by Jack Bickham
Line 106. Root tries to make it a three-way again.
Lines 107-109. Mike effectively makes it a one-on-one again.
Lines 112-115. Mike further reveals what he really wants to know — why he wants to talk. He simply can't understand her. (And incidentally everything he says here is the gospel truth, and the reader knows it.)
Lines 130-132. Katie has been completely turned around from her internalization-decision in lines 75-77. Mike's interruption of her scene with Root has given her sufficient cause for the author-desired effect—to have her throw caution to the winds and go out with the buzzard.
Line 131. We see Mike's emotion as disaster falls on him.
Lines 137-138. Root looks pleased. He knows things have turned out wonderfully for him in this scene.
Lines 141-142. Poor Mike repeats one more time his thwarted scene
goal.
Lines 144-147. Katie starts her sequel in classic form. Emotion: delighted. Thought: given in these lines. Decision: not clear yet, but obviously she has more plans.
The pattern for the entire segment, structurally:
Scene 1
Goal: Root's, to get Katie to go out.
Katie's, to learn what Root wants.
Scene question: Will he get her to go out?
Conflict: Root's deviousness opposed to Katie's probing.
Interrupted by:
Scene 2
Goal: Mike's. He wants to talk.
Scene question: Will he get her to talk?
Conflict: Katie won't talk.
Disaster: For Mike.
Answer to Mike's scene question: No. (End of Scene 2)
Resumption of Scene 1
Disaster: For Root, none. He's a bad guy so that's fine.
For Katie, yes, although she doesn't know it yet.
Mike's oral sequel to his scene.
Katie's thought sequel to hers.
Thus what we have here, in a seemingly simple and harmless little comic western plot, is a fairly complex juggling of stimuli and responses and parts of scenes to provide sufficient motivation for a character to decide finally to do something decidedly uncharacteristic of her.
It's in unusual circumstances such as this that understanding structure gives the writer extra tools in her arsenal.
INDEX
A
Action, 66; escalation of, 94, 95, 96-97; fill-
in, 156; interrupting scenes with, 76;
nonviewpoint character and, 109;
offstage, 98-99; pacing, 68-69
Action-adventure, unseen opponent and,
113
Airport, 71
Analysis of structure, 39
Antagonist, 47-48, 110; confrontation and,
84; errors and, 90; multiple, 114-115;
rapid pace and, 64-65; suspense and,
102-104; viewpoint and, 124
Anticipation, importance of, 91
Argument, circular, 84-85
Attributions, in dialogue, 112
B
Background, 13,21,47
Backstory, 97, 123-124, 129
Backward development, 45
Beginning writers, 69
Believability, of scenes, 26
Bickham.JackM., 133, 137, 146, 150, 158
Boil, 29, 64,71
C
Calendar, for story planning, 98-99
Cause and effect, 12-14, 18-19, 21, 92-93;
excerpt and commentary, 135-136;
See also Stimulus and response
Change, 134; example, 10-11; and linear
development, 7-9; and planning, 10
Chapter, ending, 117-118; structure, 123-
130
Chapters, length for, 116-117
Character, and decision, 56-57;
differentiation, 100; disaster, 27-28;
emotion, 53-55,57; external pressure
and, 82; nonviewpoint, 108, 109;
thought, 55-56; viewpoint, 107, 109;
See also Viewpoint character
Characterization, 148; and conflict, 93; and
viewpoint, 100
Characters, developed through sequels, 52;
number of, 83-84; and offstage
action, 98-99; and plots, 99-102;
rationality and, 48; reactions of, 51-
52; self-concept and, 8
Chase scenes, 113
Cinnamon Skin, 95
Circular development, 24
Circularity, 76, 84-85
Classic structure, 115, 149; and
modifications of, 105; of scene, 23, 72,
73; scene-sequel, 51; of sequel, 72, 73;
variations of, 81
Climactic scene, 4, 93, 125-126
Closure, 129-130
Coincidence, 12-13, 91
Collection novel, 3
Comic exaggeration, 161
Complications, 122
Concealing information, 97
Conclusion, 128
Concrete details, 133, 134
