Scene & Structure: Recent Episodes
Words to Write by Podcast
Think ChatGPT can finish your creative writing exercises? Let’s find out! In this episode we’re testing the cutting-edge artificial intelligence on some old school writing prompts. We dug out our copies of John Gardner’s The Art of Fiction and typed in two of the back-of-the-book exercises. Faster than you could say “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic” out came … words. Listen to us workshop those word: the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Then, having proved we’re still at bit away from having an AI write our novels, we returned to Scene and Structure and our own literary self-improvement. In the final chapters of the Jack Bickham’s book, we learn the secrets to ending chapters and take a dive deep into how a full novel is structured (especially that boggy middle).
The post ChatGPT, Write me my Novel first appeared on Words to Write by Podcast.
We’re on our penultimate episode for our reading of Jack Bickham’s Scene & Structure. So, what does the bullet point Meister have to squeeze into an end of a book that 90% of its readers will probably never get to?
Well, first we give ourselves a little pep talk and then we see if we can make sense of all of these specialized scene situations. And, dear listener, there are a lot of them: interrupted scenes and sequels, non-viewpoint character scenes, flashback scenes, scenes with all-dialog, or all-action or unseen opponents or multiple agendas.
After all that high level specialization, we stepped back and take stock of the eminently practical lessons that we’ve learned from reading Bickham. Also in this episode we interview authors Val Neil, Lee Clark, and Nick Chiarkas about how they keep their readers engaged in their novels.
The post Bend It Like Bickham (the scene, that is) first appeared on Words to Write by Podcast.
Every composition teacher will draw out a rising action graph on the board (yes, we’re old school). But how do you translate that diagram into the sentences and paragraphs that keep your readers engaged in your story?
In his book, Scene and Structure, Jack Bickham says to do it through structure (because of course he does), and gives seven different plot structures. Yes, dear listeners, we’re going through all of them, and, unlike Bickham, we give examples. Next we try to make sense of what is “backstory” and “hidden story” in a novel (or movie). And what about subplots? Everyone loves a good subplot, and we go over some tips on how to make them work in your novel.
But first up in the podcast, video game narratives! Find out what goes into the game that keeps you glued to the screen. We interview three professionals in the gaming industry on their approach to pacing.
The post Dramatic Principals & Devices FTW first appeared on Words to Write by Podcast.
Chapter 10 – Scene & Structure Subscribe to our Newsletter Today we tackle Jack Bickham’s Common Scene Errors, and boy, are there a lot of them, 14 to be precise. According to Scene and Sequel, these simple problems will derail your scenes, rob them of their impact and drag down your novel. We go through...
The post Common Scene Errors first appeared on Words to Write by Podcast.
In this episode, Kim interviews award winning science fiction author, Charlie Jane Anders about her recently published craft book, Never Say You Can’t Survive!
After the interview, we take a break from our usual craft book analysis and writing exercise because…Kim and Renee went on a writing retreat! We abandoned our spouses, kids, and cats for five days to hole up in a secluded Airbnb. We discuss our expectations, preparations and what we managed to accomplish on our little adventure. Besides the entertainment value, we’re hoping our experiences will be useful and inspirational for when you plan your own get-this-damn-novel-written escape.
The post The One Where We Go on a Writing Retreat first appeared on Words to Write by Podcast.
After 70 pages of Jack Bickham’s Scene and Structure we feel we’ve got a pretty good handle on how to break our stories down into action-packed, disaster-ending scenes and the more contemplative internal sequels that hold the book together. What we’ve had a harder time with is finding these scene-sequel sequences in the books we own.
So, what gives Bickham?
Apparently, there are multiple variations – in chapter nine, Bickham gives us ten options -- to make one’s scene and sequel not so obvious. In this episode, we’ll go depth on two of these techniques: the scene-within-a-scene and imbedding a flashback within a sequel (which Renee then applies to section in her memoir.)
The post Getting Wild with Scene and Sequels first appeared on Words to Write by Podcast.
Chapter 8 – Scene & Structure Subscribe to our Newsletter How do you take a ponderous story into a page turner? How do you take a Michael Bay paced novel and make it about more than one disaster after the next? In this episode, we explain Jack Bickham’s techniques to speed up or slow down...
