Last week, we explored some of the types of writing styles available to us for drafting the story of our next book (click here to read last week’s article). We discussed Mind Maps, Concept Maps, Knowledge Graphs, and Story Arcs. Each style has its unique power to structure your ideas into a story. For our next Not for Kids adult-themed children’s book, I decided to look into using Mind Maps (what I used for Sh*t, I Need a Job!) and Story Arcs.
The story of the light bulb (the random idea created last week) is one of relentless experimentation, fierce competition, and eventual triumph. While the narrative needs to be brimming with humor and irreverence, employing Story Arcs and Mind Maps can help refine its flow and ensure that readers stay engaged from start to finish. Let’s break down how these techniques work using the invention of the light bulb story as an example.
A Story Arc is the backbone of any narrative, mapping the emotional highs and lows the protagonist experiences throughout the story. Even nonfiction or satirical stories benefit from this approach, as it guides readers through a satisfying progression.
Choosing the Right Arc for the Light Bulb Story
For this story, the “Man in a Hole” Arc fits perfectly. In this arc, the protagonist (or protagonists) encounters challenges and setbacks but ultimately climbs out of the “hole” to achieve success.
Breaking It Down
- Introduction:
- Set the scene: Life in the “olden days,” lit by candles and oil lamps.
- Problem: The world is dark, dangerous, and inefficient.
- Tone: Irreverent and humorous, immediately engaging the audience.
- Descent into the Hole:
- Early failures: Humphry Davy and the platinum filament—effective but prohibitively expensive.
- Other failed experiments: Carbon filaments that burned out quickly, gas-filled bulbs that didn’t quite work.
- Climbing Out:
- Enter Thomas Edison: A cunning inventor and relentless experimenter.
- The breakthrough: Bamboo filament and Edison’s team of “muckers” pushing through countless failures.
- Climactic Conflict:
- Rivalry with Joseph Swan in England, showcasing their competing designs.
- Resolution:
- Edison and Swan’s collaboration to form Ediswan, marking the start of widespread use of electric lighting.
- Final reflection: Success was a team effort, achieved through hard work, competition, and ingenuity.
By structuring the story this way, you give readers a clear sense of progression and a satisfying conclusion.
A Mind Map is a visual tool to help organize ideas before writing begins—or even during revisions. It’s especially useful for humorous or complex narratives like this one, where many characters, events, and themes are intertwined.
Creating a Mind Map for the Light Bulb Story
Start with the central idea: “The Invention of the Light Bulb.” From there, branch out into key elements:
- Life Before the Light Bulb:
- Candles.
- Oil lamps.
- Challenges (darkness, inefficiency, danger).
- Key Figures:
- Humphry Davy (platinum filament).
- Thomas Edison (bamboo filament, media mastery).
- Joseph Swan (cellulose filament, English rivalry).
- Edison’s muckers (team efforts, worldwide search for bamboo).
- Failures and Challenges:
- Cost (platinum too expensive).
- Durability (carbon burned out).
- Rivalries (Edison vs. Swan).
- Breakthroughs:
- Bamboo filament.
- Merging efforts (Ediswan).
- Impact:
- Widespread use of electric lighting.
- Transformation of industries and daily life.
Using a Story Arc, you can ensure the narrative flows smoothly, keeping readers engaged as the tension builds and resolves. The Mind Map helps you organize and prioritize details, ensuring nothing important gets left out while preventing the story from feeling cluttered.
For example:
- The Mind Map highlights Edison’s team’s role, which could be expanded to emphasize that this wasn’t a solo effort.
- The Story Arc ensures you don’t lose readers in the middle, as each “failure” (like carbon filaments) naturally leads to a step forward (the bamboo breakthrough).
By using Story Arcs, you give readers a satisfying narrative structure that mirrors classic storytelling techniques. With Mind Maps, you bring order to creative chaos, ensuring your story is both comprehensive and easy to follow. In the following week, I will expand upon these two styles to draft the story and share with you in next week’s article.
If you’re writing your own book, these tools are invaluable at every stage of the process—from brainstorming to refining. And if you’ve never tried them before, start with something simple, like creating a Mind Map for a short story idea or plotting a basic Story Arc for a chapter.
Stay tuned! 💡
