Week Nine: "If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else."

This week's theme focussed on shape and structure and how to keep a reader’s interest through change. As the module page put it: “There must be a form of development. We're going to think about this in two ways: narrative structure (plot and story); and figurative language that links and develops new resonances as the narrative unfolds, or which drives the narrative's unfolding.”

We discussed plotting the narrative direction of our stories using various different structures, and how that “allows for different emphases to be created”. The lecture went deeper into the different structures and the benefits of using each for keeping the reader’s interest.

We also examined the classic 19th/20th five act structure of a play (see below) and the ways that could be used in our own stories effectively.

1. inception/ trigger

2. rising action (things getting more complicated)

3. crisis (the turning point/ transformation)

4. denouement (or what happens as a result of the crisis)

5. resolution/ conclusion/ playing out of all the narrative's character arcs.

My notes on this week’s readings:

The Red Convertible by Louise Erdrich

- Things are constantly changing – the reader can’t tell whether things are going to get better or worse.

- The brothers’ bond over the red convertible – it becomes a visual representation/metaphor for their relationship – Lyman tries to use it to reconnect with Henry

- There are a great many details in the story, and it’s not easy to determine which ones are relevant to the ending of the story – creates a sense of anticipation/confusion

- The reader wants things to work out for Henry, but there is always a sense that they won’t – particularly towards the end of the story – an atmosphere of bad things about to happen more than specific foreshadowing, I would say

Greg and Sarah by Jane Feaver

- Although Greg and Sarah are brother and sister, there is a great difference between the two – they are often presented as having juxtaposing views and characteristics.

- There is a general feeling of dissatisfaction on both character’s parts throughout the piece – for Greg because he’s no longer with Claire, and for Sarah as she clearly doesn’t want to be at home for Christmas.

- There is a disparity in how the parents treat their two children – creates an interesting dynamic between the two – sometimes tension or resentment, but at other times they seem to get on quite well.

- The structure is not linear – it moves around between various different points in time quite abruptly – Greg’s mind drifts back to Claire a lot, and so the story drifts back into the past with him – creates an element of confusion for what is the precise order of events.

Bullet in the Brain by Tobias Wolff

- Main character doesn’t seem to absorb the severity/danger of the bank robbery – his actions are not explained, leaving the reader wondering why he is not afraid.

- He keeps talking about things which are unimportant to the situation, such as the ceiling – getting distracted – perhaps this is how his fear manifests itself? Tells us about the character’s frame of mind indirectly.

- The robbers shoot him in the head - his final thoughts are quite complicated– what he could think of and what he actually does

- It’s interesting the way that the author expands the time in which Anders dies – instead of being a quick event, it goes on for a page or so – instead of being a snap death, it is slow – playing around with the concept of time – almost creating the effect of slow-motion, like in a movie.

Below is the work we were asked to do concerning structure in preparation for our seminar:

1. Make a timeline of the events that take place in ‘The Red Convertible’. Indicate where you think the crisis or turning point of the story is.

Lyman makes a lot of money young then loses his business

The brothers buy the car on a whim

The brothers spend the summer together

They meet Suzy and spend time with her family

Henry sent to Vietnam – crisis point

He returns but is changed

The biting lip incident

Lyman breaks the car

Henry repairs the car

The brothers go on the drive together

They fight

They make up

Henry goes out into the water and drowns

Lyman drives the car into the water

Lyman puts up Henry’s photo but then has to take it down again

2. Think about the importance of different scenes to the development of the story and what would happen if any of them were missing.

There are a few key scenes to the direct plot of the story (in bold) which are fundamental to the story itself, but it is the scenes around them which develop the story. The scenes which appear less important demonstrate the mental instability of Henry after he comes home, and therefore are essential to the context of the story. Likewise, the scenes at the beginning give an introduction to the brothers and their bond so are essential.

3. Think about the effect of starting the story in different places along the timeline.

The author effectively plays with the storyline, hopping about between the past, the present and the future in a way which evokes the style of a person recalling a memory – it has parts which appear anecdotal. There are a few different places that the author could have started the story and worked backwards from there, or moved the structure around to make it more complex, however this slow unveiling of what happens to the characters is highly effective.

4. Now look at the key 'figure' in the story: the red convertible. A direct translation of the Greek word metaphor is 'transportation'. Here we have a red car that is clearly a metaphor. But for what? How does it carry meaning (it's literary inscribed with meaning by the characters' actions) and how does that meaning change through the course of the story?

I believe the convertible is a metaphor for the brothers’ relationship. The car symbolised freedom for them both, and their relationship was strengthened through their joint use of the car. When Lyman breaks the car to try and get through to Henry, it is clear that the convertible is a fundamental representation of their relationship and that it is the only way Lyman feels he can reach out to Henry. When Henry dies and Lyman destroys the car, it demonstrates that the car itself doesn’t mean anything to him without its connection to his brother.

5. In the light of your thinking above, I'd like you to sketch out the shape and structure of a story which includes a least two people and a 'figure' (a material object), that propels the narrative and develops metaphorical resonance as the story develops. For instance, this could be two people renovating a house, making a garden, repairing a smart phone.

A couple and a small angel statue

6. Once you've chosen your object and characters, use 'The Red Convertible' as a guide for structuring your own story about the 'figure' you've chosen. You need to include the following:

a) Some back story to the object or first sight of it in the story

The couple move into a new village and see the broken statue in the churchyard – they decide to renovate the statue

b) the purchase of the object and its use

n/a – they happen across the statue and decide to “adopt it”

c) a turning point or crisis

the couple get pregnant and then lose the child – Ellery becomes obsessed with the statue; represents the child she lost – talks to it, visits it daily

d) a denouement/ development from the crisis (i.e. like the restoration of the car)

Daniel struggles to get through to Ellery and so decides to finish renovating the statue as a way to start a dialogue with her – try and get her to come out of herself a little (like Henry and Lyman)

e) the conclusion/ release of the story.

