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Story structure?
Hello! I m currently editing my novel, and despite all the advice and rules I ve heard about story structure and plot, I m finding it difficult to clean my story for a couple reasons- one being that some of my characters are traveling for a large portion of the story. Because of this, it s hard to determine what is absolutely essential to the plot, when the land is the only thing coming between them and what they want, which is to defeat the antagonist. My book also has seven POV characters, and it is the first of a series (which ends in a twist). This also makes it difficult for following advice geared toward more simplistic novels. Any advice for determining the necessary elements of the story would be much appreciated!
2 Answers
- MsBittnerLv 74 years ago
The one rule of fiction is that everything must either propel the plot forward or illuminate or develop character.
If your characters' traveling doesn't do either one, then cut it. It's easy to say "After six grueling days on the roads, the travelers arrived at X filthy and exhausted."
This sort of thing is when the fine points of telling versus showing matter. It's not worth showing things which have little consequence but are necessary for the story's cohesion. It's fine to tell in a single sentence, or a paragraph, rather than entire chapters.
I strongly advise you to start a second draft with a copy of your first effort, then make the cuts on the second draft only. That way if you decide to re-insert something deleted, you still have it.
