Nontraditional Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers
Margie Pignataro
JOURNEY: THE TRADITIONAL PLOT STRUCTURE
A FREE ebook that introduces neurodiverse writers (and
neurotypical) to plot structures beyond the commonly used hero's Journey. These
plots are emotionally accessible, highly creative, and more
"traditional" than you'd expect.
Nontraditional Plot
Structures for Neurodiverse Writers
by Margie Pignataro
Genre: Nonfiction Literary Theory, Writer’s Guide
Born from a rejected dissertation proposal and reworked over
the course of 15 years into a compelling exploration of narrative, Nontraditional
Plot Structures for Neurodiverse Writers challenges conventional
storytelling norms. This free ebook delves into how nontraditional plot
structures resonate with neurodiverse writers, offering creative frameworks
that align with their artistic and intellectual strengths—traits often mislabeled
as obstacles.
Through engaging diagrams and dozens of links to free resources, this book
examines storytelling across diverse mediums, from Oedipus the King to Squid
Game, spanning novels, poetry, visual arts, television, film, theater, and
even commercials. The Mona Lisa and Little Red Riding Hood provide illustrated
and textual examples of each plot structure. Whether you're a writer seeking
fresh approaches or an artist questioning traditional narratives, this guide
provides valuable insights into storytelling beyond the expected.
This ebook lays the groundwork for a forthcoming second edition, arriving next
year, which will expand upon these ideas with deeper textual analyses,
practical exercises, and hands-on guidance to help you craft your own unique
narratives.
**Get it completely FREE!!**
at SeizeTheCow.com
or HERE
SeizetheCow.com: https://seize-the-cow.ghost.io/nontraditional-plot-structures-for-neurodiverse-writers-is-now-available-for-free/
Other link: https://seizethecow.com/other-authors-publishing/
About the Author
I have been writing with serious intent for thirty years. I've been published and produced multiple times. My education has focused on literary theory, theater history and criticism, as well as creative writing. I also sell my collage art in a Redbubble store.
I have been published as a playwright. I had articles about
Shakespeare published, as well as blog pieces. I've self-published several
novels and one book of poetry under the name Lady
Ristretto. I have also worked as a freelance erotica
writer with individual clients.
Website
* Threads * Instagram
* Bluesky * Amazon
Author Links
Website: https://seizethecow.com/
Threads: https://www.threads.net/@seizethecow
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seizethecow
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/seizethecow.bsky.social
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Lady-Ristretto/author/B00VMHPANM
Giveaway
Follow the tour HERE for special
content and Enter to win a $10 Amazon giftcard OR ebook duo of Building Your
Play & Ladders to Fire – 1 winner each!
https://sdbook.promo/NontraditionalPlotStructures
Prize description:
Building Your
Play: Theory and Practice for the Beginning Playwright, David Rush.
Written by my late, great playwriting professor,
this is essential reading for anyone who wants to write traditional fiction.
Everything in this book I covered in two of my graduate seminars with
David. Learn the rules of traditional writing so you can learn how to break
them.
Ladders to
Fire, Anaïs Nin
Anaïs Nin wrote novels which are pure nontraditional
texts, to the point that they are difficult to consume for readers
expecting conventional actions. Lacking goals, climaxes, and any kind of a
Journey plot, her novels are psychological analyses of women characters
and their relationships. In my ebook, I explore an excerpt of Ladders to Fire
as having a Portrait plot structure.
David would loathe Nin's work and Nin would chide David
for his rigid devotion to structures. Reading them together gives a fantastic
view of the differences of traditional and nontraditional writing.
Despite
this book being about nontraditional plot structures, it’s very important that
I establish what is considered traditional. I need to show exactly how
nontraditional plots deviate from the traditional Journey and why they do so.
There are philosophical reasons behind these choices. Mode has meaning.
● It has a beginning, middle, and end.
● It is closely aligned with Realism
and seeks to create a mirror or museum-quality image of the world.
● There is an inciting incident that
begins the events of the story. This event pushes the “world” out of
equilibrium.
● The story follows a hero who must
achieve a goal of high stakes. This goal must be difficult and solid. We must
be able to know clearly and obviously when the hero has achieved the goal.