When you’re bored with action-packed scenes and want to dive deep into the mind of your protagonist, maybe you should try a Sequel. In today’s episode we explore Bickham’s idea of sequel, its parts, and how it glues the scenes together. But we don’t just take Scene & Structure’s word for it, we go looking...
After last episode’s deep dive into scene structure, we thought we’d ask a few published novelists and professional editors if they use scene goals in their writing/editing.
Then, for our podcast proper, we move beyond the scene basics into more advance concerns, like does that disaster you carefully crafted have the proper scope, immediacy, finality, and does it steer your story in the right direction. But we still need to get that pig back home, and in Chapter 6, Bickham points out (with not one, but two numbered lists) other things that can go wrong with scenes, including not having enough “going wrong.”
Chapter 4 – Scene & Structure If stories are made up of scenes, what are scenes made up of? According to Jack Bickham in his book, Scene & Structure, scenes start with a character’s stated goal and rumble through an evolving conflict until they reach … a disaster. In this episode, we examine each of these...
Chapter 3 - Scene & Structure This episode is all about cause and effect, what it is, why it is critical in fiction despite being largely absent in real life, and how it works line by line as stimulus and response. In chapter 3 of his book Scene & Structure, Jack Bickham has some hard rules about applying and ordering stimulus, internalization, and response. We examine our own writing to see if it follows the proscribed format.
And, as a bonus, we start the episode off with interviews we did at the San Francisco Writers Conference that we're calling "Confessions of Craft Book Addicts."
The Writing Exercise Revise a scene (either an exchange between two characters or an action scene) to include stimulus and response. Label the stimulus, response, background, and internalization.
Cause & Effect (or, you don't need a science degree to write fiction) In this chapter, Bikham introduces the physics of story: the cause and effect. Cause is striking the match, effect is the fire. Used properly, they create a believable set of events for the reader.
Guess what definitions are going on this week's test?
Effects: plot developments (ie: stuff that happens in your story).
Causes: background (ie: what sets the effects in motion).
By revealing reasons for your character's reactions to story elements and maintaining the cause and effect order, your story becomes a believable set of events and not just a series of unrelated things that happen.
Real Life vs Fiction (or, why Renee's out of vodka) For readers, causes and in turn effects help the events of the story make sense (indeed, if Renee had a dollar for every student whose told her "I know it doesn't make sense but that's how it really happened!" she could finally afford her college's health care insurance). But in a story, events need causes and characters need reasons for acting the way they do in response.
I suspect that when you write a story that makes sense through use of cause and effect, you are also implying, somehow, that life is worth living.
-Jack Bikham
In other words, the story gods are merciful; events in a story happen for a reason. Isn't that nice.
Stimulus & Response (or, Pavlov FTW)
Bikham makes a distinction between cause and effect and stimulus and response, which is "cause and effect made more specific" (Bikham).
Yes, dear writer, even readers need treats.
Stimulus: Event, dialogue, or action that sets the character in motion. Note - this is external.
Response: the character's reaction to the stimulus.
On this week's episode, Kim illustrates stimulus and response with Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy, a ridiculous romp through space, as an example. Even though the main character survives the demolition of earth and the second worst poetry in the galaxy, all in a bath towel, Adams' still maintains the "gravity" of events through stimulus and response.
“There is a theory which states that if ever anyone discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.”
Douglas Adams Author of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Internalization & Background (or, why Walking Dead sucks now) Background: an explanation of a stimulus or response so it makes sense why it happened.
Internalization: the thoughts and feelings of a character before they respond to the stimulus, which explains the response they're going to have.
In other words, sometimes apocalypses won't make sense without the zombies. Sometimes readers needs to know why some characters know to shoot 'em in the head (and why some people hate directors who kill off characters for NO REASON). RIP TV Show Carl.
Micro-cosom in Action: Jack London's Call of the Wild Renee diagrammed a scene from Call of the Wild to illustrate how cause and effect works in a story in terms of stimulus, response, internalization, and background.
