Write Your Novel
Step by Step


By Melanie Anne Phillips
Creator of StoryWeaver

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For Story

Structure


Story Structure

Library


Videos on

Structure



For Story

Development


Writing

Tips

Library


Articles on Writing






Read the Science Fiction Thriller

From the founder of Storymind

Man Made follows a mysterious force as it sweeps around the globe erasing anything man made - from buildings, vehicles, and technology to medicines, clothing, and dental work.

Governments stagger under the panic, religions are at a loss for an explanation, scientists strive for any means to stop or divert the phenomenon, and the world’s population from families to individuals struggle to prepare for The Event, which will drive humanity back beyond the stone age.

The Event is coming.

Are you prepared?

Copyright Melanie Anne Phillips


Storymind

Free Writing Resources

~ Step 128 ~



Projecting Topic – Act Three



If you have been building your topic from grand illustrations in act one to smaller, more personal ones in act three, you are all set.  That pattern will likely involve the reader personally with little additional effort.


But if you chose to build from the everyday to the philosophical, or if you chose to mix the global and individual examples of your topic throughout your story, then you run the risk of making the point but losing the passion.  In this case, you may need to develop additional material to draw the reader back into your topic, while remaining true to the pattern you were building.


Aside from any inherent interest your readers may share in your chosen thematic subject matter, it will not become important to them personally unless you can relate that topic to their everyday lives.


For some topics, this happens all by itself, since the material explored is intrinsically commonplace and personal.  But for more esoteric or unusual topics, you'll need to find a bridge to the ordinary.


An effective way to construct this bridge is by creating a sub-theme that reflects the grand, but impersonal, topic in microcosm.  In contrast to the main theme, the sub theme will use illustrations that affect individual characters.


Looking over the examples of your topic that you have already created but not yet employed in acts one and two, select those that best reflect the impact of your topic on everyday life.  Then, if you feel you topic is still not personal enough to truly involve the reader, fashion one or more sub themes by specifically developing a series of illustrations of your topic the pertain specifically to the individuals in your story.