One of my favorite nautical terms is “brightwork.” When I first encountered this word, I assumed it meant the polished metalwork on boats, but I learned it also refers to highly varnished woodwork. Search for Chris-Craft vintage runabout and you’ll find some stunning examples of wooden brightwork.

I love the concept of brightwork because, like so many nautical concepts, it has a perfect analogy in the writing world. In the same way boatbuilders layer and polish the pieces of wood that make up the brightwork, we writers layer and polish description and dialogue to add depth and luster to our work. Just as a boat’s brightwork draws the eye of a discerning sailor, well-crafted description and dialogue draw our readers into our story. Perhaps it’s what draws us, the stories’ creators, in as well.

But no boatbuilder embarks on the painstaking process of installing wooden brightwork before the frame of the boat is in place. As writers, we should ensure the frame of our story is in place before focusing on our “prose brightwork.”
I was beyond thrilled to have an article in the July / August 2022 issue of Writer's Digest: "Creating Your Story Frame," where I discuss the challenges I faced with Ann Kinnear Book 5: A Serpent's Tooth​, how I avoided those pitfalls by creating a story "frame" for Book 6, and how readers can apply the frame concept to their own work. That article is now available to everyone! Download the pdf below.
wd0722_indielab_galley.pdf
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The Author Wheel Podcast Charting Your Story with Matty Dalrymple
Here's a snippet of my conversation with Greta Boris and Megan Haskell about the concept of a story frame, full interview here.
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Matty spent her early writing career nurturing a strong sounding board for both the craft of writing fiction, and the business of indie publishing. When she had to throw away a lot of words to fix a story, she developed her own framework to craft her story as she goes, speeding up her writing and minimizing rewrites.
Author Your Dream Podcast on Building a Story Frame
I had a lovely conversation with host Kenny MacKay: When Matty Dalrymple created the idea of the story frame, she didn’t want it to be just another name for an outline. For some, an outline is rigid, whereas the story frame feels a little more organic. This frame gives an author a clear picture of the overarching story and gives you something to hang everything else on.
Episode 106 – Framing a Story with Matty Dalrymple of The Dialogue Doctor Podcast
​I talk with Jeff Elkins about framing a story, including different plotting methods and different ways to think through a story as well as framing for plot points, framing for character growth, or framing for the emotional journey.
The Write Approach Podcast: Using a Framework to Write Your Novel with Matty Dalrymple
I talk with J. W. Judge and Barbara Hinske about using a frame to aid you in writing your novel. We distinguish a framework from a conventional outline and talk about how it can benefit both plotters and discovery writers. I give personal illustrations of what prompted the need for developing a frame for my own writing and how it has benefited me.
Bryan Nowak's All Things Writing Podcast
I had a lovely conversation with Bryan Nowak about the concept of a story frame, include what its strengths are and when another writing tool might be more appropriate.
Creating Your Story Frame with Matty Dalrymple on The Prolific Author Podcast
Many thanks to host Liesel Hill for this fun conversation about using a story frame to stay on track; writing long vs. short fiction; bringing characters to life who feel real; staying focused; and the why of certain scenes.