Episodic novels vs I don't know what the word is

HoneyBadger · Mar 16, 2012

Hi, friends! It's me, your resident geniusidiot, leaning much more heavily on the tail end of that title today.

Is a novel with chapters that are each little stories- they each basically have a beginning, middle, and end, conflict, resolution, more conflict, but cannot stand alone without the prior chapters, and they each also forward the plot/ character- is that considered episodic, or not, or terrible writing, or is that how it's supposed to be?

(For those of you just joining us, I wrote a novel in 2 months, on a dare, and all I've learned about writing fiction has been learned in those two months. Luckily, I read very fast and learn pretty fast, but I don't know a lot of the actual words for things.)

Thank you!

Torgo · Mar 16, 2012

There's nothing inherently terrible about it! Have seen it done very well. 'Episodic' isn't necessarily a pejorative term.

Gilead · Mar 16, 2012

Might be an episodic novel.

Could be a mosaic novel, depending on how you've got it set up. Wikipedia says: 'a novel in which individual chapters or short stories share a common setting or set of characters with the aim of telling a linear story from beginning to end, with the individual chapters, however, refracting a plurality of viewpoints and styles.'

HoneyBadger · Mar 16, 2012

Hrms.

Writing is easy. Everything else is hard.

This says episodic novels are more and then, and then, and then, instead of being therefore, but, therefore.

If that's the case, I don't think mine is episodic, because everything happens because of what's already happened?

Dreity · Mar 16, 2012

Hmm, from what you've described it doesn't sound episodic to me. I think making sure that each chapter has some kind of conflict and resolution (which leads to further conflict) is just part of keeping up a good pace. I don't like finishing a chapter and thinking, "But wait, nothing happened!"

ETA: Also, let me know when your genius novel is finished. I am keenly interested, being a genius myself.

dangerousbill · Mar 16, 2012

HoneyBadger said:
Is a novel with chapters that are each little stories- they each basically have a beginning, middle, and end, conflict, resolution, more conflict, but cannot stand alone without the prior chapters, and they each also forward the plot/ character- is that considered episodic, or not, or terrible writing, or is that how it's supposed to be?

That can be an episodic novel. I'd define episodic as one in which the novel's strength rests in the subplots, and these are hung on a relatively weak main plot. However, the subplots can overlap and interact; they don't have to be separate stories.

In one of my stories, the central plot is the growing love affair between a college senior and his female boss while he's doing a one-year internship on an Indian reservation. During this time, there are medical emergencies, drug dealing, ceremonies, rescues, and an underlay of the supernatural. All these are only weakly tied to the central plot.

EDIT: Sometimes they're called 'road' novels, because a long journey, by car, ship, etc., is a perfect main plot on which to hang separate stories. Think 'Easy Rider', the movie.

HoneyBadger · Mar 16, 2012

Dreity said:
ETA: Also, let me know when your genius novel is finished. I am keenly interested, being a genius myself.

Marketing is key!

Thanks, everyone. It's clear as mud still, but who cares? If it sells, it sells. And if it doesn't, the next one will. (Lather, rinse, repeat.)

Aggy B. · Mar 16, 2012

Bradbury wrote a few novels kind of like what you're describing. The most well-known, of course, being Dandelion Wine. (Not that that's his most well-known novel, but most well-known of that type.) But From the Dust Returned and Green Shadows, White Whale also have the short-story-strung-into-novel form. (The first actually being mostly short stories that he put together with a few additional chapters. The second, I think, being written mostly as a novel.)

But I don't know what they're called. (Aside from, you know, genius.)

Aggy, been a Bradbury fan since about the point she could read

SomethingOrOther · Mar 16, 2012

HoneyBadger said:
(For those of you just joining us, I wrote a novel in 2 months, on a dare, and all I've learned about writing fiction has been learned in those two months. Luckily, I read very fast and learn pretty fast, but I don't know a lot of the actual words for things.)

I dare you--no, triple dog double-dutch strawberry donut with sprinkles on top dare you--to write another one at some point in the future.

HoneyBadger · Mar 16, 2012

Oh, I am.

It'll probably be rubbish now that I know what I'm doing. All properly spelled, with themes and stuff. Yick.

