StoryGodmother Newsletter #21
Hello!
Hello! It’s been a while since I’ve sent out a newsletter – things have been very busy and exciting with lots of creating going on – working on my middle-grade novel and two short films simultaneously, so it’s been pretty full on. It has, however, been great to really immerse myself in storytelling and creativity.
As you (hopefully!) know, I’m passionate about helping writers develop their writing craft, so I’m currently working on some Story Godmother plans and resources to share my knowledge. With 17 years and over 30 books under my belt, there’s lots to cover but because I juggle many things, it takes me a while to get new things off the ground. But it’s coming!
RESOURCES
I’ve had a request from one of you lovely lot to talk about soggy middles, so that’s the topic for this issue. Tight storytelling is important, so the last thing you want after an engaging and promising start is a waffly, soggy, boring middle, otherwise your reader may not even reach the brilliant finale you have in mind.
When you’re thinking about the middle section of your plot, here are some key questions to consider:
• Does the plot point move the story forward or have you just gone sideways?
• Does the plot point thwart your protagonist? (Negative result).
• Does the plot point assist or provide information to your protagonist? (Positive result).
• Does the plot point escalate the stakes?
And here are some different aspects you can consider:
1) Motivation. Be sure of your protagonist’s motivation – have clear goals for every scene, every picture book spread, and every section of the story. What is their main overarching goal? How are they progressing towards that? And what minor goals do they want (and why) along the way? Do these minor goals push the story forwards, or are they just taking your protagonist round in circles, or leading them off-track?
2) Revelation - world. What new thing can we understand about the world, and how can it push story forward, or provide more obstacles? The ‘world revelation’ could be anything from a new geographical area which poses problems or possibilities, to a new setting that reveals a secret (such as a visit headteacher’s office that the protagonist has never been sent to before, where the protagonist notices a certain, secret-revealing picture on the wall). Whenever you reveal something about the world, try to think forward motion. How does this plot point move story forward?
3) Revelation – character. Reveal something about a character (protagonist or other character) – this can be a revelation to the reader alone without the protagonist’s awareness of the revelation, or the protagonist may have awareness of the revelation as well. Use character revelations to increase stakes, thwart or assist your character, increase character motivation, and increase readers’ interest in our character. You can also introduce new characters in the middle of your story, who may thwart or assist your protagonist – or perhaps even do both!
4) Revelation – plot. As well as thinking forward motion and understanding whether plot points thwart or assist your protagonist, you can twist and turn and subvert expectations for the plot. What would your reader predict the next plot point or outcome to be? (NB: This may often be the first thing you yourself think of when creating the plot because it’s the most obvious). How can you make sure obstacles thrown into the protagonist’s path make that predictable option impossible? Sometimes narrowing your protgonist’s options can help make the plotting easier – but make sure any shutdowns of possibilities feel believable and authentic. If they don’t, the reader will likely say, “but why not just...” and the storytelling magic is broken.
5) Escalation – Continually build your protagonist’s and your antagonist’s actions and reactions to each other. Raise the stakes throughout the story, not just at the end. Make your protagonist so increasingly desperate to get what they want that they will stop at nothing. Make your antagonist so increasingly desperate to get what they want that they will stop at nothing. Otherwise, when the going gets tough, why don’t they both just go home, put their feet up and wait for all this to blow over? Remember, your antagonist thinks they are the protagonist. Adding a ticking clock to the plot helps with tension, as does a personal or emotional shift partway through (it’s bad enough that the aliens have captured the protagonist’s next-door neighbour, but now they’ve taken the protagonist’s beloved granny too). This raises the emotional stakes for the protagonist.
Hope you find these ideas helpful! I run several mini-courses which look at areas like this in detail (such as ‘8 Ways to Use Settings’ and ‘Creating Tension – Macro and Micro’) so keep your eyes open for them if this is an area of your writing craft you would like to develop further.
