Guide to Writing Novels (NovelToon Official)
2.1 How to write a story well?
A story framework is the framework of a novel and the direction of the plot. You can write a work without creating a story frame, but a work with a story frame is easier to become an extraordinary work. Before starting to write the work, you should write the framework of the story first. That way, you will avoid writer’s block, messy story logic, and other problems.
There are many ways to write a story frame and everyone has different ways. As long as you feel comfortable, you can write a story frame according to your own style. But, for novice writers, there may be feelings like not being able to write when trying to frame a story. Here are a few ways for budding writers to write the main framework of the story.
First, make the main line of the story that is in your mind, then describe the important characters in the story.
Main story:
The main plot of a story can be interpreted as a brief description of the story. Many online novels use the protagonist as the main line, especially writing what the protagonist sees and hears. In short, it should tell what your protagonist is doing. Only by determining the goal, can only determine how the character achieves the goal. This can make the plot more connected and smooth.
Stature:
The figures that often appear in the work must be well organized. Characterization can include age, personality, life experiences, or even the uniqueness of the character, making the character becomes more diverse and interesting. Examples such as latency, accessories that like to be worn, small actions in the subconscious, etc. Protagonist, supporting character, relationship between protagonist and supporting character, characteristics of protagonist and supporting character, background of protagonist and supporting character. The relationship between the characters is based on the relationship between roles, character behavior is based on personality. In this way, the story will not be easy off track.
This is the simplest story. In addition, you can also add background story time, social background and so on. This type of story frame is relatively simple and was created to help the author himself. If the story framework needs to be pointed out to the editor, several factors such as theme, story selling point, and basic structure (conflict, development,***** small* (small peak),**foreshadowing(basic overview), are to be sure, and the big ****** (big top)*)* should also be added. Novels with complete structure, solid rhythm, complete and smooth story, can retain the reader better.
👉Now, let's talk about the basic structure of the novel:
The framework of the story is generally divided into five, namely conflict, development, small peaks, basic images and large peaks. These five components need to be explained to concoct a mature story. Here are each explanations:
① Conflicts
Conflict is very important to help and keep the plot of the story developing according to the premise of the story that has been prepared so as not to get out of line. Conflicts that animate the story, without conflict the story will be arid.
In addition, conflict also helps the character to develop. Ideally, a good story will contain conflicts that will make the character develop into dynamic and not static. For example the notorious character A turns good after meeting a little man who saves his life. From here, the character develops, conflict makes the character in the story grow, be it good or just the opposite.
With the conflict mature, the story will evolve following the framework of the story. The scenes made will be aligned to go to premise.
a. The Evidence vs Resistence
In James N. Frey in his book “How to Write a Damn Good Novel” introduces the concept of “Insistence vs. Resistance” in making a good conflict. Insistence is the determination of the main character to achieve his goals. Resistance is the antagonist or external factor that prevents the main character from achieving his goals. And both must have equally strong motivations. The ideal conflict should apply this concept. For example, character A wants to enter university B but is blocked by his parents. He tried to find a way to allow his parents but his parents remained stubborn because of the spoiled and independent nature of his son. Character A tries to show a change in attitude and convince his parents that his intention is to study. Finally, A's parents approved him to go to another university.
From the example above, conflict occurs when the goals of A are not in accordance with his parents but are finally resolved by the violence of effort and determination of his intentions. It can be concluded that the formula concocts a good conflict according to Raymond Hull in his book “How to Write a Play” is "M + G + O = C. Main Character + His Goal + Opposition = Conflict."
b. Conflict types
Still in the same book, James describes the types of conflicts that are 1. static conflict (static), 2. jumping conflict (jumping conflict) and 3. slow-moving conflict (slowly raising conflict). The first type of conflict is the type to be avoided, this type of conflict such as ordinary conversations without arguments, quarrels without resistance. The second type of conflict should also be avoided because the intensity of the story changes suddenly without proper transition and motivation, this will be confusing for readers also makes a shock, shock, for example, A who was crying suddenly laughed. The last type of conflict is the most ideal, the story and characters in it develop slowly with adequate transition and motivation.
