The Skeleton of the Plot

Narrative Integrity

October always brings my mind back to the concept of the skeleton. In fiction, we are often so enamored with the skin—the beautiful descriptions, the clever dialogue—that we forget to check the bones. If the skeletal structure of your plot is weak, no amount of atmospheric “flesh” will keep the story from collapsing.

Today, I took a difficult chapter and reduced it to its barest functional movements: Character A wants X, but is blocked by Y. By stripping away the ornament, I could see exactly where the logic was fractured. Before you decorate the room, make sure the walls are plum.

The Monroe Minute
Summarize your current project in exactly three sentences, focusing only on the cause and effect of the plot.

Until the next page,
Sloane S. Monroe

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Sloane Shay Monroe

I don’t write to idealize love, but to explore it honestly, with emotional precision and depth.