[Writing Lessons from the Front 01] • The Plot Skeleton

If you were sitting in a room with twenty other people, at first glance you might think they are quite different. After all, people come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. But if you were to put on x-ray glasses and look at those same people's skeletons, unless one of them had an abnormality, they would appear almost identical. In the same way, short stories, novels, screen plays, children's books, and epic poetry may appear to be vastly different, but they all tell stories. And because they do, unless they have an abnormality, they have the same skeleton--the same structure supporting the story. Veteran novelist and teacher Angela Hunt explains how to structure a story--any story--in simple terms, carefully illustrating all you need to know in order to craft a wonderful novel, screenplay, children's book, or epic poem of your own. These lessons, Hunt says, "are brief for a reason-I don't want you to spend most of your time reading how-to books. I will give you what you need so you can put what you've learned into practice. That's the best way to improve." Enjoy this writing lesson for a fraction of the cost of attending one of Angela's writing classes--your writing will never be the same.