Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

Structuring Your Novel:

Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story

By K.M. Weiland

I’ve been giving some thought to this blog recently, and I’ve noticed that while I have talked about some things which I’ve picked up from craft books, I haven’t really recommended (directly) any craft books themselves. I’d like this not just to be some fiction recommendation from a writer because I think there are tons of those out there already. Instead, I’d like it to be something of a cross between that and a tool I never had when first trying this out as a kid. A resource maybe where I might be able to share some craft books I’ve read and explain my thoughts on them.

This doesn’t make me an expert.

I think that when it comes to craft and the approach of writing, every writer’s experience is a little bit different. So I hope my reviews and recommendations of craft books may be taken with a grain of salt. Because everyone learns differently, and more importantly, everyone has different approaches to the process of writing. While I might recommend what works for me, I’d caution any writer or potential writer to throw it out the window if they don’t feel it suits their needs and where they’re currently at with developing their art. The secret with writing which no one tells you is that the most important thing in developing your craft is comfort. For some, that might mean never using a craft book in their life (like Stephen King) or writing where not only the pain is but also the pleasure (like Anne Rice used to). Or it could mean reading every craft book under the sun to determine what might work for them (like some of my classmates at VCFA).

At the end of the day, it’s all on you. Because you’re the writer of your work—not me. And you have a specific vision of what you want that is probably different from my own. So, while we dive into one of my favorite craft books that examines structure, please keep that in mind.

I didn’t find Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story on my own; back in the winter of 2018, I was sitting with a former professor in the café on campus at VCFA. I was explaining to her that, while I knew the story I wanted to tell, I didn’t have a clue how to structure it because I’d never written a novel before. She had told me she had a similar issue when she wrote her first novel and recommended this book as a means of seeing what one perspective was in developing plot structure. I gave it a try, and I have no regrets. I’ve since recommended it to a fellow writer who was interested in the art of fiction (she had previously done poetry and kicked ass at creative nonfiction…but I digress), and she loved it so much she read Weiland’s other books to help her think of different ways to tell story.

Probably what I loved most about Weiland’s craft book is that she doesn’t approach the task of imparting wisdom like she’s God’s gift to the written page. There are seldom times that an authoritative tone when reading a book meant to help you by giving you one person’s perspective of writing is well received. Instead, Weiland’s approach is more conversational, and she specifically states in the book that her way of thinking about novel structure isn’t necessarily the end-all be-all. She tells the reader that, if it doesn’t work for them to try something else. Because writing isn’t something like math which has very specific rules, right?

She essentially breaks the daunting story arch into sections, examining exactly how each section works in a traditional novel. Weiland pinpoints some common elements which are present in fiction, and in doing so, she gives you a slightly different take on the novel form and how to gauge your pacing—specifically if you feel your book is carrying the reader through or simply inviting them to journey through. She discusses different pieces of storytelling such as characterization and theme so the reader can get an idea of how they work together. And to me, this was extremely helpful because it’s not just a view of structure which can be solely linked to novels. It may also be scaled down appropriately for short-story writing, something prior to reading this which I struggled with because I always wanted to write a bigger story than the confines of the short story would allow.

But what I also found tremendously helpful with this was the way she looked at expositions. While, once again, she specified that she was not an expert by any means, she evaluated the different ways you could start a novel. And focused on what some common traits of each beginning looked like and how they were matched to the kind of story you’re trying to tell. Previously, that was where I had most struggled—the beginning of the novel. For me, I found it difficult to determine what the best opening scene was and why and, in all honesty, which part of the scene was the most necessary that it had to be in the first paragraph. Weiland offered her take on how to approach the first paragraph and the first page, as well as the first chapter to create a more welcoming exposition.

If there was an area where I felt Weiland could have improved this craft book, I’d say that I would have wanted a little more on endings. While it’s in my nature to write a story till where it feels like it’s over (possibly why some of my endings are strange haha), Weiland had some interesting thoughts on how the ending should function in terms of novel structure. But she didn’t go fully into any kind of ending chapter structure, which I felt could have been interesting. A way of leaving a lasting mark on a reader. But I’m willing to overlook this because the rest was very helpful.

Structuring Your Novel: Essential Keys for Writing an Outstanding Story by K.M. Weiland has opened my eyes to a slightly different way of looking at novel structure, and it inspired me to try to break free of traditional style to broaden my horizons with storytelling. I hope it will do the same for at least one person. I’d like to recommend this craft book to anyone who may be having issues with looking at expositions or novel structure. I’m certainly looking forward to Weiland’s other craft books.