② Developments
The demands before the story meets a small peak are a stage of development. In building a small peak it is necessary to note that the scene made is relevant to the small peak to be aimed at and avoid scenes that are not related or support small peaks. For example, character A must conquer monsters that often prey on citizens to become the ruler of the kingdom, so he looks for monster weaknesses to defeat him. He went to the forest to look for the Y fruit that would kill the monster.
From the example above scene character A along with the goal to be achieved. He wanted to defeat the monster and make a relevant effort to defeat it.
The initial settlement of a small conflict in the story will meet a small peak. After the scenes are arranged in a developmental stage, the character will meet the initial resolver of the minor conflicts he faces. From the previous example, it can be made a small peak character A managed to get the Y fruit. However, he still had an advanced conflict of killing monsters to become the ruler of the kingdom.
To build a small peak, always make premise as a reference. For example from the previous example of story premise is “Kebaikan will defeat evil”. The resolution of a minor conflict in which character A manages to get a Y fruit will support the premise of the story as he gets closer to his goal.
Basically, this minor conflict will proceed to the basic picture or an advanced conflict to further test the truth of the premise of the story.
④ Basic Overview
Once the initial conflict is successfully resolved, the story will enter a later stage conflict or basic picture; it is an actual conflict that the main character must resolve to prove the premise. For proficient writers, a basic overview can be laid before a small peak. But for novice writers, you should have a basic picture built after a small peak. The goal is to familiarize yourself with the rules of the story framework before making modifications to the plot when the ability to concoct the story is increasingly honed. For example, using the example of the previous story, character A turned out to have to cross a dangerous river to get Y fruit. However he was able to get through it and get a Y fruit and defeat monsters. He eventually became the ruler of the kingdom.
In the example above, the basic picture (advanced conflict) is character A that must cross the river, the river, but he managed to get through and get Y fruit (small peak) and defeat monsters and become king (big peak).
The basic picture builds on conflict to test the strength of the premise further. To create a good basic picture, create a basic picture that will lead to the big peak and avoid writing unnecessary scenes that do not support the goal of reaching the big peak. Keep in mind, the big picture will make the story conical to the axis of the story premise and prove the truth of the premise built.
⑤ Large peak
The scenes that are built on the basic picture stage are to reach the big peak of the main conflict resolution in the story. At this stage, the truth of the premise of the story will be tested and proven. And a good dramatic story will not deny the premise of the story that has been built. For example from the previous example if the premise of the story is “Truth will defeat evil”, the big peak will prove that the premise is true by successfully defeating the evil monster A and becoming king.
A good big highlight is what makes the reader feel that the story has really ended and the conflict has been resolved.
In addition, to build the final solution of the basic picture or advanced conflict should bring up fluctuations in the emotions of characters in the novel. Especially the main characters in the story.
The character that develops can be shown from changes in attitude and character traits over time until a big peak occurs. Depiction of character fluctuations such as the spoiled character A becomes an independent person.
Finally, avoid character stagnation, which is a character that is not emotionally developed. This is because the stagnation of the characters will make the story flat and boring.
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In addition to the points above, if the theme of your story is fantasy, you also need to understand the worldview of this story clearly, or is meant by setting various elements, such as setting a power system, or, also included skills, lifestyle, clans and so on. The setting on fantasy novels is mostly the same. Great settings can't increase success, but you still have to manage them patiently to avoid the incoherence of the story.
The main framework is the overall direction of the storyline. In addition, there is also a support framework. The supporting framework means the direction of the story from each chapter in more detail, or the direction of the course of tens of thousands of words from the story. This skeleton is more detailed than the main skeleton.
Everyone has different habits in writing detailed story frames. There are writers who write the direction of the story per each chapter, there are also those who describe the direction of the story per stage of the story. These two ways can be used, but in the process, you have to remember to create a dense, fast storyline and have logicality. Write novels according to the conflict structure, development, ***** small, foreshadowing, and ***** large. This method can effectively avoid bad ending and unfinished plot and conflicting plot.
Of course, if you have a better idea after you've finished writing the storyline, you can revise it. But during revising, you have to consider whether the framework is logical or not.
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