by Jack Bickham
Story-within-a-story, 127
Stream of consciousness, 3
Structure, defined, 1; history of, 2-3; sequels
and working cards, 82
Subplot, 9, 93, 96, 99-102, 122, 125, 128;
romantic, 126-127
Summary, 87
Suspense, 18, 75, 76, 82, 93, 100, 102-104,
106, 125
Sympathy, for character, 80
T
Third-person novel, 3
Thought, 163; indicating, 145,147, 148; and
pacing, 67-68; reminiscences, 82; and
viewpoint change, 100, 101
Tiebreaker, 137-144, 150-157
Time, between chapters, 125; establishing,
134
Time limitations, 96, 106, 127, 128
Timing, 64
Tip sheets, 116
Transition, between chapters, 118-119
Transition, space and time, 101-102
Transitional statements, 64
Transitions, 50-51, 61; See Sequel
U
Underdevelopment, 29
Unfair odds, 90
Unmotivated opposition, 90
V
Viewpoint, 42-44; antagonist and, 126;
changes of, 44, 75-76, 100; chapter
ending, 117-118; dominant, 100; and
emotional coolness, 88-89; hierarchy,
99-100; loss of, 88; multiple, 44, 75-
76, 96, 100, 101-102; of protagonist,
96, 124, 125, 126, 127; of secondary
characters, 128; suspense and, 103;
variance of, 100
Viewpoint character, 24, 42, 47, 96, 99-102,
107, 109, 148; action and, 68;
confrontation and, 84; goal, 78;
hidden story and, 98; internalization
and, 77; interpretation of structure
and, 77; in novel, 123-124; odds and,
90; and sequel, 51, 79-82; statement
of goal, 75; See also Antagonist,
Protagonist
Villain. See Antagonist
Villain plot, 124, 127
Villain plot question, 126
W
War novels, action and, 113
Westerns, and action, 113
Winter of Our Discontent, The, 8
Craft your fiction with scene-by-scene flow, logic and readability.
An imprisoned man receives an unexpected caller, after which "everything changed...."
And the reader is hooked. But whether or not readers will stay on for the entire wild ride will depend on how well the writer structures the story, scene by scene.
This book is your game plan for success. Using dozens of examples from his own work—including Dropshot, Tiebreaker and other popular novels—Jack M. Bickham will guide you in building a sturdy framework for your novel, whatever its form or length. You'll learn how to...
• "worry" your readers into following your story to the end.
• prolong your main character's struggle while moving the story ahead.
• juggle cause and effect to serve your story action.
As you work on crafting compelling scenes that move the reader, moment by moment, toward the story's resolution, you'll see why...
• believable fiction must make more sense than real life.
• every scene should end in disaster.
• some scenes should be condensed, and others built big.
Whatever your story, this book can help you arrive at a happy ending in the company of satisfied readers.
Other books in THE ELEMENTS
OF FICTION WRITING, the
definitive fiction writing series,
include:
Characters & Viewpoint
by Orson Scott Card
Beginnings, Middles & Ends
by Nancy Kress
Conflict, Action & Suspense by William Noble
Setting by Jack M. Bickham
Plot by Ansen Dibell
Description by Monica Wood
