We (inhabitants of the Southern Hemisphere) have entered my favourite season; it’s a time of nuanced colours in the natural world, dark mornings that lend magic to early starts, cosy layers, and sunshine that hits the spot when it pierces through cool, crisp air.
It is also shaping up to be a season of creativity for me.
I am approaching my manuscript with a sense of fun and insightful new directions thanks to my current uni subject.
And, in news I can now share, I am super excited to be working on New Australian Fiction 2023 with Suzy Garcia (series editor) and team.
Being trusted to read the creative works of others and offer feedback to help a piece shine is always a privilege, but to do so for an anthology that I’ve taken great pleasure in reading is truly something else.
Thank you Suzy, Caitlin McGregor, and Kill Your Darlings! And congratulations Suzy on your new role as editor of Kill Your Darlings!
I am currently reading submissions, and once we have a shortlist, I’ll be copyediting — a dream brief with a dream team!
Have you read New Australian Fiction? Now in its fifth year, it’s a great sampler of emerging and established voices in the Australian literary landscape — you’re bound to discover your next favourite writer and delight in fresh offerings from familiar names.
Kishōtenketsu
A story in four parts
Late last year, my book club read Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. After finishing the book, I voraciously sought out any and all Vuong-related intel that was a swipe and a scroll away (I was oddly sad to learn that Trevor was not based on one person).
While gathering intel, I came across an interview where Vuong mentions the four-part story structure, kishōtenketsu, which he used for his novel. I made a mental note to look up the narrative structure, but life didn’t present the time nor the energy until, surreptitiously, it was a topic of discussion in one of my classes this semester.
Kishōtenketsu is the structural approach used in classic Chinese, Japanese, and Korean storytelling.
The key difference between kishōtenketsu and the three-act structure that dominates film and literature across the Western world is that with kishōtenketsu, story is not centred on conflict.
Instead, it engages readers through exposition, contrast, and mystery.
The four parts that lend kishōtenketsu its name in Japanese are:
ki: introduction, establishing character(s), scene, setting
shō: exposition, expanding on the introduction
ten: twist, a contrast or contradiction to the story thus far
ketsu: conclusion, a resolution that connects the four parts, bringing to a close what has ‘accumulated’ over course of the story.
Ocean Vuong says, ‘[kishōtenketsu] builds tension through proximity the way poetry does.’
This proximity to the voice of the writer, the narrator, the central character(s) advances the story and keeps the reader captivated. These are the kind of stories I love — I was not surprised to learn that one of my favourite writers, Haruki Murakami, uses the structure, as does animator Hayao Miyazaki.
In my research into kishōtenketsu, I discovered that in Station Eleven, my current book club read, Emily St. John Mandel uses this structural approach. I am now growing increasingly impatient for the copy I reserved to be ready for collection from my local library.
I plan to explore the four-part structure in my own practice, with a short story version of my manuscript, and perhaps also in an unrelated yonkoma manga, a four-panel comic that follows the kishōtenketsu structure. Of course, it’s just a matter of having time to do all the things. For now, just recognising these new possibilities is a thrill.
Raptorial Writes
A monthly writing prompt
Set a timer for 10 minutes and write. Create a dribble (50 word story) that uses the four-part story structure, or if you’re feeling uber creative, a yonkoma manga. Include a terracotta pot, a car jack, and a dog in your narrative.
I’d love to know how you go! Post your writing or comic to Instagram using #RaptorialWrites, or feel free to share it in the comments here. Happy writing!
Raptorial Bites
A monthly short story book club
Have a read of Haruki Murakami’s short story Samsa in Love (2013) and join the conversation over at this month’s Raptorial Bites thread. I don’t know for certain if Murakami uses the four-part structure in this story; I guess we’ll have to read to know for sure!
You can also browse past Raptorial Bites and join conversations at any time — comments remain open, and admittedly, I have a little catching up to do!