Writing for Young Adults – Finding a story arc

Some people plan in detail. Others prefer to just start writing.  Below are common patterns of story. You may wish to use this to plan a story or to see if a finished story is working.

 

Basic four character theory

There are four basic characters: the hero, the friend, the enemy, and the mentor

The hero is usually human

The friend, enemy or the mentor may not be human

Story comes from the interaction and tension between them

The mentor usually disappears, leaving the hero to have the adventure on their own.       

Campbell, Propp, Vogler theory

Joseph Campbell surveyed lots of fairy stories and modern stories. Propp looked primarily at folk stories. Vogler adapted Campbell’s theory for the film industry. Vogler claims that his theory actually works slightly better of it is a little skewed.

According to these three the heroes go through the following hoops:

• The Ordinary World (V) Hero leaves society (P) 
• Call to adventure (V)
• Refusal of the Call (C,V)
• Meeting with the Mentor (V) Supernatural Aid (C) Meets a stranger (P)
• Crossing the First Threshold (V)
• The Belly of the Whale (V), Trials, Allies, Enemies (V), The Road of Trials, Arduous Journey (P) Capture by Strange Warriors (P)
• The Meeting with the Goddess (C) Protection by ugly girl (P)
• Woman as temptress (C) Appearance of the Queen, the beloved one (P)
• The Approach to the Innermost Cave (V) Lovemaking (P)
• Ordeal (V) 
• Atonement with the Father ( C )
• Apotheosis ( C )
• The Ultimate Boon ( C ), Reward (V),  Resolution (P)
• Refusal of the Return (C)
• The Magical Flight (V)
• Rescue from without ( C )
• The Road Back (V)
• Master of Two Worlds (C) Resurrection (V)
• Freedom to Live (C) Return with the Elixir (V)

Booker’s seven basic plots

Christopher Booker recognises seven basic plots;

1. Overcoming the Monster

Rags to Riches

2. The Quest
3. Voyage and Return
4. Comedy
5. Tragedy
6. Rebirth

He gives us more detail:  

Overcoming the monster

The call

Initial success

Confrontation

Final Ordeal

Miraculous escape   

Rags to Riches

Initial wretchedness at home (call)

Out in the world – initial success

Central crisis

Independence and the final ordeal

Final union, completion and fulfilment

Quest- Odyssey

Problems encountered:

Monsters

Temptations

Deadly opposites

Journey to the underworld

Voyage and return

Call

Journey

Arrival and frustration

Final ordeals

Goal

Voyage and return

Anticipation

Dream stage

Frustrations stage

Nightmare stage

Thrilling escape and return

Comedy

Often contains:

• Characters dressing up in disguise or swapping clothes 
• Men dressing up as women  or vice versa
• Secret assignations when the wrong person turns up
• Characters hastily concealed in cupboards etc. 

Types of comedy:

• Burlesque
• Dark figure is hero themself
• No dark figures

Tragedy   

Act One - anticipation

Act Two – dream stage

Act Three – frustration stage

Act Four – nightmare stage  

Act Five – destruction stage 

Booker also recognises an overall story form:

Initial phase

Opening out

Severe – constriction

Dark power dominant

Reversal and liberation

McKee’s theory

Robert McKee’s Story was also written for the film industry but is no longer so popular there now.

It seems like a simplified version of the Campbell / Propp / Vogler theory and is in fact similar to Booker’s overarching template:

.

Inciting incident / hook 

Growing complexities (The longer the novel, the more there are. Usually there are at least three.)

Crisis

Climax

Resolution  

If you want to study McKee’s book, I recommend reading the whole book, then reread Chapter 14.

 

Plots and sub-plots

Both I and Andrew Melrose’s present theories about the relationship between plot and sub plot.

Melrose: sub-plots are proportional to each other and to the main plot. These proportions form a pyramid.

Is there something of the Golden Segment in this?

My theory embraces Melrose’s but adds that each sub-plot is part of the main plot and the next biggest sub-plot.

We both say that the smallest sub-plot contains the “aha” moment. There is often some sort of epiphany for the hero.

In addition I say that this smallest sub-plot forms a bridge to the main plot.

See below how this pans out in Cinderella.

Main plot: Cinder’s life is transformed.

Sub-plot 1: she has a battle with the ugly step-sisters and her step-mother

Sub-plot 2: she wants to go to the ball but is prevented and then overcomes that prohibition.