Conflict, 23,25,26,29-30,31,42,48,94-95,
114-115, 142, 163; action scenes and,
113; chapter ending and, 118;
characterization, 93; and circularity,
76,84-85; external, 30; and goals, 66,
90; internal, 30, 43; interrupted with
sequels, 76; motivation and, 90; as
opening, 75; overintensification of,
34-35; and pacing, 64, 66-67; pitfalls
of, 33-34; and red herrings, 91; and
subplots, 96; weaknesses of, 36-37
Contact scenes, 127
Conversational structure, 3
Crime fiction, 68
D
Dark Wind, The, 135
Deadly Shade of Gold, /I, 108
Decision, 163; and multiple viewpoint, 101
Description, 156; comic, 162
Detective fiction, 68; viewpoint in, 88
Dialogue, 26,47-48, 54-55, 112-113,
135-136, 142; and stimulus and
response, 15-16
Diary form, in fiction, 2-3
Dickens, Charles, 3, 7
Direction, errors in, 38
Disaster, 30, 31, 47, 48, 106, 107-108, 144,
148, 163; and chapter ending, 117-
118; concealment of, 75-76;
contrived, 91; and emotional
response, 102; to end scene, 26-28,
59-60; ending short of, 75-76; errors
in, 37-40; final, 129; and multiple
viewpoint, 101; and narrative
progress, 44-45; "no," 42; in novel,
126; pacing, 64; reactions to, 51-52;
and sequel, 51-52, 79-80; subplots
and, 96; and suspense, 122; viewpoint
change, 100, 101; viewpoint
character, 11; "Yes, but," 59
Document novel, 3
Documentary structure, 3
Drama, and structure, 94-97
Dropshot, 133-134
E
Emotional response, 51, 53-55, 57, 61, 100,
145, 148, 149, 162-163; coolness of,
88-89; and disaster, 102; and pacing,
67; in sequel, 80, 107
Ending, 7, 9, 10, 75-76; with disaster, 26-28,
47; of scene, 47
Epistolary form, 2
Errors, most common, 83
Exercise, 30; disasters, 60-62; planning and
working cards, 46; scenes and
working cards, 82; sequels and
working cards, 60-62; on structure,
39; working cards and plotting, 39-40
External pressure, 82
F
Fictional "documentary," 3
Fictional journal or diary, 2-3
Fill-in action, 156
Finality, errors in, 38
First-person narrator, 3, 133
First-person novel, 3
Flashback, 78, 82, 110, 156
Forfeit, 8
Form, defined, 1
Forms, of n
ovels, 3-4
Fragmented structure, 78, 145-146; and
action, 76-77; prologue and, 123; and
sequels, 77
Francis, Dick, 8
G
Goal, 10, 24-26, 30, 42, 106, 142, 163;
conflict and, 66; and dominant
viewpoint, 100; example, 10-11;
immediacy of, 32-33; main character
and, 124; of novel, 123-124; and
opposition characters, 114-115;
pacing and, 66-67; restatement of,
126; short term, 25-26, 96, 124; and
significance, 90; statement of, 75, 80;
and viewpoint character, 4
Goals, and dominant viewpoint, 100
Great Expectations, 7
H
Hailey, Arthur, 70
Hero. See Protagonist
Hidden story, 98, 102, 106, 129
Higgins.Jack, 8, 132
Hillerman, Tony, 135
Hook, 134
Hotel, 70-71
I
Illogical disagreement, 90
Immediacy, 14-15, 16-17, 32-33, 59-60;
errors in, 38
Internal conflict, 43
Internalization, 17-18, 21, 43, 77, 85, 87,
136, 143, 144, 161; action scenes and,
113; in dialogue, 112; and goal focus,
86; and loss of viewpoint, 88-89; and
pacing, 67; and sequel, 52
Interruptions, 85
J
Journal form, in fiction, 2-3
K
Katie, Kelly and Heck, 158-163
L
Length, of chapters, 116-117; of novel, 5-6,
9; publisher investment and, 29; of
story, 9
Linear development, 4, 44-45, 92; and
change, 7-9; chapter endings and,
118; and conflict, 23-24; and
disasters, 27-28, 42, 52; and master
plot, 121; and the reader, 94; See also
Cause and effect, Stimulus and
response
Linkage, 42,46-47,50-51,145-149; between
chapters, 118
M
MacDonald, John D., 7-8, 95, 108
MacDonald, Ross, 97
Maclnnes, Helen, 8
Master plot, 120-130
Mini-novel, 127, 128
Moral dilemma, 129
Motivation, of antagonist, 124; goal and, 86-
87
Movement. See Linear development
Multiple viewpoint, in novels, 3
Multiple-agenda scene, 114-115
N
Narration, 156; and slowed pacing, 69
Narrative, 4; first person, 3
Narrative progress, 44-45, 50-51
Narrative structure, and the reader, 93