Deleted member 42 · Mar 16, 2012

Your description does in fact fit the canon definition (that is novels considered part of the canon of English/American novels) of an episodic novel.

They often do have an over-arching story arc; a sort of sub-genre or closely related genre is the picaresque, wherein the main character is a bit of a rogue--think Moll Flanders, or Tom Jones by Fielding.

Go forth and write.

And stop being so hard on yourself; you're not even a little bit idiotic. It was a good question, and well-asked.

Midian · Mar 16, 2012

Do you really need to call it something? Ask someone if it sucks. Then you'll know. That's really all that matters.

HoneyBadger · Mar 16, 2012

HAHA you fell into my praise-garnering trap!

Thank you!

I think I'm going to decide to just get over it (but not myself, because, c'mon) and finish revising, then set my head on fire, photograph it, and make that my query.

Gotta have a hook, right?

Midian: No, everyone I know is either illiterate or in cahoots to gaslight the living hell out of me (possibly both) because they all like it so far, so only time and lots and lots of fire will tell.

n3onkn1ght · Mar 16, 2012

Vignettes?

HoneyBadger · Mar 16, 2012

No, it's like...

Chapter 1: Monday, Boy's POV
Chapter 2: Tuesday, Actor's POV
Chapter 3: Wednesday, Widow's POV
etc etc until the exciting conclusion

Pretty much, it's the same story told in 3 different first-person-very recent past POVs, but since each chapter is essentially a 24-hr recap of each character's day, they're like little baby stories, but not, because I don't know why. They're not short stories, but since each chapter is a day, I tried to make their days interesting and plot progressing.

Maybe I'm saying it wrong. You know how each scene should be it's own little tension/conflict/stimulus/response thing? It's like that in each scene (that I'm not tossing bc worthless) but also in the chapter as a whole, and then also over each 3 day period, but ALSO over the whole thing.

Theoretically, I could switch the story to any one of the 3 all the way through and it would be the same story, just from their POV the whole time. I'm not going to do that, though, because I'd rather gnaw my own fingers off.

This is the big problem of not knowing what the hell you're doing. You can't get answers if you don't even know how to ask the question! Thanks!!!

Libbie · Mar 16, 2012

Like Olive Kitteredge! I probably spelled that wrong.

Yeah, I don't know what it's called. I don't worry about things like these. I just write it and call it a "novel" and let God sort 'em out.

SomethingOrOther · Mar 16, 2012

HoneyBadger said:
Maybe I'm saying it wrong. You know how each scene should be it's own little tension/conflict/stimulus/response thing? It's like that in each scene (that I'm not tossing bc worthless) but also in the chapter as a whole, and then also over each 3 day period, but ALSO over the whole thing.

Theoretically, I could switch the story to any one of the 3 all the way through and it would be the same story, just from their POV the whole time. I'm not going to do that, though, because I'd rather gnaw my own fingers off.

I think your second paragraph hints at the explanation. The break in time/POV is why you--and the reader--perceive each chapter as its own "unit."

Because when you finish with one POV and unit of time, you'll probably resolve something (even something little) unless you make a conscious decision not to. And when you pick up with a new POV and time, something new must start. If you start nothing else, at the very least you'll start a new emotional arc--because the character you switch to is a different person (or dead horse) with different desires and fears and whatever.

So you don't have to think of this as a special structure. It's what naturally happens when you switch POV/time after blocks of scenes and build your novel out of many such blocks.

magicmint · Mar 16, 2012

The Woman Of Brewster Place did this.

Episodic novels vs I don't know what the word is

HoneyBadger

terribly loud, emotionally distant

Torgo

Formerly Phantom of Krankor.

Gilead

HoneyBadger

terribly loud, emotionally distant

Dreity

dangerousbill

Retired Illuminatus

HoneyBadger

terribly loud, emotionally distant

Aggy B.

Not as sweet as you think

SomethingOrOther

-

HoneyBadger

terribly loud, emotionally distant

Deleted member 42

Midian

My sarcasm got the better of me.

HoneyBadger

terribly loud, emotionally distant

n3onkn1ght

HoneyBadger

terribly loud, emotionally distant

Libbie

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

SomethingOrOther

-

magicmint