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Story Skeleton—The Great Gatsby
November 18, 2022
Keep in mind that story structure is more about convincing readers to keep turning pages than it is about how to write a story. Within the dimensions of narrative structure, there are still limitless possibilities.
- On the craft
- Story Skeleton
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Story Skeleton: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
May 29, 2022
What Oates controls so beautifully in this story is the quality and intensity of escalation.
- On the craft
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Story Skeleton: Stargirl
April 11, 2022
We don’t particularly need subplots or B-stories or great complexity because the character of Stargirl herself is so compelling, so glowingly fresh and well-drawn, we are charmed into turning each page.
- On the craft
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Story Skeleton: The Bear Came Over the Mountain
March 14, 2022
I am sometimes asked if there is a difference in structure between the novel and the short story. There is no difference, in my opinion, except in terms of energy.
- On the craft
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Story Skeleton: Little Women
December 27, 2021
It’s interesting to consider how Alcott may have completed Jo’s arc were she given artistic freedom to write as she pleased.
- On the craft
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Story Skeleton: The Shining
November 02, 2021
Probably the most important (and difficult) part of writing any novel is figuring out what the protagonist’s main goal will be.
- On the craft
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Story Skeleton: The Secret Garden
September 22, 2021
Children’s books can provide a master class in how to tell a complex story in a short space.
- On the craft
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Story Skeleton: Pride & Prejudice
July 30, 2021
The plot of Jane Austen’s most famous novel of manners, Pride and Prejudice, is remarkably intricate for a book that has been described as “just a bunch of people going to each other’s houses.”
- On the craft
- Story Skeleton
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Story Skeleton: Alice & Ahab
March 18, 2021
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Moby Dick have a surprising amount in common, at least in terms of narrative structure.
- On the craft
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Story skeleton: a plot primer
January 27, 2020
As Orson Welles said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations.” In this way, structure is an integral part of the art of storytelling. It is much more than a formula or cookie-cutter guide.
- On the craft
- Story Skeleton
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Story Skeleton—The Great Gatsby

Story Skeleton: Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?

Story Skeleton: Stargirl

Story Skeleton: The Bear Came Over the Mountain

Story Skeleton: Little Women

Story Skeleton: The Shining

Story Skeleton: The Secret Garden

Story Skeleton: Pride & Prejudice

Story Skeleton: Alice & Ahab

Story skeleton: a plot primer