Structure and the Creative Writer

I recently completed a three-day diet called the Military Diet with no success, practically starving myself for nothing. It was a great disappointment. Upon further research, I discovered that it only works if you have large amounts of weight to lose – 20 pounds or more. I should have done more research before starting because I only have about ten pounds to lose. Did you know that the skinner you are, the harder it is to lose weight?

The same applies to writing. “The plans of the diligent lead to profit” (Proverbs 21:5).

God gave me a pretty good balance of left and right brain. While I am a creative writer, I rely on extensive plotting to make it all come together. Call it structure, if you will. But which kind works best?

Like the diet I tried, what works for one may not work for another. I struggled through several methods before finding a plotting structure that works for me. There are many resources available to writers, and I encourage you to do your research, try several things, and find what works for you. I used my plotting journey as a basis for a workshop I developed called: Forget the Fluff: Mastering the Fab Five Plotting Books to Get That Novel Outlined and Drafted in 30 Days. The 5 books I’m referring to are: “Story Structure Architect” by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, “The Writer’s Journey” by Christopher Vogler, “45 Master Characters” by Victoria Lynn Schmidt, “First Draft in 30 Days” by Karen S. Wiesner, and “Book in a Month” by Victoria Lynn Schmidt. There’s a lot of information, and I break it down into a method that’s easy to follow.

Let’s not forget the ultimate resource – the Bible. Whether it’s dieting or writing, the Bible has an answer for everything. Whatever you seek in life, do so according to God’s will and let Him be your guide. Understand that even the most diligent of plans will fail without God.

Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.”

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step….PRAY before you take that first step!

Blessings!