Ellery starts to feel more herself again – visits the statue once a week instead of every day – still lays flowers at the grave

Lecture notes:

- Questions we must ask ourselves when we start to write a story: what form does our story structure take? How does structure affect what we want to say? How do we create a secure structure, and shape and configure our stories into a whole that grabs the reader’s attention right from the start, and leaves them satisfied or intrigued or moved at the end?

- Story is what happens; Plot is the nature of the action, the chain of events, the who, why, what, where, when, how… and the consequence was…

- An explanation of the narrative arc: exposition (background) – rising action (the beginning) – climax – falling action – conclusion

- Structure is the organisation and rhythm of the action - how we bind it together with character, place, dialogue etc into a coherent form. How it reads, looks, begins and ends. How form and content work together.

- The underlying structure is often discreet or invisible and shapes the story.

- It’s the characters’ desires and motivations, and the choices they make in relation to events that make the story exciting, because those choices allow characters to change or evolve.

- If structure is built around change, it’s not the events that are our structure. It’s the choices characters make in relation to those events.

- How do we bind a story together cohesively? Particularly if the structure is non-linear?

- “To arrive at these things is to arrive at my story and that’s the way I look for it. The result is that I’m often accused of not having ‘story’ enough. I seem to myself to have as much as I need – to show my people, to exhibit their relations with each other; for that is all my measure.” Henry James, Preface of The Portrait of a Lady, 1881

- “Even if you don’t map out your story, don’t wander aimlessly about.” lecture

- “If you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else.” lecture

- The reader has to be able to understand the sequence of events – even if the pieces of the story are mixed up, they have to be able to build the jigsaw.

- Possible structures:

- Linear/chronological – from start to finish – unfolds for the reader the same way the events unfold for the narrator/character – picture a river; following it straight from the source

- In medias res – start in the middle, then go to the beginning and cycle through the middle and end again

- Thematic/architectural – think of writing the story like building a house; make a strict architectural plan and stick to it – this was not precisely clear, so I researched the concept for further clarity.

- “Thematic structure is a concept in linguistics. When people talk, there are purposes in three separable parts […] the act of speech, the propositional content and the thematic structure. Because speaking is cooperative, in order that the speaking can be effective in the conversation, speakers have to pay attention to their listeners’ knowledge, state of mind and level of understanding. Speakers can assume that listeners know or do not know what speakers are talking about.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thematic_structure

- Flashback – swapping between present day and the past – don’t dwell in one place too long – keep the reader on their toes

- ‘On one thing I was determined; that, though I should clearly have to pile brick upon brick for the creation of an interest, I would leave no pretext for saying that anything is out of line, scale or perspective.’ Henry James, Preface, The Portrait of a Lady, 1881

To begin the seminar this week, our task was to write the beginning of a story using only the blurb as a prompt in five minutes. We then had our pieces anonymously read out and had to guess which one was the real opening lines, giving our reasons why.

I made these notes from the blurb to use in my writing –

- A Siberian wasteland

- Russian research centre

- Doesn’t officially exist

- They can’t leave

- Message to the outside world

- The one man alive who can get them out

This is what I wrote:

“When we first got here, none of us knew precisely what it was that we were researching. The people who run this project have always been cagey about telling us anything more than is particularly necessary. Scientists from all around the globe drawn to this place of icy desolation, all with the promise that our work would change the world as we knew it.

I now know that we were all specifically sought out. Chosen for our particular set of skills. My work concerning dark matter was of great interest to the project, I was told, and that I would be a valuable member of the team should I choose to accept.

That was the way they got us all here; flattering our egos and telling us that it was our duty as scientists to help discover the unknown. I’ve always liked a challenge, so I was hardly going to refuse.

And now we’re trapped in this snowy wasteland with no way of getting out.”

We all agreed on the correct opening lines. The main point we all noted was that the real version didn’t give away too much of the story in the opening lines. In our writings, most of us were trying to encapsulate the whole plot of the blurb into the opening, which wouldn’t work in the actual story. Giving away too many plot points too early would lose the reader’s interest. The real opening was quite cryptic and didn’t give away many details, hooking the reader and making them want to find out more.

Personally, if I were redrafting, I would start with the people working instead of jumping straight in. And I’d definitely take out the last line; I was nearing the end of our time and just panic wrote it so it doesn’t read back the way I’d like.

For our homework on writing a quest story for this week, we discussed the three important elements of a successful quest story: it must be hard to undertake; it must be easy to understand; a great deal must hang on the outcome.

We were directed to think about the call and the journey out, what happens there, and the journey home. As our seminar leader said, “a story shaped like that has an irresistible momentum.”

(see week nine writing)

When I discussed my story idea with my seminar leader, she gave me a few ideas to think about as to how the story could develop from the point I’ve reached so far.

- How would the dynamic between Daniel and Ellery change when they lose the baby?

- Would Daniel resent Ellery for closing up against him and spending all her time with the memorial?

- Would they blame each other for what had happened?

- Is there anger between them, or just a distance which neither of them know how to close?

- Which would be more effective?

- How else are their lives disrupted by everything that happens?

- Could I create metaphorical links between the lost baby and an object in the story? Such as if Ellery were to start knitting something for the baby (like a hat or something), but she stops when she loses it? Would leaving something unfinished demonstrate more of how Ellery feels?

- Can an object create a link between a dead and an alive character? The object prompts a memory of the dead person? Even if the living person didn't know the dead person (such as for Ellery and Isabella) ?