As a novelist, I'm often asked whether I outline or just start writing. While I tend toward a hybrid approach, other writers - especially of genre fiction - prefer to work from a more solid plan, often tied to the elements of the hero's journey. In this guest post, Nikolas Baron of Grammarly explains that approach.
What writer hasn’t begun writing, only to have their story meander
away from their original intentions, bog down in mediocrity, or simply lose
steam? The writing of a novel, much like the construction of a building, requires
a plan. The writer who sits down to write with only the vaguest notion of a
hero and a destination may soon find themselves lost, wandering in what might
seem like an endless wilderness.
A simple tool for keeping a plot on track is a story arc. A story
arc is a very basic outline, which notes the major points of the story, giving
the writer a sort of map to follow as they work through writing a novel. The
path may travel through mystical forests of fantasy, futuristic streets in a
sci-fi novel, or along a suburban sidewalk in a modern realistic fiction.
Following a map is the best way to get from point A to point B, no matter the
setting, characters, or conflict that is chosen. Style, spelling and grammar
can be maintained with the use of a simple online checker. A grammar and plagarism checker is a valuable tool that will help keep style
issues at bay, freeing the writer to focus upon building the plot.
The best way to begin any story is with the beginning. The opening
of the novel sets the tone, and establishes the character in his or her home
environment. The beginning of the arc can last for a few paragraphs, or a
chapter. It should be maintained long enough for the reader to become
comfortable with the character, but not so long that it becomes boring.
Once the status quo is established, the conflict comes to break it
all apart. Sometimes referred to as the “trigger” or the “call”, the beginning
of the hero’s journey is a change that pushes him or her into action. The
protagonist is presented with a choice that isn’t really a choice. Frodo was
given the ring; Harry Potter received a letter. The invitation may come in
nearly any form, as long as it moves the protagonist forward, into the next
part of his or her journey: the quest.
Now comes the exciting part of the novel. The hero is moving
forward, taking action. He or she is moving toward the goal, fighting and
winning. Next comes the challenge. The hero or heroine has reached a crucial
point in the quest. Now it’s time to face the biggest challenge, the moment
that changes everything. Now, the time has come for the protagonist to make a
choice, and the choice he or she makes will determine the outcome of the story.
The choice is a challenge, of the moral fiber, the character, or the courage,
of the protagonist, and the plot hangs in the balance.
Once the choice is made, the character has no choice but to move
forward toward the climax. With the emotional and spiritual battle fought, the
physical battle against the forces against him or her remains. The climax is
the moment when all hope seems lost, and the protagonist seems defeated, but,
through some extraordinary fortitude, driven by the climactic choice already
made, the hero or heroine prevails, against all odds, cuing the thunderous
applause of the audience.
Like the beginning, the journey home should last only as long as
it takes for the writer to wrap up the story with a satisfying ending. The
wedding, the journey home to the Shire, the return to what was before, is
merely a backdrop, to show the changes the protagonist has experienced, and the
end result of the quest. A satisfying ending isn’t necessarily a happy one, but
it shows the reader that the quest, in the end, was worth the sacrifice made by
the protagonist, in order for the necessary change to come about, whether the
change is in the fictional world as a whole, or in the protagonist. The
resolution ties up the loose ends, solves the mystery, and leaves the reader
satisfied that this ending, this and no other, was the way it was meant to be.
Nikolas Baron discovered his love for the written word in elementary school, where he started
spending his afternoons sprawled across the living room floor devouring one
Marc Brown children's novel after the other and writing short stories about
daring pirate adventures. After acquiring some experience in various marketing,
business development, and hiring roles at internet startups in a few different
countries, he decided to re-unite his professional life with his childhood
passions by joining Grammarly’s marketing team in San Francisco. He has the
pleasure of being tasked with talking to writers, bloggers, teachers, and
others about how they use Grammarly’s online proofreading application to
improve their writing. His free time is spent biking, travelling, and reading.