But Spitz, cold and calculating even in his supreme moods (background for later stimulus), left the pack and cut across a narrow neck of land where the creek made a long bend around (stimulus). Buck did not know of this (background for later response), and as he rounded the bend, the frost wraith of a rabbit still flitting before him, he saw another and larger frost wraith leap from the overhanging bank into the immediate path of the rabbit (stimulus). It was Spitz. Buck did not cry out (response). He did not check himself, but drove in upon Spitz, shoulder to shoulder (more response), so hard that he missed the throat (background/justification). They rolled over and over in the powdery snow (stimulus).
Continuing the Conversation: Experimental Novel Forms
Although cause and effect are basic structures of scene and story, how an author tackles the physics of a story can be experimental and radical in scope. The first experimental novel, according to scholars, was Laurence Sterne's The Life and Opinions of Tristam Shandy (1759). Inspired by the metaphysical poets and John Locke's essays, Sterne turned narrative on its head with graphics (a full black page to show mourning for the death of a character) and extensive backgrounds and internalizations (readers don't even learn the main character's backstory until the third volume). The story spans nine volumes.
In 1910 - 1920, the beginning of the Modernist movement, experimental forms flourished. During this period, we get James Joyce's Ulysses, Gertrude Stein's Tender Buttons, and T.S. Eliot's prose and poetry. Just like in Absurdist plays, novelists from other literary movements, such as Dadaist and Surrealist, pushed the novels narrative's boundary. One such author, F.T. Marinetti, wrote a novel as a "sound poem" called Zang Tumb Tumb.
In the twenty first century, new forms, such as electronic literature, have emerged, namely Patricia Lockwood's novel, No One is Talking About This. Composed entirely on an iPhone, the novel utilizes hypertext and code.
A Tribute: Douglass Adams
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001) was a British science fiction author, essayist, and radio drama producer. His most famous work, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (also a favorite of Kim and Renee), started as a BBC radio comedy but was later developed into a "trilogy" of six books. Famous for his humor and wit, he even wrote a sketch for Monty Python's Flying Circus and three episodes of Doctor Who. A champion of the environment, he once hiked Mt Kilimanjaro in a rhino suit for charity. Richard Dawkins dedicated The God Delusion to Adams, who once proclaimed himself a "radical atheist" because he "really meant it."
Chapter 1 & 2: Scene & Structure
In this podcast we give our first impressions of our new book, Jack Bickham's Scene and Structure, and, being the enthusiastic students that we are, we begin by identifying his central thesis. Then it's on to Chapter 2, in which we answer some novice novelist questions and discuss Bickham's approach to a story's first page. To further our understanding, Kim "Bickhamizes" the beginning of her new fantasy novel.
As a bonus, Renee has a special message for any former Borders employees who worked the late-night Harry Potter release parties back in the 90's.
The Writing Activity Rewrite your novel's introduction so that your story starts at the time of the change that threatens your major character's self concept.
General Impressions Unlike a lot of craft books dispensing general, vague, and even cliche-ic advice concerning the writing process (have you tried Morning Pages? How about meditation? Um....), Bikham adopts a more deductive path teaching style. You won't find stream of consciousness freewrites and pithy feel-good quotes from authors you've never read; you will, however, find a formidable stratagem for your unstructured mess of a draft you've created.
Get lost, Nanowrimo! Bikham's got appendices and line by line analysis of published work and he's not afraid to use 'em!
Chapter One: The Structure of Modern Fiction Structure as Process, Not Formula We've all been warned about formulas and the hack writing that comes with it as a result; however, Bikham argues structure and form aren't rigid templates that turn writers into hacks or robots or robot-hacks.
According to Bikham:
A thorough understanding and uses of fiction's classic structural patterns frees the writer from having to worry about the wrong things, and allows her to concentrate her imagination on characters and events.
In other words, a clear understanding of the foundation (Structure) and shape (Form) fiction takes will give you the freedom to tell the story you want to tell, to experiment and discover your characters and their journey's. You'll be free--like a naked streaker through the UCSC campus celebrating the first rain--unburdened by both one's parents and pesky marijuana laws.
