Apple Trees and Explosions by Rebecca Seaton

 

Apple Trees and Explosions by Rebecca Seaton

 

Story Structure

 

There are many ways to tell a story but structure has to be there first. We also need drama or nobody continues reading, so here’s how we can cunningly combine both.

 

Explosions

 

The title got your attention, didn’t it? More than if I’d called it effective structure and plotting. Nobody watches Eastenders to see people drink tea and help each other, viewers want the bust-ups and revelations. However, if they happen every two minutes, it has less impact. The same is true of any writing. So plot your explosions, like hand grenades dropped into the work, finishing with a big blast near the end. Maybe your character needs a small detonation to get going, or to make a critical decision at the midway point. A big event, whether physical or emotional, could be just the key they need.

 

Apple trees and constant growth

 

As constant explosions are a bit much they could cause your reader to lose track of the plot or characters, overwhelmed by the drama. Even in the most big-budget action film, there is usually still story and character growth. There has been much discussion about Chekov’s gun and I agree that the gun/match/letter that is there at the beginning must have an impact somewhere else. I know in my own WIP, I am struggling with plot and suspect it could be because there’s too many interesting artefacts without clarity as to their role in the story. The apple tree has roots, so is a deeper sense of x leading to y. There is a sowing of a seed early that is watered throughout the text before the tree is evident. For example, your character who happens to be sketching when told off by their mum may become an artist at the end of the story or use their art to foil an alien war, but this won’t happen overnight. They should have key experiences and relationships, dipping in and out of the art, leaving it for a while, growing in their skills and understanding of what it means to them before realising their dream in the final stages.

 

Combining them

 

Apple trees and explosions are not exclusive: we need them both. A minor explosion could cause key events to happen and the completed apple tree may well coincide with the big plot reveal at the end. Thinking about the Bible, we can clearly see how different books link together into a narrative that would be overwhelming in one bite, just as we can see how certain dramatic events demand our attention.

 

Why not take your current work and see if the addition of apple trees or explosions could make a difference? Or maybe look at the balance of these effects and see if it could be adjusted.

 

Happy writing, I’m off to wrestle with my current story and decide if an astrolabe, an enchanted stone and an anemone are all necessary to the plot…

                                                                                                                        

Rebecca Seaton writes mostly fantasy and particularly loves stories with a fesity heroine and a deceptive prophecy!