Sub-plot 3: the fairy godmother helps her to get to the ball but imposes restrictions  

Sub-plot 4: she overcomes these restrictions to have a relationship with the prince

Sub-plot 5: the slipper is all important – it must fit Cinders’ foot (and note the obstacles that stand in the way of that! Even a sub-plot has a whole story arc)

Working with Archetypes

You can also put together characters based on the archetypes. See what happens:

•         Good old man

•         Innocent young girl

•         Rival or “shadow”

•         Temptress

•         Father

•         Mother

•         Rivals

•         Other self 

Have a go

1. Even if you don’t normally plan your stories in detail, have a go at planning one of the stories according to one of the templates provided above.
2. Test out another of the theories in something you’re reading.
3. Do you have a story that is not quite working? Test against a third theory. 

Some recommended reading 

 

Writing for Young Adults

 

Who the reader is

This reader is generally in Key Stage 4 and 5 in the British school system.  They are aged roughly 14-17. They are post-puberty and fully functioning sexually. They may or may not be sexually active.

They do have problems with their brain and tend to reason with their emotions as the frontal lobes, the area of reason and common sense, are the last to develop fully.

They have more dopamine in the brain than the adult or the child, so they tend to take bigger risks to get thrills – “joy riding” is such an apt expression for those young people who steal killer machines and ride off into the night.

They will have some involvement with the drug world – curiosity, experimentation, addiction – escapism or risk-taking    

  

Melatonin, the sleep-inducing chemical, arrives later so the young adult goes to bed later.

There is a rapid growing and cutting back of synpases.  If you don’t use it, lose it.  This is perhaps represented in Philip Pullman’s Dark Materials where the adolescents’ daemons change rapidly. They need as much sleep as a toddler in order to process all of this. Because of the late arrival of the melatonin, and the late hour at which they go to sleep, though their days still start at the same time as they do for adults, they are deprived of dreams and sleep at a time when they need more sleep

They suffer from mood swings, confidence swings and unjustified depression. There is a lot going on so they become self-obsessed.

They still want to order their universe, just like the younger teens, but this is more complicated than they thought earlier. They are seeking their identity – the world has changed.  

Nicola Morgan has written the book Blame My Brain which discusses all of this in more detail. She gives a student and teacher- friendly version of the research conducted by Jay Giedd and Robert McGivern.

 

What the books look like

The protagonists and other characters look like their readers, though possibly they are about two years older.  So, more stable adults will act like young adults. For this to seem believable we have to have very high stakes.

The books are often multi-genred and multi-themed.  We can call these genres and themes “traits”. The average number of “traits” in a YA books is 8.9. This would be a nightmare for publishers or book-sellers. But for YA it is simple: the text is defined by its reader not by its genre or theme.      

High emotions are involved. There is an emotional closeness between the narrator and the reader. A first person immediate narrative is often used. The voice is often one of a best mate telling a story that (s(he) has yet to rationalise.

The pace is fast.

The reader has control of the story. S(he) often decides what has actually happened at the end and how the future might pan out. The reader is often also left to decide what is happening within the story itself.

The YA text frequently pushes boundaries. Educationalist are pleased that young people are reading so they accept edgier texts. This renders those texts less acceptable to the young adult. Writers then have to produce even edgier texts. There are also some chicklet-lit texts (like Chick-Lit but for a slightly younger readers and often a little more serious).  Some texts resemble adult or children's novels. Books read for GCSE and A-Level are often labelled as “YA” by book sellers.   

The young adult is almost always a Bildungsroman, often to do with identity and often following an epic voyage. We see the growth of the young person.

There is a narrative dilemma. Emotional closeness slows the pace. However, if the stakes are high, pace and tension are achieved thought the emotional response to them.   

We can even adapt the Campbell, Propp, Vogler joint story theory to be a story of adolescence.

 

The Story of Adolescence

Joseph Campbell, Vladimir Propp and Christopher Vogler

·         Ordinary World  (V) Childhood

·         Call to Adventure (P) Invitation to become adult through the onset of puberty.

·         Refusal of the Call (P) The adolescent sometimes wishes to continue to behave like a child.

·         Meeting with the Mentor (V) Supernatural Aid (C) trusting other authorities from childhood which had parents and school. The trappings of teenage life – clothes, make-up, music, and possibly also drugs and alcohol give supernatural help.

·         Crossing the First Threshold (P) Going through  puberty.

·         The Belly of the Whale (C) Trials, Allies, Enemies (V) The Road of Trials  (C) The ups and downs of becoming an adult, changes in the brain, hormones going mad, and could the belly of the whale be the typical teenager’s bedroom?

·         The Meeting with the Goddess (C ) The seduction by the opposite sex, or same sex role models put upon a pedestal – idol worship / footballers / pop stars

·         Woman as Temptress ( C ) Sexual experimentation

·         Approach to the Inmost Cave (V) Going deep into oneself to find true identity.