Novel, closing, 130; comic, 158-163; forms,
3-4; opening, 6-9; and scenes and
sequels for, 93; structure, 2; and
viewpoint character, 123-124
O
Obstacles, 25,103,114-115. Seeaho Conflict,
Disaster
Old Woman and the Pig, The, 41, 48
Openings, 6-9, 10; alternative, 73-75;
excerpt and commentary, 132-134; of
novels, 123-124; of scenes, 108-110;
and story question, 9
Overwriting, 69-70, 90
P
Pace, rapid, 63-65, 81; slow, 65-71; subplots
to slow, 96
Pattern, variation of goal-conflict-disaster,
78; of conflict, 76; example for
segment, 163, of scene, 23,41, 110;
scene-sequel-scene, 51, 77; stimulus
and response, 17, 77
Personal letter, 2
Place, establishing, 134
Plan, of action, example, 10-11; of
antagonist, 10
Planning, 9-11, 30,42,46-47,48,98-99; tips
for, 47-48; and working cards, 39-40,
60-62
Plot, 46-47, 50, 120-130; and cause and
effect, 92-93; and change, 10;
complications, 97; and hidden story,
98-99; organizing, 86; See also Cause
and effect
Plotting, and working cards, 39-40
Practice list, 30
Prelude to Terror, 89
Present story, 98
Prologue, 123
Protagonist, 10
Protagonist, and rapid pace, 64-65
R
Rage of Angels, 145
Red herrings, 91, 125, 128
Rejection, and underdevelopment, 29
Remembrance, 145
Reminiscences, 82
Resolution, 4, 9, 31-33; example, 10-11
Response. See Stimulus and response
Review of story events, 80
Revising, 42, 46, 47-48; and disasters, 91;
and pacing, 63-65; and scene goals,
90
Romance fiction, and errors, 90; publishers,
116
Romantic lead, and action, 125, 126,
127-128
Romantic question, 124, 129-130
S
Savage Day, The, 8, 132-133
Scene, defined, 23; excerpt and
commentary, 137-144
Scene goal, 47, 85-86,91; and circularity, 84-
85; forgotten, 89-90; repetition of, 85
Scene question, 142, 148, 163
Scene-sequel, excerpt and commentary,
150-157
Scene-sequel-scene, 77
Scene-within-scene, 76, 106, 107
Scenes, action, 113; and chapters, 117-118;
classic structure of, 23, 72, 73; in
dialogue, 112-114; elements of, 46,
72-78, 105; endings, 26-28, 59-60;
excerpt and commentary, 158-163;
goal and, 31-33; historical origin of,
3; interruption of, 105, 162; linear
development and, 4; multiple agenda
for, 114-115; in novels, 3-4; number
of characters in, 83-84; pace and, 63;
pattern of, 41; results of, 31; sequels
and, 52, 107; suspense and, 102-103,
122; unseen opponent and, 113; and
viewpoint character, 99, 100, 101,
110
Scenic master plot, 123-130
Scope, errors in, 38
Secondary characters, 47,108,124,126,129
Secondary plot, 129
Self-concept, of character, 8; example, 10-
11; importance of, 7-8
Sequel, 80, 97, 105; and action, 57-58; and
characterization, 94, 96-97; classic
form for, 51, 58-59, 72, 73; defined,
51; elimination of, 59, 64; emotion,
53-55; excerpts and commentary,
145-149; explanations of earlier
events, 156; mixed components, 80-
81; and novel structure, 57-58; and
pace, 63, 67-68; pattern of variation,
156-157; and scenes, 81-82, 107-108;
and suspense, 103; and thought, 55-
56; variations of, 79-82; viewpoint
and, 99, 100, 101; and working cards,
60-62
Setback, 106
Sexual encounter, 126-127
Sheldon, Sidney, 70, 71, 145
Shocker question, 125
Short story, collection as novel, 3; opening,
6-9; structure, 2
Space-time transition, 101-102
Spy fiction, viewpoint in, 88
Static conflict, 23
Steinbeck, John, 8
Stimulus, 161, 162
Stimulus and response; background for, 16,
21; completion of transaction, 15-16;
dialogue and, 15-16, 136; evaluation
of, 20-21; example, 19-20; external,
21; immediacy and, 14-15, 16-17; and
inadvertent summary, 87;
internalization and,
17-18, 21;
physical cause and effect as, 14-15;
problems with, 17; rules for, 15-16;
and story movement, 92-93;
suspense, 18
Story development, example, 10-11; See
Linear development
Story events, review for reader, 80
Story goal, 8-9, 24
Story planning, 9-11
Story question, 4, 7, 9, 24, 41, 42, 93
