Breaking Down Dickens

The reason I started to read A Christmas Carol, was to dissect the genius of Dickens. I made notes on each chapter structure because I figured if I followed his lead, I couldn't go wrong. Once I finished, I realized it was pretty simple.

In a novella there's no room for senseless words. You have a clear cut beginning, middle, and end. In this book, the reader is immediately translated into the story by the first sentence and a great hook. “Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that."

If you didn't know the story, you'd probably be asking yourself, "Who is Marley?" and "Why is he dead?" An explosion of question marks would surface that you needed answered. The only way to answer them is to keep reading. See? Brilliant writing.

The chapter flows right into who Scrooge is...a learned student of Marley. A selfish, stingy, crusty old man that people are afraid to even speak to. Except his loving nephew of course, who he shrugs off like every other human in his miserable circle.

The next three chapters are dedicated to each ghost. First the ghost of Christmas past, showing us the source of Scrooge's meanness. Then the ghost of Christmas present in Chapter 3. Finally, the ghost of Christmas future in Chapter 4. The last "Stave" as Dickens' called them or Chapter 5 is the end. It shows the aggressive progression of the protagonist.

First he was sour as grapes with wrinkled, pursed lips, and he ended up an overtly grateful, generous old man blessing every person in his path because he got a second chance. Oh, the power of a second chance! I'll save that thought for another blog. Anyway, hope you enjoyed the simplified view of a novella. It's a great place to start with novel writing because it is concise and a concept that you can expand on later...turning it into a novel. Happy writing :-)