Wordplay: Helping Writers Become Authors

Aside from the general worries that our storycraft isn't good enough, authors are also usually on the verge of freaking out about what people are going to think about us.

I asked those of you who follow me on Facebook and Twitter for story-structure questions you'd like me to address before I wrap up the series.

Most books need an extra scene or two to tie off any leftover loose ends and, just as importantly, to guide your readers to the emotion with which you want to leave them.

The climax of a story should have readers on the edges of their seats. They should be breathless, tense, and curious to the point of bursting.

By the time the third act is finished, all the salient questions must be answered, the conflict resolved one way or another, and the reader left with a feeling of satisfaction.

Your main character caps the dramatic event at the midpoint with his decision to stop reacting and start acting.

The midpoint is what caps the reactions in the first half of the book and sets up the chain of actions that will lead the characters into the climax.

This first half of the second act is where your characters find the time and space to react to the first major plot point.

The inciting incident sets the story in motion while the key incident is what the story is about and draws the main character into the story line.

The first plot point marks the finish of the first act, and the character's reaction to it marks the beginning of the second.

Once you've hooked the reader, your next task is to put your early chapters to work introducing your characters, settings, and stakes.

The hook comes in many forms, but stripped down to its lowest common denominator, the hook is nothing more or less than a question.

Let's consider a few of the reasons every author should care about structure - and why none of us should fear it.

To make the most of our lives as writers, we must understand the core principles and defining moments of being an author.

When we choose the wrong punctuation in the wrong place, the result is the readerly equivalent of coughing over too much cayenne pepper.