Forbidden Formats: The Risks and Rewards of Uncommon Narrative Structures

By Bonnie Randall

Part of The How They Do It Series

JH: Not every story needs to be told in the Three Act Structure. Bonnie Randall shares three examples of narrative structures that defy convention—and still work.

Every fiction writer from veteran to novice knows there’s a collection of “don’ts” when writing.

Don’t use adverbs

Don’t use adjectives

Don’t use any tag other than ‘said’.

Don’ts abound in narrative structures, too, (how the story is delivered). Nevertheless, this summer I’ve read several bodies of fiction that used ‘Forbidden Formats’ with outstanding results. Let’s unpack a few and analyze why they worked—and how they can be utilized in your fiction.

Writing Epistolary Novels

By Jessica Brockmole, @jabrockmole

JH: Please join me in welcoming Jessica Brockmole to the blog today, to chat with us about writing epistolary novels. Her story of how she decided to write her novel this way is a fascinating example of a writer's process. You never know were a novel will lead you.

Jessica has been enamored with historical fiction since she was old enough to sit still for bedtime readings of the Laura Ingalls Wilder books. Now, she writes stories of her own (and is much better at sitting still). When not writing, she can be found reviewing historical fiction as part of the Historical Novels Review's editorial team. She enjoys getting lost in secondhand book stores and sifting through odd bits of ephemera and calling it "research." Her novel, Letters From Skye, is out now.

Take it away Jessica...