The Plan, The Thing and The Other Things

by Mazzy Adams.

I like a plan that comes together, don’t you? We all have them. Nicely thought out, supported by research, relevant consultation and wise advice, organised and actioned consecutively in a timely manner, success celebrated with circumspect consideration for all the answered prayers, amazing people that came alongside to help, all those wonderful coincidences whereby everything fell into place in the nick of time, followed by moments of thankfulness and modest recognition for your own personal diligence in achieving such a positive outcome. Does that describe your usual experience?  Yes? No? Sometimes?

If you answered ‘Yes’, please, oh please, tell me do, how do you do it? I am keen to know because, after a year (at the least) of having one plan after another hijacked by circumstances beyond my control, I think I have lost that plot! Unexpected obstacles thwarted my every move; nothing happened ‘in a timely manner’, wise advice eluded me when I needed it most, my prayers appeared to ricochet. I thank God I was able to enjoy some precious moments with some amazing people in Katoomba and Sydney during the 2016 Omega Writers Conference. Without them, I’d be a mouldering heap of blithering self-pity right now (as opposed to the tongue-in-cheek purveyor of philosophical rhetoric on how life really works that I’m trying to pull off here).

I have felt like the protagonist in an experimental first draft; the arc of my character development pushed to and fro by an unruly pendulum. Who on earth is writing me into such a frustrating story? I mean, just because a good writer drives their precious, bookish creations to the brink of insanity if not destruction so that truth will be revealed and meaning or purpose discovered, it doesn’t mean … It doesn’t mean … Oh. Yeah. It does. I get it. Now.

I get it because I know the Author:

 ‘Your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.’ Psalm 139:16 (NIV)

I get it because I know He knows the plot:

‘“For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

I get it because I know He has a purpose:

‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.’ Romans 8:28 (NIV)

Thankfully, His story ends well:

‘He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade … you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.’ 1 Peter 1:3-4, 8-9 (NIV)

Are you frustrated by a similar period of thwarted plans and a confusing life script? I encourage you to hang in there (that’s what I’m trying to do) and trust that God has both the process and the outcome covered. After all, given the longevity and ongoing sales record of His written word, He is clearly an excellent author with a proven track record.

So here’s the thing: Although my plans may go awry, my life still has purpose and meaning because God created me with His purpose in mind. 

Here’s another thing: Discovering His purpose, then walking in it, is proving to be a very grand adventure, with high stakes and unexpected twists and turns, but it promises an awesome outcome. Bring it on!

And here's another thing: I’d like to share a concept I learned while attending a recent Queensland Writers Centre Express Year of the Novel Course led by Veny Armanno. I found the concept useful for analysing plot and simplifying or distilling a story into a synopsis. The theory, posited by Tony Earley, says stories need two pieces: The Thing and The Other Thing.

As I understand it, ‘The Thing’ is your story’s central idea or premise which, on its own, may be interesting or relatively mundane, even familiar. For example: Girl meets boy and falls for him.

‘The Other Thing’ is the approach, the twist, the extraordinary thing that gives your story zing, and takes it to another level. For example: The boy is a righteous alien from Krypton and way too busy saving the world from evil to court a brash, female journalist who is forever getting into trouble, but court her, he does. (Yeah, I'm a fan of Superman. And feel free to jump in on the allegory.)

Not wishing to trample any copyright toes, I tried (unsuccessfully) to find a link to the originator, Tony Earley. What I found instead was a post by Sharon Pelletier of Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC. Sharon explains Earley’s premise in words more-or-less identical to those in the course notes I received. So I’ve included her link here for anyone who would like to read more about ‘The Thing and The Other Thing’.

Have any interesting things (or 'Other Things') rocked your world recently?

Mazzy Adams is an Australian wife, mother, grandmother, creative and academic writing tutor and published author with a passion for words, pictures and the positive potential in people.

Website: www.mazzyadams.com

Email: maz@mazzyadams.com

Let's Twist Again by Nola Passmore

Photo credit: beautyfromashes / Foter/ CC BY-NC-ND

Picture this. Businessman, adult son, and work colleague go into closed room while businessman’s wife waits outside. A shot rings out. Wife enters room to discover husband dead and son grappling with work colleague. Work colleague runs from room with gun, and the rest of the novel is spent hunting the murderer.

When I read that scenario, I thought to myself, ‘Oh I bet the son turns out to be the killer’. And guess what? He was. Although the novel was well-written, with lots of suspense, the fact that I picked the twist in the first 20 pages did dampen my enthusiasm.

When I read Ian McEwan’s Atonement, I had a totally different experience. While there are some aspects of the book I didn’t enjoy, the twist is the best I’ve ever read. It turned the whole novel on its head.

So what makes a good twist?

Avoid the Obvious

There are some really well-worn plot twists that invariably let down the reader. Here are some examples.

• You follow your protagonist through an incredible series of events, only to find it was all a dream.
• The strange man you saw kissing the married woman turns out to be her brother.
• The protagonist is behaving out of character and you discover he has an identical twin.

The more original you are, the more likely you’ll create that ‘ah ha’ moment for your readers.

Work on the ‘Set Up’

While it’s important for a twist to surprise, it shouldn’t come ‘out of the blue’ or trick your readers. There needs to be some foreshadowing so that when your readers get to the big reveal, they think ‘Wow, that all makes sense now’. Kate Morton does a brilliant job of this in The Secret Keeper. The twist in itself isn’t the most unique I’ve ever come across. In fact, I read another novel recently that used a similar device. However, her plotting and foreshadowing is brilliant. While I didn’t see the twist coming, it explained everything and I felt like I wanted to go back and read the book again in light of the twist.

It Advances the Story

As K.M. Wieland notes, a plot twist shouldn’t be an end in itself. It has to contribute to the plot in a meaningful way so that readers will be excited about the ensuing developments. The twist should actually make the story better.

All of that is easier said than done of course, but if you can develop original twists that avoid gimmicks, are set up well and raise your story to the next level, you’ll have thousands of happy readers.

Which novels have you read that have great twists? I’d love to hear your suggestions (without the spoilers of course).

More Reading

Scheller, R. (2014). 4 Ways to Write a Killer Plot Twist. Retrieved from: http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/there-are-no-rules/4-ways-to-write-a-killer-plot-twist

N.B. Most of this article is an excerpt from Story Trumps Structure by Steven James.

Wieland, K. M. (2013). 5 Ways to Write a Killer Plot Twist. Retrieved from http://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/5-ways-to-write-killer-plot-twist/

Nola Passmore is a freelance writer who has had more than 140 short pieces published, including devotionals, true stories, magazine articles, academic papers, poetry and short fiction.  She loves sharing what God has done in her life and encouraging others to do the same.  She and her husband Tim have their own freelance writing and editing business called The Write Flourish.  You can find her writing tips blog at their website: http://www.thewriteflourish.com.au