The Basics of Story Telling

There are so many novels being released into the world every day that you might think you're biggest challenge is being unique--finding some way to stand out. That's partly true. You need to find your own voice and take on things that will make those tried and true tropes (say that five times fast!) feel fresh and new.

However, there are certain things every story should have. I'm going to share them with you by linking to some of my favorite posts about them.

The 5 Essential Story Ingredients--Totally different from what I'm listing below. Great post though on how to help keep your reader engaged in the story.

A complete structure (plot)--you know, a beginning, middle and end and all the stuff that keeps the story moving? This link takes you to another page with links. Links to a powerpoint, a youtube presentation, etc. Definitely worth your time! Especially if you're a visual audio learner. :)
How to Build a Story

Characters. These characters don't have to be human. They can be animals or even a planet. I read one book where the people didn't make any sense to me and kept getting in the way of the real star of the show--the world.
7 Common character types
How to Craft Compelling Characters
How to Create a Character Profile

Setting that pulls you in and helps you understand the world and how the characters relate to it.
The Basic Elements of Setting in a Story
How to Employ All 5 Senses in Creating Your Setting
Writing Dynamic Settings

Suspense and Tension. Yeah, it's not just for mysteries or FBI thrillers.
25-things-you-should-know-about-suspense-and-tension
6 Secrets to Creating and Sustaining Suspense
41 Ways to Create and Heighten Suspense  There is so much good info in here!

Conflict--yes, this is different from suspense and tension. They are closely related, but different.
The Secret to Creating Conflict
External Conflict Vs. Internal Conflict
7 Types of Narrative Conflict--just in case you've forgotten.

What have I missed?

Scene Setting #2

Here is another scene setting section.

The hero is about to divulge precious information as they go to a place of safety.

When they entered, Hasan’s uncle waved on the lights. Geri noted his compact office space, complete with a tidy desk and 72” compucenter screen on the wall. But past that, the room opened up to reveal an elaborate laboratory.

Hasan’s face lit up at the magnitude of his uncle’s facilities. “You have added so much, Uncle,” he said as he took in the surroundings like a special guest at Willy Wonka’s candy factory. In addition to the expected laboratory work stations with test tubes, beakers, and microscopes, wall screens hung around the room, displaying x-rays and collected data in tables, graphs and charts. Ominous looking machines lined the back wall. But the items that drew the most attention were the mounted extremities. Clear plastic-encased robotic hands, limbs and feet covered in flesh and pumping blood.

After they look around, they get down to business. So what do you think? Too much? Too little?

And I have room for one more submission - long or short. I know there is a lot going on so I appreciate your work =) Thanks!

Setting the Scene 1

Thanks for all the comments yesterday! Made me feel much better about my scanty descriptions - I've cut and camouflaged a lot in my thriller. I am not as eloquent a writer as some, so that genre is good for me! (And I think my MG fantasy won't need as much pretty details either, it takes place in a "regular" school =)

On to the submission. Here is something short and tidy!

(The MC is a passenger in a van driven by Olive. She notes the white fence along the road.)

Olive slowed the van and turned into our drive, where the composite fencing meeting (met) the crumbled stone gateposts like swanky tattooed punks beside two appalled dignitaries.  The bright white of the fence planks seemed too new for the gray limestone sentinels. Olive refused to replace the weathered limestone gateposts that had stood for over a hundred years. Respect history, she had said when I complained.

A trivial point made at a time of relative safety.

I love the "like swanky tattooed punks beside two appalled dignitaries" - gave me a clear image! The only thing I might change is a replacement for the repetition of limestone and gateposts - weathered guardians? gatekeepers?

Great scene!

Where am I?

Setting the scene is an important part of the story. Each new place where action happens should be described to the reader. But not so much that we lull the reader to sleep with our beautiful description.

I also believe that different genres require different extents of detail. Fantasy and Sci Fi usually need more for world building, special items mere humans are unfamiliar with, new technology we can only dream of. But for romance, the scenes are secondary to the emotion and character interaction - who cares where they are? And for thrillers, even less. Action is the focus.

Right now I am reading two books, well three. But I am going to give you scenes from two. See if you can tell the genre by the descriptions.

Scene 1
...as I moved down the narrow gangway, past the two rear boilers that powered the steering engines. The low thrum of the engines as they turned the propellers sounded in time to the throb of movement felt in the metal framework structure that ran the length, breadth, and height of the ship. It was a familiar sensation, one I didn't even think of now, and certainly not one I noticed until I was on land, and it was missing.

Scene 2
It was a dark, primal place, three acres of old forest untouched for ten thousand years as the gloomy castle rose around it. It smelled of moist earth and decay. No redwoods grew here. This was a wood of stubborn sentinel trees armoured in grey-green needles, of mighty oaks, of ironwoods as old as the realm itself. Here thick black trunks crowded close together while twisted branches wove a dense canopy overhead and misshapen roots wrestled beneath the soil.

Can you tell the difference?

Hints for the first are some of the words: thrum, throb, sensation. Most of the description is only in the beginning. This was one of the few sections without dialog. It is an excerpt from STEAMED by Katie MacAlister - a steampunk romance.

For the second, long winded descriptions like this have taken up the first 40 pages or so. Each chapter elegantly introduces a new character and back story. This is only part of a paragraph from A GAME OF THRONES by George R. R. Martin - epic fantasy. Yes, awesome series, awesome author and I'm sure there is an awesome story, if I can wade through the details to find it! I love fantasy, and I loved the WHEEL OF TIME series by Robert Jordan (bless his soul). I'm just having a hard time getting into this, but I haven't given up yet.

Reading beautifully described scenes like these makes me wonder - am I giving enough setting details? Does the reader feel like they are there? But mine is a thriller and my critters keep telling me my descriptions are slowing down the action. So I believe our genre sets the limits to our scene setting.

What do you think? Do you have a scene description to submit? Please share it! I'll be here all week =)