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LDSPMA

Katherine Farmer’s “Cracking the Story Code”

November 18, 2015 By LDSPMA 2 Comments

By Amy White

Cracking the Story Code: Increasing a Work’s Success through Age-Appropriate Plot Patterns (An Introduction)

Each stage of human development has a corresponding plot pattern. Because of this, young readers will either accept or reject a work depending on whether it parallels their patterns of thought.

Finding the right plot pattern for each developmental stage doesn’t take a degree in Piagetian philosophy, but it does help to have the insight of one who has studied human development and how it can be applied to narrative works.

There are five plot pattern “pure forms,” three of which are drawn from Aristotle’s classic model:

1. Simple: Single goal plot pattern, in which the entire action seeks to resolve the initial problem, with clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. Often found in children’s picture books such as The Cat in the Hat or Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

2. Episodic (two varieties):

a. Nesting Episodic: Self-contained story units that pile up on each other, but are not connected with a story line. Same characters, new stories (e.g., Christmas Story, Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory).

b. Latticing Episodic: Open-ended story units that spiral and pile up cumulatively. Same characters with multiple stories where there is an over-arching story line through-out (e.g., Lobel’s Frog and Toad are Friends, and many of today’s television series).

3. Complex (Level 1): Single on-going action that includes the element of surprise, at least one reversal, and a recognition process. These works are psychologically complex, but with action that is not hard to follow (e.g., most one-act plays, Patterson’s Bridge to Terabithia, Oedipus Rex).

And, after the study of more than 2,000 works in 10 geographic regions in 320 library systems, two more plot patterns emerged:

4. Cumulative: Incidents that pile upon other incidents with the only unifying tie being the central character (e.g., The Gingerbread Man, There Was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly).

5. Paralleling: Multiple story lines that run parallel to each other, at the same time. Each story line is unique, and usually pulled together by the end (e.g., Pinballs by Byars, television series such as Modern Family).

Pre-Operational Thought: Zero to Seven-year-old Children
This Intuitive phase of development prefers simple and single-goal patterns as found in the Simple and Cumulative plot patterns—patterns where the entire action seeks to resolve the initial problem. Narratives that have a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. Works such as Seuss’s Cat in the Hat. These children judge by a single clue, are preoccupied with the parts of the whole, as they are not able to see the forest for the trees, and will always judge a work by its end—not the process that got them there.

Concrete Operational: Seven to 11 year old children.

The awareness that others do not share their personal perspective identifies this age group. The discovery of other points of view leaves this age with a need to verify their ideas with concrete evidence supporting their view. This age prefers a narrative that has neat and self-contained units, like those found in episodic plot patterns. Examples include Lobel’s Frog and Toad Are Friends, up to the mixed nesting and latticing episodic pattern of Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. The need for this age to have near reality–with the fantastic taking place within the home, or nearby. Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is considered nearly unbelievable, until the concrete and seemingly real machines are introduced. Machines that can be felt, seen, and heard, that then justify the existence of the remarkable and fantastical the story contains.

Formal Operational Thought: 12 year old children, young adults, and cognitively mature adults.

As a child’s thinking matures at age 11 or 12, they are capable of shifting to a higher and more complex level of thought, and Complex plot patterns. This shift usually settles into an equilibrium by age 16. At this point they begin to find irony as a form of humor, along with satirical works that contain hidden and subtle meanings. Interweaving, paralleling stories—works with multiple plots and subplots—like those found in Collin’s Hunger Games, or Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, along with Shakespeare’s works are found to be comprehensible and even fun.

The above plot patterns are not a complete listing, there are mixes and variants that branch off of, and blend, the five “pure forms.” Variations that also bring in differing developmental ages. It is merely a launching point for delving into the powerful impact that appropriate plot patterns can have when they are matched to appropriate developmental stages. You will find that, as you match your work’s target age with their developmental capabilities through deliberate plot management, you will be keeping those audience gateways open. And we as producers of narrative works should always be looking for those gates. Every mental gate you successfully identify and keep open will put you yet another step closer to influencing the world for the better through your good works.

Filed Under: Articles, Featured Works, Writing

How I Got into a Publishing Career

November 12, 2015 By LDSPMA Leave a Comment

By Eric Smith

My path took a big twist before I got into a publishing career. I want to share some details of my journey, in hopes this might help someone who is also considering a publishing career.

I loved the English language as a child and teenager—reading, writing, and even editing. I don’t think I really knew the word editing, but I had an innate love of correcting writing, including the ward newsletter when it came around.

In college I pursued English literature because of my love of reading and writing. At some point I also became aware that editing was a career path. I took a usage course and an editing course. I also tutored writing and got a job as a freelance editor for a scholarly publisher. At this point I knew I loved editing and would be happy in an editing career, but I also had always planned on graduate school.

For a variety of reasons I went to law school and then began a career as a corporate attorney at a large firm. Much of what I learned in the law was later very useful when I became an editor—managing multiple projects, handling stress, working with clients, analyzing arguments, communicating promptly and professionally. I did a lot of reading, writing, and research as a law student and attorney, and that too was all quite relevant to editorial work.

Though various aspects of legal work appealed to me, I was not deeply passionate about my job. Maybe I would have lasted a long time as an attorney except that I had previously had the experience of really loving editing work as an undergraduate. Editing had felt like something I was almost born to do, like a calling, whereas being an attorney felt like more of a grind.

I began to consider different careers in the law other than working for a large firm. After a few months, I came across a posting for a full-time editing job. Almost on a lark I applied for the job. As I moved through the interview process I became more and more interested in the job. As I looked back at my life to that point, I could see that the dots of preparation could be lined up as a path leading to an editing career. My passions were in that area; my undergraduate schooling and prior work experience were right on point; my experiences in the legal world were also relevant.

When I was offered the full-time editing job, I made the leap. A few attorney friends thought it was a bit crazy to leave the practice of law and the more lucrative pay that came with it. Many others were supportive and said they wished they had the opportunity to try something different. Ultimately, I knew I was following my heart and that it was better to make such a big change early in my career.

Upon beginning the editing position, I was immediately comfortable that I had made a good move. There was an inherent satisfaction in working on improving other people’s writing, and I felt a strong collegiality with the other editors I worked with. I have never regretted the decision to change careers. I have never looked back.

My primarily initial assignment as an editor was to support another editor with a large print project. I also got some assignments to edit web content, which gave me experience with HTML. I edited public affairs materials for a number of years and also learned a lot about permissions for illustrations. I learned to work directly with graphic designers on layout. I helped prepare indexes and created custom style guides for clients. It seems like all that experience has been directly helpful as my career has wound on and my assignments have become more complex.

Later, I got management opportunities. I enjoy these because I love trying to be helpful to people I supervise, and I love thinking about workflow and process and resources—how to get the work done in the most efficient way in a way that is hopefully deeply satisfying to the people doing the work. Looking back, I can hardly believe how lucky I was to get that first full-time editing job—how lucky I have been to have had a 15-year career (so far) in publishing.

If anyone reading this is considering a career in publishing (or a career change to get into publishing), I encourage you to follow your heart. Be realistic too. If you think a publishing career is your calling in life and can provide you the income you need, go for it.

Filed Under: Articles, Business, Publishing

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