Book Club Story structure – do you need it? by Alison Morton
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(RÉÉ[}vÉR]vPRu'É}˙} É`]ÉU] [}˙ÉX Ioo}`˙}}]lo˙]Pv}Év remedy plot problems as well as helping you to create stories that work.
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, there is usually a big
TRÉR]}Év`]RvP and never lets up. From the 75% mark on, the characters and the readers alike É]v(}`]o]ÉXOLÉvRÉ}uÉ É R}Év Éu}}v}vPÉRÉ]]}(RÉ}˙]vÉÉU}LÉv Éoo]vP]u}uÉv}(lÉ]X
TRÉ.ræA9}( RÉ}}lWRÉ. W}u]ÉRÉ rÉ X Although this seems to be a large Rvl}(˙}}˙} devote to introducing the story, you need to draw readers in enough to care about what happens to the characters vRÉ]É]ÉXNÉRÉÉP]vv]vP}(R]É}vURÉÉ should be an important and irreversible moment: the ]v]vP]v]Év`R]R]PPÉRÉ`R}oÉ}˙XOLÉvRÉ u]vRÉ]o]]vPv}]v˙o](É`RÉv}uÉR]vP ˘}]v˙ É ]RÉ]ÉWRÉ]o}(vÉ` bachelor in the area, a space invasion, a shipwreck, the R É }(ÉoÉUPo˙U}vPÉoÉ'É}]vP }vRÉ}}uU}Évv]vÉvo}vG]XWv]vPPÉ (o É }(u]vPlP}vlRÉ]v(}u}v]v lengthy chunks.
TRÉo]u˘}(}˙ should have readers on the edges }(RÉ]U É }É lv}``RRÉvXI(˙}[É 'ÉÉ(É`oÉ]v]} É RÉWÉv(É` Év]Pu`}}ÉvÉvÉWRÉ˙u]PRÉ`R[ }u]vPXH}`ÉU É RÉ˙R}oo}É+É]vPvÉRÉ ˘]]É É }É}(u}ÉRvRÉ}`}}(}X
Nɢ}uÉRÉ}v É WRÉÉ}vX Y}RÉ .vRÉuÉv}É }É RÉ]v]vP]v]Év ]v}vP~v}LÉv]É}oÉZ`˙XTRÉ}vU `R]R`]oooÉ}v}RÉÉ}vvv}RÉv v}RÉUovRÉ˙}}v É XTRÉRÉ}LÉv P}ÉR}PRR}lUÉv]ol]Éo]É(URÉv}( ˘]É É uÉvlvPÉURÉvvÉÉ vÉu]v}v} do something to address what has happened.
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Next in line is the midpoint and we need a strong centre }RvPRÉ}( É RÉ}˙}vXI}oÉ]}É˙}( }uÉR]vPÉvoUÉ]]}vUulÉr}rÉlÉvU a new character who will be a help or hindrance to the protagonist. Without a strong mid-point, the story can 30 | The Deux-Sèvres Monthly, July 2022
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