Structure Vs. Form: What's the Dif? Structure is the pattern, the base of a story's elements. Form is shape, the style of the story. Bikham uses an apt analogy to discern the two. He likens it to building a house. All houses have the same structure, but there are different styles (ie: forms) of houses. No matter the type of house, they all have beams, doors, windows, and a roof. (include a series of different looking houses).
Chapter Two: Strategy: How to Start your Story and How to End It 5 Novice Novelist Questions (say that 5 times fast...) Bikham says novice novelists are "plagued" by the following questions:
- How long should my novel be?
- Where should I start my story?
- How and When should I end my story?
- Do I need a lot of subplots?
- Does it have to have a happy ending?
I Y'am What I Y'am: The Self Concept 💪 Bikham believes the answer to a Novice Novelist's questions lies in the protagonist's Self Concept. For a strong beginning, Bikham argues an author must reveal a protagonist's Self Concept to the reader and then threatening it with Change, or an external force as soon as possible.
So what is the Self Concept? It's how the character sees themselves. Their identity. The sense of who/what they are. And it provides the groundwork for the plot of your novel and the construct for both your novel's gripping start and satisfying end.
For example, we all know Renee is a crazy cat lady (Self Concept). She has five dresses covered in both cat patterns and cat hair (it's true, just ask her students) and her husband has threatened divorce if she tries to own more cats than she can hold. Despite the risks, she strategically goes to the PetSmart on cat adoption days. She is certain--completely and utterly--she will never own a dog.
But then...one day...
The Threat/External Factor (ie: The Threatening Change) ...A stray dog saves her derpy cat Ezra from getting run over by a car (Change/External Factor Threatening Self Concept). What if, while she's googling the number for animal control, Ezra and the dog become fast friends, taking turns bathing one another in a cute montage complete with a soundtrack by Sarah Mclachlan? Then her husband comes home, takes the dog out back to play catch, and names him Max Jr. Is there room in Renee's identity for (gulp) a dog after all? Can she? Will she allow the dog to become part of the family?
No. The answer is no. Absolutely not. And this, according to Abby, Ezra's sister, is what makes this a happy ending.
The End.
Start as Close as you Can to the Action Bikham says the trick is to grip the reader by creating a sense of immediate urgency in the first few paragraphs of the novel. He argues that "readers are fascinated and threatened by change in their real lives, and nothing else fascinates or threatens them so much in fiction." So, set up both the Self-Concept and the External Factor and go about waving it around menacingly in a dark alleyway with a knife in the very beginning of the novel.
Note how Bikham does not mention Plato's sage advice to start In Mideas Res: In the middle of things. We're often told to start our stories in the middle of something exciting, or at least in the middle of some kind of action appropriate to the story. But Bikham takes this advice a bit further, defining the kind of action one should start with: impending change. Show the character's life is about to change and voila! Insta-Beginning-of-Novel.
Continuing the Discussion: History of The Novel (and its Structure)
The 18th C. Novel: Epistelary Structure
The form of the novel has definitely evolved since it appeared in the 18th C. Although some debate exists as to who wrote the "first novel," most scholars point to Samuel Richardson's Pamela; or A Virtue Rewarded. Written in 1740, Richardson wrote in epistolary form, a style other Novelists of the time adopted in an attempt to lend "truthiness" to the story. Before the Novel, if one wanted a long written story, they entertained themselves with Epic Poetry. Otherwise, booklength prose was limited to non-fiction, such historical or opinion pieces. So, to ease readers into the new form, early novelists included Prologues claiming the work was non-fiction (wink/wink) and maybe even a short paragraph or two written by the protagonist, stating the text was not a work of fiction.
In a SERIES of Familiar Letters from a Beautiful Young Damsel, To her PARENTS. Now first Published In order to cultivate the Principles of Virtue and Religion in the Minds of the Youth of Both Sexes. A Narrative which has its Foundation in TRUTH and NATURE.
