A few summers ago, I spent three months devouring every craft book known to man. You name it, I read it. I gobbled up the words of Donald Maass, James Scott Bell, and Dwight Swain like a malnourished turkey.
I have no doubt it made me a better writer.
I have no doubt that without those books and the ginormous learning curve that came with them, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
I highly recommend craft books to writers. In fact, I recommend several on my writing page.
With that said, can there be too much of a good thing?
I wrote my fourth novel shortly after my craft-book binge. When I finished, I was convinced it was the best of all my novels.
It had the necessary landmarks: the disturbance, the point of no return, the black moment, the epiphany, the climax. I put tension on every page. I had a hero and heroine with clear goals. Every scene had conflict. Every scene ended in disaster. Every scene raised the stakes.
This story was structurally impeccable.
I loved it.
Until a couple months ago.
When I read it again. And as I read, my confidence curdled.
It felt so formulaic. So predictable. So….not fresh. With each scene playing out like the one before it.
Character has goal. Character goes after goal. Something challenges goal. Scene ends in disaster. Stakes escalate. Character comes up with new goal. Character goes after new goal. Something challenges new goal. Scene ends in disaster. Stakes escalate….
Lather. Rinse. Repeat. Ad nauseum.
So what’s the point of this post?
It’s not to discourage writers from telling stories via scenes. Because that’s how stories should be told. It’s not to suggest that scenes shouldn’t have conflict, because they should. It’s not to say that stakes shouldn’t escalate, because they need to.
I’m simply saying that sometimes, we can get so caught up in doing everything by the book, that our stories turn sterile.
The longer I write, the more I realize that the must-have’s are simple:
A clear beginning and end.
Engaging characters.
Forward momentum.
Some sort of conflict.
And a theme that matters.
The longer I write, the more I realize it’s okay to step outside the guidelines. It’s okay to experiment. It’s okay to take literary risks. Mastering craft and story structure just helps us do it more effectively.
I think some of the best literary works, the stories that stick with me the longest, are those that step outside of the formula. The Help. Room. Little Bee. Peace Like a River. The Language of Flowers.
None of these are by the book. Yet all of them touched me deeply.
Let’s Talk: What are some of your all-time favorite books? What made them so memorable? Do you think its possible to overdose on craft books? Would you add a must-have to my list?
Fellow blogger, Ruth Douthitt, interviews me on her blog today. She asks some fun questions, so come on over and say hi!
When my brother was a freshman in high school, he was on the varsity wrestling team. Which meant we had a group of upperclassman boys who would come over and hang out at our house. I was in seventh grade at the time and I had a gigantic crush on this senior named Troy Skogland. He made me swoon. I’m pretty sure he knew.
Ever since announcing our adoption to friends, family, and acquaintances, we’ve fielded lots and lots of questions. Questions I think most adoptive parents face at one point or another. I thought it might be fun to answer them here.