1/29/2024 0 Comments Ideas to write a book about![]() ![]() The Wizard of Oz is a story about Dorothy, a young girl who realizes, after a series of adventures, that the thing she has been searching for was actually hers all along. It’s A Wonderful Life is a story about George Bailey, an ambitious young businessman whose postponed dreams lead him to a place of self-destruction - until his guardian angel shows him what life would be like if he never existed. The Wizard of Oz is a story about Dorothy, a young girl who is swept away from her farm in Kansas to the magical land of Oz, where she embarks on a quest with her new friends to find the Wizard who can help her return home to Kansas. They both have very different plots, but nearly the same internal theme: THE EXTERNAL PLOT: Take these two stories for example: The Wizard of Oz and It’s A Wonderful Life. ![]() When we dig down to the emotional root of every story, all the “extra stuff” falls away. What do I mean by that? Just because someone else’s story has a massive, adventurous, intricate plot doesn’t make it better. And, at the end of this post, you can grab a free printable that will help you kickstart your next contemporary novel outline!īefore we begin, you have to understand that STORY SIZE DOESN’T MATTER. I’m going to show you exactly how I translate common writing advice and story structure into a roadmap that works for writing a contemporary novel. So if you write contemporary and have a hard time resonating with story structure that talks about The Hero’s Journey™, The Protagonist VS The Antagonist™, and The Big Climax™, SETTLE IN AND GET COMFY. This is also the reason why you don’t need to be a “good writer” to be a good storyteller. With every good story, EMOTION takes center stage. It’s not about what happens on the outside it’s about what happens on the inside. If you think that “plot” is what makes a book exciting and gripping, YOU ARE MISTAKEN. I cannot say this loud enough: STORY AND PLOT ARE NOT THE SAME THING. And, similarly, you might be writing a simple “everyday life” contemporary driven by characters and relationships and have A REALLY GOOD STORY RIGHT THERE. You might be writing an epic science fiction adventure filled with action and suspense, but have no true story. ![]() I believe that story is something that happens emotionally, not just physically. The plot isn’t the story - it’s just the clever vehicle that delivers the emotional punch to the reader. I believe that story isn’t about “what happens” (the big adventurous plot) - it’s about how the plot affects the protagonist and causes them to change. So does that mean it’s not a gripping story? I’ve written novels where there is no hero’s journey, no antagonist, and no big climax. When I read articles about story structure, I notice that a lot of it centers around The Hero’s Journey™, The Protagonist VS The Antagonist™, and The Big Climax™… but many of these plot devices don’t occur in contemporary. THIS IS A GOOD THING! But sometimes as a writer of contemporary, I feel like I’m missing out on a “big adventure.” Contemporary novels have garnered a reputation of being simple, mellow, and highly character-driven. Why? Because there’s something truly gripping about everyday life.īut in the writing world, it doesn’t seem so. Although I’ve dabbled in other genres (and I’m currently plotting future books of various different genres) I always find myself going back to contemporary, both as a reader and a writer. More specifically, I’m in love with writing about everyday life - otherwise known as a contemporary novel. ![]()
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