Samuel Richardson, Pamela
Early 18th C. Diary Structure
In keeping with the "truthy" style of fiction, some authors wrote from the point of view of the protagonist writing journal entries or a diary as a written account after the plot events had taken place. Robinson Crusoe (1719) by Daniel Defoe:
We were not much more than a quarter of an hour out of our ship till we saw her sink, and then I understood for the first time what was meant by a ship foundering in the sea. I must acknowledge I had hardly eyes to look up when the seamen told me she was sinking; for from the moment that they rather put me into the boat than that I might be said to go in, my heart was, as it were, dead within me, partly with fright, partly with horror of mind, and the thoughts of what was yet before me.
Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe
19th C. 3rd Person Omniscient with Immediacy in Time
Then, a shift occurred in both style and point of view. Authors shed the limitations of diary entries and letters and allowed the the plot events to unfold in real time (as in the events happen as one reads) and told in third person omniscient--the god-like narrator knows all. Although a Christmas Carol (1843) does technically start in the first person, Dickens adopts the third person point of view throughout most of the text:
They went, the Ghost and Scrooge, across the hall, to a door at the back of the house. It opened before them, and disclosed a long, bare, melancholy room, made barer still by lines of plain deal forms and desks. At one of these a lonely boy was reading near a feeble fire; and Scrooge sat down upon a form, and wept to see his poor forgotten self as he used to be.
Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol
20th C. 3rd Person Limited
Maintaining the flow of immediate narrative time, authors then closed the narrative distance and adopted the third person limited. At this point, the Novel now resembles the most popular form in the Contemporary Novel. Here's an example from The Call of the Wild (1903) by Jack London. Not only did he tell the story from a limited point of view, but limited it to Buck's (a dog's) perspective:
In a flash Buck knew it. The time had come. It was to the death. As they circled about, snarling, ears laid back, keenly watchful for the advantage, the scene came to Buck with a sense of familiarity. He seemed to remember it all,—the white woods, and earth, and moonlight, and the thrill of battle. Over the whiteness and silence brooded a ghostly calm. There was not the faintest whisper of air—nothing moved, not a leaf quivered, the visible breaths of the dogs rising slowly and lingering in the frosty air. They had made short work of the snowshoe rabbit, these dogs that were ill-tamed wolves; and they were now drawn up in an expectant circle. They, too, were silent, their eyes only gleaming and their breaths drifting slowly upward. To Buck it was nothing new or strange, this scene of old time. It was as though it had always been, the wonted way of things.
Jack London, Call of the Wild
A Tribute to Audre Lorde
You won't find Audre Lorde mentioned in Scene & Structure. However, we at Words to Write by want to dedicate this episode Audre Lorde, a champion of civil rights, who fought for black folks, the LGBTQ community, and women in her poetry. Audre Lorde (1934 - 1992), born of West Indian immigrants, was a poet, spoken word artist, novelist and essayist whose work explores, among other things, otherness in identity, sexuality, and race; specifically, she deconstructed and challenged the rigid definition and distinction between the genders. She was a poet-in-residence at Taugaloo College, during which she founded Kitchen Table: Women of Color Press. One of her most famous, and aptly named essays was titled: “The Master’s Tools Will Not Dismantle the Master’s House.” In 1988, she won the National Book Award for her essay collection, A Burst of Light. She was the poet Laureate of New York (1991 - 1992).
In this episode we bid a fond farewell to Bradbury with one last conversation about his book, Zen in the Art of Writing. We discuss what's in the book, what it meant for us personally, and how readers can get the most out of this writing craft book. Lastly, we send off Bradbury with our favorite Zen quotes.
And then it's on to Jack Bickham's Scene and Structure. Renee gives a bit of context about the book and Kim interview Kristen Tate, an editor who reviewed the book on her website, The Blue Garett.
Special Guest: Kristin Tate To introduce our next book, Jack Bikham's Scene and Structure, we had the pleasure to interview Kristen Tate, writer, editor, writing coach and proprietor of The Blue Garret. Her book, All the Words: A Year of Reading About Writing, is a collection of reviews of and reflections on writing craft books (yes, she has even reviewed Scene and Structure).
