Writing Advice

One thing worrying over the fate of the nation left was unread email newsletters on writing. Catching up, but not got a good grip on my time, yet. Therefore, I leave you without comments, only quotes. I hope these will lead you to the original articles for further information.

From K.M. Weiland's Helping Writers Become Authors:

 The Third Plot Point (Secrets of Story Structure, Pt. 10 of 12)

The Third Act begins with another life-changing plot point. More than any preceding it, this plot point sets the protagonist’s feet on the path toward the final conflict in the Climax. From here, your clattering dominoes form a straight line as your protagonist hurtles toward an inevitable confrontation with the antagonistic force. Because the entire Third Act is full of big and important scenes, this opening plot point, by comparison, can sometimes seem less defined than the First Plot Point and the Midpoint. However, its thrust must be just as adamant.

The Third Plot Point represents a Low Moment for your characters. The thing they want most in the world will be almost within grasp—only to be dashed away—causing them to question their investment in the conflict. The subsequent Climax will be the period in which the characters rise from the ashes, ready to do battle from a place of inner wholeness. The Third Plot Point is the place from which they must rise.

The 3 (Structurally) Most Important Characters 

Within story, all that defines the “protagonist” is that this is the person creating the forward momentum in the plot. They do that by wanting something. They have a desire, which will translate into the story goals that move them forward. In some stories, the desire may be that they want to move away from something else, but it could also be that they have something specifically in mind they’re moving toward.

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However, within storyform, functionally speaking, the antagonist is simply whatever or whoever is creating the obstacles between the protagonist and their momentum.

I often to use the term “antagonistic force” rather than “antagonist” because this also reminds us that the antagonist doesn’t have to be human. It doesn’t have to be a specific character within the story. Usually, the antagonist will be human and will be at the very least be represented at certain points throughout the story by proxy characters, which we’ll talk about in just a second. However, fundamentally, the antagonistic force is nothing more or less than whatever is creating the opposition through which the protagonist has to move. 

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However, the relationship character doesn’t have to be a love interest. This character simply represents a relationship that is important to the protagonist and is creating motivation for what they’re doing. This relationship character shines a light on the “why” of the protagonist’s motivation. The antagonistic force shines a light on all of the things the protagonist hasn’t dealt with or hasn’t figured out yet as a way to be able to move forward toward the end goal, whereas the relationship character is shows the broader context of why the protagonist is doing this—what they’re trying to build, why they’re trying to expand.

Antagonist vs. Villain: What’s the Difference? 

However, because “villain” has no specific correlation to the antagonistic force, it’s equally possible to see a villainous character who is not the antagonist—functioning either as the protagonist (e.g., Alex DeLarge in Clockwork Orange) or as a supporting character who is not opposing the protagonist’s forward momentum (e.g., Mr. Wickham in Pride & Prejudice).

Amy Shearn's The Forever Workshop had What Is the Voice of Your Novel?

Style is achieved through a combination of word choice, syntax, punctuation, rhythm, and POV (which we’ll talk more about in lesson six!), and tone. Tone can be a tricky thing to wrap one’s mind around. I like the multi-layered definition Matthew Salesses gives in Craft in the Real World: “an orientation toward the world…the distance between the narrator and the character…the distance between our world and the world of the story.” 

But voice? I think the easiest way to think about voice is: how the novel sounds. And/or: the novel’s personality. This is a combination of your particular voice, and the tone and style you choose for your novel. What agents, editors, and readers are often looking for when they pick up a new book is a unique, exciting, or unforgettable voice. 

sch 11/18