, writing a novel and writing a screenplay are very different mediums: movies are visual and novels are written. But they both share …
JMJ Williamson 