Kristin Tate has a PhD in English from Columbia University, with a focus on novels and publishing history. Kristen is also the founder of the SF Bay Area chapter of the Editorial Freelancers Association. Zen in the Art of Writing: It's All About the Process Bradbury's craft book will not lay out a set of bullet points, if followed, will perfect your scenes, polish your prose, or even transform your Nanowrimo draft into a cohesive story with a beginning, middle, and end. This is not that book. Part inspirational pep talk, part origin stories to his famous works, this book shares Bradbury's methods to unlock one's subconscious in the creative writing process. He will inspire with his 'secrets to success,' which he shares freely and emphatically.
Quick & Dirty Guide to Zen The Best Chapters In Bradbury's craft book, not all chapters are created equal. Although we loved his emphatic encouragement ("Gusto!") and his method ("conjure the nouns!), the further along you read, the more diminishing the returns. Kim and Renee both agreed the preface, chapters one through five, then ten, i the dispensed the advice, while chapter seven and eight and nine weren't worth the time.
- Ch 1 & 2: The Joy of Writing; Run Fast, Stand Still
- Ch 3 & 4: How to Keep and Feed a Muse; Drunk, and in Charge of a Bicycle
- Ch 5: Investing Dimes: Fahrenheit 451
- Ch 10: Zen in the Art of Writing
Write Fast, but Read Slow Before embarking on the journey that is Zen in the Art of Writing, we suggest reading some of Bradbury's work, like the Illustrated Man, Martian Chronicles, Dandelion Wine or Fahrenheit 451. These essays include origin stories of his famous novels and short stories, as well as methods to dig imaginatively deep to dredge up some mind bending plots. He is considered one of the fathers of classic Science Fiction, after all. And it helps to know where his advice is coming from.
Even more importantly, we suggest reading the chapters in this craft book multiple times to get the most out of it. Bradbury is a wordsmith, a metaphor connoisseur, a self professed drunk man in charge of a bicycle. He imparts his wisdom conversationally yet poetically, so don't let this short book with big type fool you. His words will encourage and inspire, but his advice isn't bullet pointed. You will not find any charts or examples of scenes, no case studies of plots or dialogue.
Bradbury's Best Advice Kim was a fan of Mr. Electrico from chapter four, the carnie who gave eleven year old Bradbury a tour of the circus, which laid the foundation for Something Wicked This Way Comes. Mr. Electrico inspired Bradbury to seek an adult life beyond society's template, to stay true to his imagination and become a writer. Kim calls this the Mr. Electrico Moment, the person who kickstarted the writer on their path to the page.
For Renee, she thought the metaphor of the Menu on which the Muse feeds from chapter three described the process and importance of reading for a writer perfectly. Which just goes to show, you can take the girl out of the classroom but you can't take the educator out of the girl. Renee still feeds her muse on daily doses of short stories, poems, and non-fiction.
Favorite Quotes Kim's Favorite Quote:And work itself, after awhile, takes on a rhythm. The mechanical begins to fall away. The body begins to take over. The guard goes down. What happens then?
Relaxation.
-from "Zen in the Art of Writing"
Renee's Favorite Quote:In a lifetime, we stuff ourselves with sounds, sights, smells, tastes, and textures of people, animals, landscapes, events, large and small. We stuff ourselves with these impressions and experiences and our reaction to them. Into our subconscious go not only factual data but reactive data, our movement toward or away from the sensed events.
-from "How to Keep and Feed a Muse"
Jack M. Bikham's Scene & Structure Jack M. Bickman promises a game plan to transform your story into a commercially successful novel. In Scene & Structure, he focuses on crafting compelling scenes by using cause and effect to advance the plot and keep your readers turning the page. From our interview, Kristin Tate says "this book by Jack Bikham is one of those books that really gets down into the toolbox and goes into a lot of detail about how scenes work." Now who wouldn't want that?
A Tribute to Jack Bickham
Jack Bikham, author of Scene & Structure, was quite the powerhouse in the commercial fiction arena. Publishing seventy-five novels, of which The Apple Dumpling Gang and Baker's Hawk, were made into movies, Bikham juggled both a career as an author and an educator. He taught at the University of Oklahoma's Herbert School of Journalism and received the Arrell Gibson Lifetime Achievement Award. Some of his most noteable books include those from the Western Genre, such as Gunman's Gamble and The Hangman's Territory.