In this video, I share my method for deconstructing books to explore how page-turners and best-sellers are made.
This technique helps me learn from novels I admire by examining their structure, character perspectives, and storytelling elements.
I discuss how books like Liane Moriarty’s Big Little Lies and T.J. Newman’s Drowning: The Rescue of Flight 1421 are structured as examples.
Hello, Jane Cleland here.
You often refer to deconstructing books. What does that mean? How do you do it?
I deconstruct books that I admire. Usually, what captures my interest initially is the structure. How are they structuring this novel to add these layers of complexity and build suspense?
For example, in Liane Moriarty’s “Big Little Lies,” the structure depends on the varying viewpoints of the three protagonists, but then there’s an intermediary narrator as well that we don’t learn until later who that is. Very interesting.
In T.J. Newman’s “Drowning,” the structure is clear. It is the amount of time that the oxygen is going to last. “The Drowning” is about a plane that ditches in the ocean and there’s an airlock, and a few passengers are trapped in that airlock. How long will the oxygen last?
I tend to look at:
Chapter length
TRDs, plot twists, plot reversals
Moments of heightened danger
Raising the stakes
What obstacles the protagonists are facing:
Literal obstacles
Emotional obstacles
Crisis of faith, spiritual
Mental challenges
I look at all of these to get a better understanding of how the characters are interacting with the plot. And I track it in a chart. I make notes. Bulleted lists. Works for me. Helps me understand, from a very methodical point of view, what these excellent authors are doing to create these page turners.
How about you? Do you analyze the work you like? How do you track it? What do you look for? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. Put them in the comments section. That would be great.
You know I read them all. And if this YouTube shorty had value for you, I do hope that you’ll like it, share it, subscribe to the channel. It helps us open up features that let us add value for you.
Thank you.
*Transcripts are software-generated. To report any transcription errors, please use my contact form!