CHARACTER CORNER
Unless a character comes fully formed to you, don’t be afraid to pull them about a little bit to get them into shape. Sometimes, as your story idea evolves, your character has to evolve as well. On occasion you may have to replace your protagonist (or another favourite character) completely. This can be a tough decision to make, but if your instinct is telling you something isn’t fitting right, it is worth listening to. You can save an awful lot of time that way!
If the character-story fit doesn’t work, you may have to choose between them. Either is fine. If you don’t want to give up the character, ask them questions and find out what THEIR story is to tell. Find a new place for them to be.
If you want to stick with the story idea, then put your character lovingly to one side and let them know that you will find their story soon. Go back to your story idea and work out who is the best character to tell it, and why. A good starting place is considering how the theme of the story idea links with character. Good luck!
FREE WEBINAR
Wednesday 12th June, 7pm – 8 Reasons Your Writing May Be Rejected (And What To Do About Them).
This webinar explores common reasons why gatekeeper readers may pass on your work and provides some practical solutions to help avoid this happening in future.
This webinar is free, just a thank you for signing up to the newsletter. Please feel free to let other writers know about it. They can sign up to the newsletter here..
Because of Eventbrite's pricing policy for free events, I've split the tickets into two groups, but they're BOTH for the SAME event - if one reports as being sold-out, please use the other.
TEACHING
Emotional Connection – Tuesday 2nd & 9th July, 7pm, £35
I run this course at least once a year because it is so important. Many students find it a game-changer. Emotional connection is crucial to success and can make the difference between a make or break, a yes or a no. Come along and discover why and how emotional connection is so vital to storytelling. We will be looking at:
• Personal investment
• Emotional honesty
• Emotional tracking
• Emotional growth
• Mood and pacing
• Thinking and feeling
Rhyming Masterclass – Wednesday 3rd & 10th July, 7pm, £35
Whip your rhyming texts into shape and learn how to master scansion and create an enjoyable, appealing and marketable rhyming story.
Chapter Book course - Tuesday 3rd September (6 weeks), time & cost TBC.
Return of this sellout chapter book course. Learn how to create and pitch an outstanding series for young readers and share your idea with an industry professional. Tickets go fast so be prepared to grab them quick. Follow me on Eventbrite to be the first to hear when tickets are available.
COMPETITIONS
FREE COACHING COMPETITION
As a thank you for subscribing to the newsletter and to help coaching become accessible to all, I’m offering a FREE 30-minute coaching session (worth £30) via a lucky draw every newsletter, for anyone who would like to take part. Sessions can include anything you like (except for feedback on a text), such as discussing ideas, dealing with problems in your writing or writing life, discussing industry, etc over a Zoom call. For more on the coaching sessions, please see my Coaching page.
If you would like to enter, please email comps@storygodmother.co.uk with COACHING 02.06.24 in the subject line and you will be entered into the draw. All entries must be received by the Wednesday after the newsletter is sent out. So, in this case, please get your entries in by Wednesday 5th June 23:59BST.
I will contact the lucky winner directly, so if you haven’t heard anything, please assume you’ve not won this time, but please do try again next time! If you’ve already won a free coaching competition, please can you refrain from entering again this year to give other people a chance to win. Thank you.
Looking forward to working with more of you this year!
and finally...
Writing Magazine Children’s Book Prize
Just a reminder that the submission window for this is just THREE MONTHS away. The competition will be open for submissions from 1st September 2024 to 31st October 2024 and has a picture book and chapter book category. This year, it looks like we will be asking for the WHOLE chapter book manuscript to be submitted at the beginning, so please don’t only write a chapter or three and think there will be time to complete or edit the book later! Submission details will be available nearer the time, but in the meantime, get writing those books!
END NOTES
Lastly, just a reminder, if you’re interested in critiques, feedback on opening chapters, or coaching, do check out my website: www.storygodmother.co.uk
Good luck if you’re entering the coaching competition. Speak to you soon and if there’s anything you’d like covered in the newsletter in the Resources section, please do let me know at sparkles@storygodmother.co.uk and I’ll see what I can do.
Thanks very much!
Story Godmother.