The Shape of Things
The author discusses the internal shapes that emerge in her writing process, which help guide the narrative flow. Each book in the Outlander series has a distinct geometric or natural shape that reflects its structure and themes. By identifying these shapes, readers can gain a deeper understanding of the story's progression and character arcs.
- ▪The first book, OUTLANDER, is shaped like three overlapping triangles, culminating in three climaxes.
- ▪DRAGONFLY IN AMBER resembles a dumbbell, with a framing story and two major narrative arcs.
- ▪VOYAGER features a braided horse-tail structure, intertwining multiple narratives across different timelines.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
All my books have an internal geometric or natural shape that emerges in the course of the work, and once I’ve seen it, the writing goes much faster. I may have no idea exactly what happens, what’s said, etc.—but I do know approximately what the missing pieces look like (e.g., I need a scene here that involves these three people, and it has a sense of rising tension and a conclusion that will lead into that scene over there…). These internal shapes are normally invisible to the reader—who isn’t looking for them in the first place—but if pointed out, the reader can certainly see them. Here are the shapes of each book in my Outlander series of novels: I.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Dianagabaldon.
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