Crafting the Journey of Your Characters

In the narrative odyssey, understanding and developing the structure and plotting of your story is akin to charting a map for an epic adventure. This stage is about figuring out not just the journey your characters will embark upon, but also how they will navigate through it. It involves meticulously planning both the internal and external structures that will guide them to their ultimate destination.

Laying the Tracks for Your Story

Imagine you're laying down the tracks for a train. You've already built the engine through character development and establishing a solid foundation. Now, it's time to build the tracks that will carry your story forward. This involves intertwining the action-based thread with the emotional-based thread, ensuring they complement and enhance each other throughout the narrative.

Emotional Dynamics in Structure and Plotting

During this phase, a spectrum of emotions comes into play:

• Confidence: As the structure takes shape, a sense of confidence builds.
• Wonder and Awe: The beauty of how the story pieces fit together can be awe-inspiring.
• Integration: The feeling of different story elements coming together cohesively.
• Certainty: Gaining clarity on the direction of the narrative.
• Gratitude: For the creative process and the story that’s unfolding.
• Determination: To see the story through to its logical conclusion.

Challenges in Structuring Your Story

Yet, structuring a story is not without its trials:

• Resistance to bringing the story to completion.
• Frustration and despair when the plot doesn’t seem to align.
• The grind and fatigue of detailed scene and story building.

Practical Steps in Structuring and Plotting

To navigate these challenges, I employ several practices:

• Mapping out the stages of the Hero's Journey for my characters.
• Weaving the emotional thread through the narrative.
• Balancing the internal and external journeys of the characters.
• Undertaking the hard yards of scene building and ensuring logical story progression.

The Hero’s Journey and Structural Development

In terms of the Hero's Journey, this stage aligns with 'Atonement with the Father,' (or mother'Apotheosis,' 'Ultimate Boon,' and 'Refusal of the Return.' It's about facing the ultimate challenges and achieving the pinnacle of the character’s journey before contemplating the return to the ordinary world.

The objectives at this stage are clear:

• Integrating the inner journey with the outer narrative.
• Completing the plot with all scenes logically ordered.
• Understanding each stage of the Hero’s Journey and how it applies to your story.
• Tracking the character arc through the stages of the narrative.

The Symphony of Storytelling

Structuring and plotting a story is about creating a symphony where every note, every beat, resonates with purpose and intent. For writers immersed in this phase, embrace the complexity of weaving together the many threads of your narrative. Let your story unfold with precision and passion.

Stay tuned for the next blog, where we'll explore the nuances of bringing your structured story to life, ensuring that every scene, every character movement, contributes to the grand narrative you’re crafting.