·         Ordeal (V) The struggle to find one’s own truth.

·         Atonement with the Father (C) Reconciliation with the old way of life and the essence of the personality.

·         Apotheosis (C) Emergence of a beautiful new adult.

·         The Ultimate Boon (C) Reward (V) Finding a role in life.

·         Refusal of the Return (C) Denial of roots.

·         The Magic Flight (C) Reaching out to those roots with the new adult knowledge.

·         Rescue from without (C) Facing the realities of the world.

·         The Road Back (V) Reconciliation between the new and old orders. (Parents who had seemed incredibly stupid when one was fourteen, now that one is seventeen seem not too bad after all.) 

·         Master of Two Worlds (C) Resurrection (V) The new adult takes up the new position in the world but still appreciates what has come before.

·         Freedom to Live (C) Return with the Elixir (V) Self-esteem and self-knowledge.

·          

Looking at a Young Adult text

What are the characters like?

1. Post-puberty

2.      Fully functioning sexually.

3.      May or may not be sexually active.

4.      Problems with brain:

5.      Reasons with emotions

a.       Frontal lobes – area of reason- last to develop

b.      More dopamine  - so needs to take bigger risks to get thrills – “joy riding”

c.       Melatonin arrives later so goes to bed later  

d.      Rapid growing and cutting back – if you don’t use it, lose it – think of Pullman’s daemons

6.      Mood swings / confidence swings / unjustified depression.

7.      A lot going on so they become self-obsessed 

8.      Want to order their universe – but this is more complicated than they thought earlier.

9.      Seeking identity – the world has changed.

10.  Deprived of dreams and sleep at a time when they need more sleep.

11.  Have some involvement with the drug world – curiosity, experimentation, addiction – escapism or risk-taking    

The text? 

1.      Multi-genred and multi-themed (traits)  

2.      High emotions are involved

3.      Fast-paced

4.      Leaves control to reader – within story and at end.

5.      Pushes boundaries – though may be Chicklet-lit or resemble adult or children's novel 

Bildungsroman – often to do with identity and often following epic voyage – Campbell, Propp, Vogler joint theory as “Story of Adolescence” 

Find a scene that includes emotional closeness.  How is this achieved?

•      Inner monologue

•      Real time

•      Physical description of emotional reactions

•      Show a range of powerful emotions

•      Voice – one young adult talking to another – though take care not to use too many trendy words

•      Use of appropriate narrative styles – maybe journal, letter or email     

•      Lack of logic

How much is the text showing and not telling? Has the writer followed these rules?

•      Use real time

•      Write with senses

•      Be specific

•      Create a film for the reader

•      Avoid exposition

•      Take short cuts with description

•      Make characters speak

•      Take care with backstory – tell it in scenes or careful inner monologue

How does the dialogue work? Does it follow these rules?

•      Must always have a function – show character, sub-text, move plot forward, create atmosphere or some or all of these

•      Must not be too natural BUT

•      Must be in the voice of the speaker

•      Must be carefully assigned:

–     Often no ‘said’ needed if only two people speaking BUT

–     Needs more assignation for young people

–     Use action instead of assignation

–     Occasionally ‘whispered’, ‘shouted’ or ‘asked’ is fine   

•      MAKE SURE YOU KNOW HOW TO SET IT OUT CORRECTLY if you are going to write for this reader.

How has the narrative dilemma been solved?

•      Emotional closeness is best shown, not told.

•      Showing and not telling slows the pace.

•      A lot of dialogue slows the pace.

•      Young adults want fast pace and risk-taking 

•       Suggestions:

–     Balance of narrative techniques

–     High stakes 

–     Write with senses to create film

 

How to do it

Think of your characters and your story.

Now write a scene that:

·         Brings the writer and the reader close together

·         Shows and doesn’t tell

·         Has some dialogue in it

·         Resolves the young adult narrative dilemma

Is your text working? Show it to someone and see what they “get”.  

Some books to study

Bertagna, Julie.(2004) The Opposite of Chocolate. London: Young Picador

Brooks, Kevin. (2014) Lucas. Frome: Chicken House 

Burgess, Melvin. (2016) Junk first published 1996. London: Andersen

Burchill, Julie (2004) Sugar Rush. London: Macmillan Children’s Books  

Cann, Kate. (2001) Breaking Up. London: The Women’s Press     

Chbosky, Stephen. (1999) The Perks of Being a Wallflower. New York: Simon and Shuster 

Landy, Derek. (2015) Demon Road. London: HarperCollins

Weatherly, Lee. (2013) Angel Fever. London: Usborne