If you are writing a novel or you have just finished, you owe it to yourself to meditate upon the angle (organization) of your story. Every novel will tell a story. And every story will need a reviewer and an editor. The organization must be carefully thought out. Your story must be believable, solid and should evoke an emotional response in your readers.
In the same way a movie director will consider different angles for a particular scene(s), you need to consider the following: the opening of your book, the plot, (also known as the main thread) and the conclusion. And you also need to consider your voice, characterization and the theme you are presenting. A story with open issues will demand much rework.
Play your story through your mind. Then rewind it and play it from another angle, then another. You're doing this because you want to deliver the best angle for your audience. Perhaps you have already played out your story many times over. But here's the point to all of this, whatever angle your heart tells you is right, (you're thinking about your audience) then go in that direction. And when you have finished your manuscript, you then really need to find a good reviewer. (The cost ranges from $250.00 to $500.00.) Find one who knows the Dynamics of Story Structure. Now I hate to say this, but there are reviewers who have swelling egos-and there are others who are mentors. Reviewers with swelling egos are like movie credits. They will tell you many things about your story they think are wrong. They will not help you. If possible, find a reviewer who will mentor you. A mentor will help improve the heart beat of your story. But keep in mind that your story is your baby. And you will ultimately need to discern certain areas of your story that are important and meaningful to you, even after being reviewed.
After your reviewer sends you his or her evaluation, this is where you need to critically analyze your reviewer's comments. And his or her comments may include title, characterization, structure of plot, voice, syntax, and maybe a few other things. Get clarification if you have questions. After digesting the evaluation, take the best pieces of advice that you feel will enrich your story-and implement them.
Let's take a brief look at my story - one of the ideas my reviewer suggested was removing some of the characters from the story. Consider the plot, she said. It's like a long string, known as the main thread. Then branching off of the main thread, my novel had many, many scenes. There were more characters in the earlier drafts of my novel then in the final. My reviewer pointed out that some of the main characters are related to other (less dominating) characters, like brothers related to sisters. But not all characters are related to the plot, or to the theme you are attempting to deliver. Therefore, all the scenes with non-plot related characters need to go. To tell you the truth, this was very helpful because her advice did streamline my story. Her piece of advice eliminated boredom. The story moved much faster.
Now let's focus back to your story. After you implement the good things you liked, you need to revisit the things you don't like. Perhaps your reviewer misunderstood something. But if you feel your story is sound, this is where you need to discern between your storyline and the reviewer's advice. Be strong! Follow your heart! If you had ten reviews from ten different people you would have ten different points of view.
Looking at my novel again, here's an example of discerning my story over the reviewer's suggestions. I pondered the organization of my plot for days after my reviewer suggested making radical changes with it. After critically thinking how the readers would react to my scenario verses the reviewer's, I decided not to follow her advice. The organization of my plot was complex to begin with, but sound. I was working with two stories that merged; the early twentieth-century (1915) part-of-the-story and the present-day part, both sandwiched in between two covers. My reviewer said that the book was schizophrenic in nature. In her opinion, I should 'weave' both stories together, going back and forth from chapter to chapter. But to me, this would have been too difficult to write and the organization would have become more complex. And the readers may find it hard to connect with both stories rapidly changing. However, her advice did evoke me to make one improvement with the story's beginning.
After you feel comfortable deciding what to change and what not to change, then you need to send your manuscript off to an editor. And this is where you might hear more points of view. Try not to get upset with your editor. Just explain to him or her 'your' point of view and 'your' theme. If your editor makes suggestions (that your reviewer didn't think of), again, take the good and leave the bad. And as you go through all of this, you will begin to grasp the dynamics of story structure. And if your story structure is absolutely believable, sound and evokes an emotional response in your readers, then be strong and follow your heart!
After all was said and done, I had my novel reviewed by Jerry D. Simmons, the former marketing director of Random House and Time Warner Books. Mr. Simmons truly like the story and found it to be very engaging and well constructed.
Patrick Davis was first introduced to the magic of storytelling through film making. Knowing the Dynamics of Story Structure, his inspiration and talent is admired in his first novel, The Silent Note. Patrick is a mentor to other writers. He lives in San Diego, California. To learn more go to http://www.silentnotethebook.com
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