● The hero will face obstacles, set
backs, even weakness. At some point, the hero will undergo a crisis and
question everything.
● Characters around the hero assume a
pyramid like structure of importance; those of lesser importance tend to be
flat and not important enough to pay attention to. Characters appear in the
story to help or hinder the hero’s goal.
● All actions have meaning. Everything
that is happening has an overarching meaning. It has a beginning, middle, and
an end. It is closely aligned with Realism.
● At the climax, everything changes.
The hero could fulfill their goal or not. Everything that will happen after
this point is entirely different than what came before.
● After the Hero achieves the goal,
all final questions are answered.
● The world is again in a state of
equilibrium.
The
reason why the great majority of novels, short stories, TV shows, movies, etc.
have a Journey structure is because it is the easiest form for an audience to
access. It seems to resemble our lives.
The
characters experience events that we recognize and experience. They talk like
us and act like us and feel like us. With the advent of Realism in the 19th
century, characters became more psychologically real to us. Journey is also
based on simple cause and effect.
There
are things a Journey embodies that reflect a certain philosophy in life.
A
Journey is about one main character. For several hundred years that character
had to have a powerful position in society.
Time
moves forward. There is a clear beginning to the story; nothing that happens
before is not important enough to show. Anything that happens after the ending
isn’t important to show.
Events
are governed by cause and effect. They have an impact on one another.
Everything happens for a reason. Everything that happens is meaningful.
The
hero is the center of the story, the main character. There are minor characters
who aid the main character. Their purpose is tied to the main character’s;
otherwise, they wouldn’t be in the story. People who aren’t present in the
story aren’t necessary for the hero’s journey.
This
is considered Realism and good storytelling, but it isn’t reality. None of
those things happen in the world. We do not experience our lives as a Journey
structure. Yes, the beginning is birth and the end is death, but even that can
be debated philosophical and religiously.
CHAOS: A NONTRADITIONAL PLOT
STRUCTURE
WHAT
IS IT?
● Chaos is a collection of elements
that may seem random and meaningless, yet have a string connecting them into a
coherent structure. The structure is not obvious, but it is present.
WHY
IS IT APPEALING TO NEURODIVERSE WRITERS?
● pure sensory experience, good for
hypersensitive writers
● the apparent lack of a structure
allows for impulsivity and short texts threaded together
● “stream of consciousness” creates a
free-flowing unloading of ideas and themes
● infodump meets emotiondump
● conventional social interaction
isn’t necessary
● no complex psychological realism is
necessary
EXAMPLES
● social media pages
○ Instagram, Facebook, X, Mastodon,
Tumblr, etc.
● writers’ notebooks
● Surrealism and Dada
● Collage
● short story anthologies
The
ironic thing is that the traditional Journey plot structure and the Chaos
structure are two different versions of the same structure. All of these
nontraditional structures are all different versions of one another.
Using
the map at the right, the Journey story would follow the line and visit each
location point. The Chaos story, however, would include ONLY the blue location
points. Or, the blue and the red and in different orders.
Chaos
is purposely rejects organization, cause and effect, and logic.
The
string of a Chaos structure isn’t easily discerned, but all events that occur
within that structure are related, even if it isn’t clear. It can seem like
nonsense or even gibberish, but there’s always a connection. A timeline can
loop or invert. An audience may have no idea what’s happening. The result is
more of an emotional one rather than logical. I form this interpretation using
the scientific definition of Chaos:
Chaos theory states that within the
apparent randomness of chaotic complex systems, there are underlying patterns,
interconnection, constant feedback loops, repetition, self-similarity, fractals
and self-organization.
Chaos
is not linear and doesn’t attempt to be coherent. It leaps around, seemingly
illogically, yet there is meaning behind everything. This reflects a specific
experience with the world: one that has more questions and confusion than
answers and explanations. Life is about the meaning you make and how you
arrange it. There are unknowns, nonsense moments, and dead ends.
Chaos
is more akin to traumatic flashbacks than a journey, because time can loop and
repeat. The object isn’t to find a logical, rational story. It’s to experience
the events emotionally and embrace the confusion.
Sounds like an informative read.
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